The Webster University softball team split a double header with Rose-Hulman Institute, winning, 10-4, and losing, 13-6, on April 27 in Terre Haute, IN. The Gorloks lost an early lead, then completed a comeback with a six-run seventh in the opener, but the Fightin' Engineers pulled to an 11-1 lead in the nightcap before coasting for the split.
The Gorloks grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first in
game one. Taylor White (FR, St. Charles, MO/Lutheran St. Charles), making her first appearance in the starting lineup since March 26 due to injury, doubled to lead off. She scored on a ground out by Kate Sullens (SR, Highland, IL/Highland). Abby Burroughs (FR, Edwardsville, IL/Triad) walked and Kayla Day (SR, Caruthers, CA/Caruthers) singled. Emily Kolisch (SR, St. Louis, MO/Incarnate Word Academy) singled, scoring Burroughs, and Katlyn Garza (JR, O'Fallon, MO/Ft. Zumwalt North) singled home Day.
Rose-Hulman took the lead with a four-run third inning. After starter Chelsea Thornley (JR, Clinton, MO/Clinton) gave up a two-run homer, a Gorlok error, walk, and hit batsman loaded the bases for the Fightin' Engineers. Morgan Mansur (JR, Decatur, IL/Mt. Zion) relieved Thornley and another Gorlok error allowed two runs to score before an inning ending double play. But Rose-Hulman had taken the lead, 4-3.
Kolisch walked to lead off the Webster fourth, and after a walk to Garza, scored on a sacrifice by Karissa Cardenas (SR, Henderson, CO/Henderson). Mansur, meanwhile, kept the Fightin' Engineers at bay until the Webster seventh.
Katelyn Johnson (SR, Cambridge, IL/Woodstock) homered to give Webster the lead to start the seventh. It was her third home run of the year. Sullens singled and Burroughs doubled, and Day singled to score both to make it a 7-4 lead. After a Kolisch single put two on, Garza blasted her fifth home run of the year to make it a 10-4 game.
Mansur pitched a scoreless seventh and Webster had its fifth win in a row. She went 4 2/3 scoreless innings, gave up six hits and three walks, winning her team-leading 10th game of the season. Mansur is 10-3 on the year.
Garza was 4-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Day was 2-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and Johnson was 2-5 with a home run and RBI. Kolisch was 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
In the nightcap, Webster fell behind, 6-0, in the first. Starter Alexis Spriggs (SR, Scott City, MO/Scott City) gave up five hits, including a home run, and a walk, and wasn't helped by a Gorlok error in the inning. Terri Dearth (JR, Lemont, IL/Mt. Assisi Academy) doubled in the second, and scored on a Garza single to get one back.
Rose-Hulman broke the game wide open with a five-run third. The Fightin' Engineers had four hits and a walk, but two more Gorlok errors contributed heavily to the inning as they took an 11-1 lead.
The Gorloks chipped away at the lead, scoring five in the fifth. White singled, Johnson doubled, and Sullens singled White in. With two out, Kolisch doubled, scoring Sullens and Burroughs, who had reached on a fielder's choice. Garza followed with a double, scoring Kolisch, and Dearth singled, scoring Cardenas who was pinch-running for Garza. Webster had cut the deficit to 11-6.
But Rose-Hulman still had some scoring left in it, with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth making it a 13-6 game. Spriggs took the loss and is 7-6 on the season. Though she gave up 13 runs in the contest, only nine were earned as the Webster defense committed four errors.
Sullens was 3-4 with an RBI and run, and Garza was 3-4 with a double and RBI. Garza wound up the day 7-8. Dearth was 2-4 with two RBIs and Kolisch was 1-4 with a double and two RBIs. White was 2-4 with a run scored.
Next up for the Gorloks is the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament on May 4-6 at ABC Park in St. Ann, MO. Webster has clinched the #3 seed and waits to see if it will face either Westminster College or Greenville College (IL) in the first round.
