DeLand, Fla. -- The Hatters have relished loading the bases this season, almost as much as they have enjoyed unloading them.
Kayla Drury and Demi Meza each hit grand slams on Saturday, giving the Hatters four grand slams for the season, as Stetson defeated LaSalle 13-4 in the nightcap of day two of the Stetson Classic.
The Hatters (14-4) fell to 25th-ranked Kansas 10-1 in the afternoon.
Stetson trailed LaSalle 4-2 in the fourth inning when Drury stepped up with the bases loaded and two outs. She hammered the first pitch she saw over the fence in left for her first home run of the season.
"I knew I struggled in the first game, so in-between games I went to hit with Demi and work on my timing," Drury said. "When I got up there, I had to change my mindset and be aggressive. If I saw a first pitch strike, I was going to swing at it."
One inning later, Drury came up again with the bases loaded and dropped in a single to right field as the runners moved station to station. Meza then cleared the bags with a line drive grand slam to straight away center field for her eighth home run of the season. It was also her second career grand slam.
The Hatters are now hitting .600 (18-for-30) with the bases loaded this season, including four slams.
What has been the key to the team's success with the bags full?
"I don't know, I think we perform really well under pressure and we come through in clutch situations," Drury said. "One through nine, you can count on everyone."
Drury went 3-for-3 with three runs and five RBI in the nightcap, while Meza went 3-for-4 with four RBI. Kelsey Waters and Brittany Hawn added two hits apiece, while Jessica Griffin hit her eighth home run of the season as well.
Chelsea Hostetler (8-2) struck out two over five innings to earn her eighth win of the season.
Courtney Brandt and Waters had the lone two hits for the Hatters against Kansas (20-2).
Stetson will play LaSalle one more time at noon on Sunday. It will be the fourth meeting between the two teams this week. Kansas will face Chattanooga at 10 a.m.
