The Webster University baseball team won its first round match up in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, beating Spalding University 3-1, but fell into the elimination bracket with an 8-5 loss to Westminster College in the second round on May 12 at Greenville, IL. Josh Fleming, as he has been all season, was masterful on the mound for Webster as he picked up his eighth win in the first round, but the Blue Jays had too much offense for the Gorloks in game two.
The Gorloks will now face Greenville in an elimination game on May 13 at 3:00 p.m. back at Greenville. A win would put them in the championship round vs. Westminster at 6:00 p.m., needing two wins for the title. A second game, if necessary, would be on Sunday.
In Webster's
first round game, the two runs the Gorloks scored in the third inning against the Golden Eagles is all they would need with Fleming's performance. Zach Bishop (JR, Marshall, MO/Marshall) walked to lead off and, with one down, Eric Outlaw (FR, Park Ridge, IL/Maine West) singled into right. Conner Wardlaw (JR, Arnold, MO/DeSmet Jesuit) doubled into the left center gap, scoring Bishop as Outlaw took third. Mike Wick (JR, Bartlett, IL/Bartlett) scored Outlaw with a ground out to second for a 2-0 lead.
After Spalding scored a run in the top of the sixth to make it a one-run lead, the Gorloks got it right back in the bottom half. Kyle Uhrich (SR, St. Louis, MO/Webster Groves) doubled and Ben Dinter (JR, Gurnee, IL/Warren Township) singled to right with two out to score Uhrich for a 3-1 lead.
Fleming (JR, Columbia, IL/Columbia) went all nine innings, giving up three hits and the lone run, walking none while striking out 10. He is now 8-0 on the season with an NCAA III leading 0.53 earned run average. Wardlaw, Dinter, and Outlaw all went 1-3 with Warlaw and Dinter picking up RBIs. Uhrich was 1-4 with a double and run scored.
Against Westminster, the Blue Jays scratched out a run in the top of the first for a 1-0 lead but Webster came right back in its half with two runs. Wardlaw singled up the middle and promptly swiped second. Wick reached on a fielder's choice on a sacrifice, as Wardlaw took third. Wick then stole second as well and the Gorloks had runners at second and third with no one down. With one out, Matt Wollnik (SR, Naperville, IL/Nequa Valley) singled, scoring Wardlaw and Wick, and was thrown out trying to take second. Webster now led, 2-1.
Webster starter Uhrich dodged a bullet when he got out of a two-out, bases loaded fix in the fifth inning, getting the last batter to pop out to second. In the bottom half of the inning, Webster extended its lead to 3-1 when Outlaw singled and scored on a hit by Wick.
Uhrich got into another jam in the sixth when the Blue Jays had a pair of singles to lead off the inning and a sac bunt moved the runners to second and third. A double to right scored two and Matt Goro (SR, Wildwood, MO/Lafayette) relieved Uhrich. After striking out the first batter he faced, Goro gave up a single and double for two more runs as Westminster took a 5-3 lead. Goro got two quick outs in the seventh, but a Blue Jay double and single made it 6-3 before he got the third out.
Brett Jungles (SR, Naperville, IL/St.Francis) took over for Goro in the ninth. With one out, a single, walk, and hit by pitch loaded the bases, and Joe Elfrink (SR, Leopold, MO/Leopold) relieved Jungles. Elfrink struck out the first batter he faced, but gave up a two-run single before retiring the final out and Westminster up, 8-3.
Webster tired to rally in the bottom half. Wollnik walked and Dinter doubled. Pinch-hitter Nate Tholl (SO, Tinley Ridge, IL/St. Laurence) drove in Wollnk with a ground out to second. Westminster changed pitchers and Adam Naliwajko (SR, Mt. Prospect, IL/St. Viator) grounded out to short, scoring Dinter and cutting the deficit to 8-5. Kyler Kent (FR, Pottsboro, TX/Pottsboro) singled, but a fly out ended the game.
Uhrich took the loss, just his second of the year. He went 5 1/3 innings, giving up five hits, five walks, and three earned runs. Uhrich struck out four while falling to 7-2 on the year. Wick was 2-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, and Wollnik was 1-3 with two RBIs. Kent was 2-3 with a walk.
Webster is now 29-12 overall, after finishing 18-4 in the SLIAC, first in the West Division and with the best overall record. Westminster, last year's tournament champion, is 21-11 on the year. Greenville (27-15), who lost 5-0 to Westminster, beat Spalding in an elimination game, 6-1, to set up tomorrow's game.
