(Moline, Ill.) – The Webster Gorloks got a complete game six hit shutout from starter
Brett Mueller while the offense banged out 12 hits in a
7-0 win over the Illinois Wesleyan Titans in the opening round of the NCAA Central Region tournament at Swanson Stadium in Moline, Ill. on Wednesday afternoon.
The Gorloks (
29-13), seeded sixth, took advantage of a couple errors and walks by the Titans (33-10), seeded first, in the top of the first for a 1-0 lead. IWU threatened in the home half of the first getting its first two batters on but Mueller got a fly out and a pair of groundouts to escape the jam. WU extended its lead with another run in the third when
Andrew Fuiten doubled to right center scoring
Alex Raetzloff all the way from first.
The lead grow to 3-0 in the fourth on a two out single to right field from Raetzloff which scored
Kyle Starnes from second. They had chance to stretch the lead even further when
Dave Umfleet singled to left a couple of pitches later but
John Combs was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. Illinois Wesleyan threatened again in the fourth getting two on with two out but a groundout to first ended the threat.
Webster broke the game open in the fifth getting a pair of runs on a single to right center off the bat of
Craig Schaefer to make it 5-0. The Titans refused to go quietly though loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the fifth but Mueller got an inning ending double play ball to shortstop to get of another jam.
The Gorloks sealed the deal in the eighth getting a two run single to left with the bases loaded and two outs from
Greg Steen to make it 7-0. IWU tried to threaten in the home half of the ninth getting its first two runners on but catcher Pat Garvey lined into a 4-6-3 triple play to end the game.
Mueller allowed just six hits while walking two and striking out one to improve his record to 9-0 on the season. Four players had at least two hits for Webster in the victory led by Raetzloff with three.
The Gorloks will play the loser of the Wartburg-Augustana game on Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. at Swanson Stadium in Moline, Ill.
