BENTONVILLE, Ark. — For six innings, St. Edward's matched Drury pitch for pitch and moment for moment. But with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Panthers delivered a walk-off RBI single to hand the Hilltoppers a 2-1 loss Saturday morning to open Day 2 of the Alvy Early Memorial Classic.

Starting pitcher MADDIE AGUILAR was steady in the circle for St. Edward's, and the Hilltopper defense was resilient behind her, limiting Drury to one earned run across 6.2 innings while working through traffic and defensive challenges to keep the game within reach.

Drury broke through in the second inning, capitalizing on an error and an RBI double for the 1-0 lead. Aguilar settled in from there, navigating the Panthers' lineup with composure and inducing key outs to prevent further damage.

St. Edward's responded in the top of the fifth, sparked by DAFNE MERCADO's one-out double to left field. ARIANNA VIDALES moved pinch-runner JERZIE PELHAM over with a sacrifice bunt, and Darian DeLeon tied the game with an RBI double to right.

Landry Cochran kept the Panthers at-bat alive in the bottom of the seventh with a two-out single, putting runners on first and third, and Isabel Ervin delivered the walk-off single up the middle.

Aguilar allowed just one earned run in 6.2 innings, scattering eight hits with three strikeouts. St. Edward's finished with four hits and drew four walks in a tightly contested matchup from first pitch until final out.

The Hilltoppers will look to build on the competitive performance as tournament play continues.