The Webster University baseball team got back in the win column in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a double header win, 9-2 & 3-2, over Principia College, on April 18 at Elsah, IL. The Gorloks, coming off their first losses in the SLIAC, downed the much improved Panthers to go to 9-2 in the conference. Webster had two solid starting efforts, including a record-breaking performance by Brandon Smith, and four home runs helped provide the offense for the Gorloks.
Johnny Lord (SR, Naperville, IL/Nequa Valley) started
game one for the Gorloks. Lord would wind up going five innings, giving up three hits, a walk, and two runs, and striking out two, in picking up his third win of the season. Lord is 3-1 on the year.
The Gorloks picked up two runs in the third, then broke the seven inning game open with six runs in the fourth. In the third, Conner Wardlaw (JR, Arnold, MO/Jefferson College) walked, stole second, then scored on an Eric Outlaw (FR, Park Ridge, IL/Maine West) single. Outlaw swiped second and third, scoring on an error on the Panther catcher to make it 2-0.
In the fourth, Dakota DeFreitas doubled and stole third. Adam Naliwajko (SR, Mt. Prospect, IL/St. Viator) walked and stole second, and Wardlaw followed with a walk to load the bases. Outlaw then launched his first collegiate home run, a grand slam, quickly making it a 6-0 score. With two down, Matt Wollnik (SR, Naperville, IL/Nequa Valley singled and Ben Dinter (JR, Gurnee, IL/College of Lake County) slammed the Gorloks second home run of the inning to make it an 8-0 game. It was Dinter's first dinger for the Gorloks.
Webster would pick up a solo run in the sixth when Zack Bishop (JR, Marshall, MO/Marshall) doubled home Wollnik for the Gorloks' final run.
Lord gave up single runs in the fourth and fifth before giving way to Brett Jungles (SR, Naperville, IL/St. Francis). Jungles went one inning, giving up two hits and striking out three. Austin Beccue (JR, Red Bud, IL/Gibault Catholic) threw a scoreless seventh inning to finish up.
Outlaw wound up going 3-5 with the home run and five RBIs. Dinter was 1-4 with a home run, two RBIs, and Wollnik was 2-3 with two runs scored and a walk.
Smith (SR, Imperial, MO/Seckman) started
game two and had racked up 16 strikeouts and given up just three hits after seven scoreless innings of work. Those 16 strikeouts were the most in a single game for Webster, eclipsing the record of 15 held by Chris Jansen, in a game vs. MacMurray in 2014.
Kyle Uhrich (SR, St. Louis, MO/Webster Groves) hit a solo homer in the second inning to give Webster a 1-0 lead. Dinter hit his second home run of the night, a solo shot, in the fifth to give Webster a 2-0 lead. Wardlaw doubled in the eighth and Mike Wick (JR, Bartlett, IL/Bartlett) singled him home for an important insurance run to give Webster a 3-0 lead.
But the Panthers reached Smith in the eighth. A lead off single by Principia and a two-run homer cut the Webster lead to 3-2. After giving up a walk, Smith gave way to Matt Mulhearn (FR, Chicago Heights, IL/Marion Catholic). Principia bunted the runner over to second for one out. Mulhearn struck out the next batter on a full count and got the final out on a fly to left.
Mulhearn gave up a one-out hit in the ninth, but struck out the next two batters for his first collegiate save. Between Smith and Mulhearn, Webster struck out 19 Panthers in the game. The 19 strikeouts tied the team record set in a game vs. Illinois College in 2004.
Smith improved to 4-0 with the win, giving up five hits, two walks, two runs, and striking out 16. Mulhearn went two innings, gave up a hit and struck out three.
Uhrich was 1-4 with a home run and RBI, and Dinter was 2-3 with a home run, RBI, and walk. Wick was 2-4 with an RBI.
Webster is now 9-2 in the SLIAC and 19-9 overall. Principia is now 7-7 and 16-12 overall.
Webster hosts Eureka College (IL) for a three-game series at GCS Ballpark on April 21-22. The Gorloks host Blackburn College (IL) on April 26 for a double header at GCS.
