Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Webster University baseball team won its season opener, 6-2, over Wheaton College (IL) in Jackson, MS, on February 20.  Jeff Kammer ignited the Webster offense with a first inning homer, and C. J. Lee shut the Thunder down on the mound for the Gorloks.  Webster came from behind to take a 4-2 lead in the nightcap over #3 ranked Emory University, but wound up losing in the ninth, 5-4, to settle for a split on the day.

Lee  (SO, Aurora, IL/Waubonsie Valley HS), who was 5-1 with a 1.89 ERA for Webster as a freshman in 2014, picked up where he left off with seven strong innings of work.   Lee struck out nine, and gave up five hits, three walks, and two runs, in picking up his first win of 2015.

Kammer (SR, Chesterfield, MO/Lafayette HS) brought home Blake Thomas (JR, Triad, IL/Triad HS) and Kyle Uhrich (SO, St. Louis, MO/Maryville University) with a three-run blast with one out in the first, staking Webster to a 4-0 lead.  Kammer led Webster with eight home runs in 2014.

Before Kammer stepped in, Thomas and Uhrich had singled, with Ulrich driving in Charlie Gandolfi (SR, Mundelein, IL/Mundelein HS) with the Gorloks' first run.  Gandolfi had singled and stole second with one out. 
 
In the second inning, Alex Bahnick (SO, Owensboro, KY/Owensboro Catholic) singled with two out, and reached third on an errant pickoff throw by the Wheaton pitcher.  Gandolfi brought Bahnick home with a squeeze bunt single to make it 5-0.

The Thunder put up a run in the sixth on a walk and single, with the run scoring on a caught stealing at second, but the Gorloks got it right back in the bottom half.  Connor Hogan (SO, New Lenox, IL/Lincoln Way West HS) doubled to lead off, took third on a ground out, and scored on a Zach Allam (JR, Bloomington, IN/Edgewood HS) sac fly.

Wheaton threatened in the eighth.  Dylan Dean Smith (SR, Albion, IL/Edwards County HS) took over on the mound after Lee gave up a leadoff double and a walk.  Smith gave up a walk and a single for a run, and then struck out the next batter looking.  Matt Goro (SO, Wildwood, MO/Lafayette HS) was summoned to relieve Smith, and struck out the next two batters to end the threat.

Trey Tigart (SO, Sikeston, MO/Sikeston HS) took over in the ninth for Webster and promptly struck out the side to end the game.  The Gorloks wound up mowing down the last six Thunder batters on strikeouts and collectively struck out 15 for the game.

Gandolfi wound up 2-4, with a run scored, RBI, and stolen base.  Thomas was 2-4, with a run scored, and Kammer, 1-3, with the home run and three RBIs.

Against Emory, the top of the Gorlok lineup once again was at the center of the Webster offensive output.   The Gorloks trailed, 2-0, heading into the sixth when Bahnick bunted for a single and Gandolfi walked.  Uhrich doubled, scoring both Bahnick and Gandolfi to knot the game at 2-2.

The Gorloks took a 4-2 lead in the eighth.  Bahnick singled and Gandolfi bunted to reach first.  Thomas singled with Bahnick scoring, and Thomas and Gandolfi moved up to second and third on an error, loading the bases.   Uhrich singled, scoring Gandolfi to make it 4-2.

Freshman Josh Fleming (Columbia, IL/Columbia HS) got the call from the bullpen in the fourth inning and pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings before allowing a two-run homer in the eighth to tie the score, 4-4.  Fleming wound up going 5 1/3 inningsin relief, allowing six hits, two earned runs, walking none, striking out six, and taking the loss.

Allam doubled with one out in the top of the ninth but was stranded.  The Eagles had a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth off Fleming but he retired the next two batters.  With two down, the winning run scored after an error on right fielder Jake Celleghin (JR, Westfield, IN/Westfield HS).

Chris Jansen (SR, Cicero, IN/Bishop Chatard HS) got the start for the Gorloks.  Jansen allowed a run in the first after a hitter reached on catcher's interference, and a double.  Jansen got into trouble in the fourth after allowing a single, walk, and a hit by pitch to load the bases.   Fleming helped Webster out of the jam, getting the last two outs and allowing just one run to score on a force at second.  Jansen went 3 1/3 innings, allowed five hits, two walks, and one unearned run, while striking out four. 

Uhrich went 3-4, with three RBIs and a double, and Gandolfi was 2-2, with two runs and two walks.  Bahnick was 2-5 with two runs scored.

Emory finished as the runner-up in 2014 NCAA III National Championships with a 38-13 record.  Emory is already off to a 5-0 start in 2015.  Webster, 1-1, will face host Millsaps College at 4:00 p.m. on February 21 in the weekend finale.