WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Webster University continued play here Thursday in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational by using strong pitching from sophomore Matt Mulhearn (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic) and held off a ninth inning rally by 11th-ranked St. Scholastica to post a 6-3 victory over the Saints at Chain of Lakes Stadium and extend its win streak to seven straight games. 

The Gorloks, who are ranked 27th in this week's latest ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Division III poll, improved to 8-2 overall on the season and 5-0 in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, while St. Scholastica suffered its first loss of the season as is now 5-1 on the year. 

Mulhearn, who improved to 3-1 on the season, pitched seven scoreless innings and held the Saints without a hit for six-plus innings until Joey Zwak drilled a 2-1 Mulhearn pitch to centerfield for a double with one out to break up Mulhearn's no-hit bid. In the seventh, Mulhearn would allow a one-out single to left by Eric Pearson before retiring the final two batters to hold the Saints scoreless. 

In seven innings of work, Mulhearn would allow just two hits, walked one and struck out a career high seven batters. The seven strikeouts bettered his previous career high of six set earlier this season against Transylvania. 

Webster finished the game with nine hits, including two hits apiece from senior centerfielder Conner Wardlaw (Arnold, Mo./Jefferson College) and senior leftfielder Mike Wick (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett), including a two-run triple in the first inning. 

The Gorloks got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a 2-run triple to the wall in right center by Wick. Wick's triple brought home both junior rightfielder Nate Tholl (Tinley Park, Ill./John A. Logan CC) and sophomore first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro), who had reached on back-to-back one out singles. The triple was the second of the season for Wick and the sixth of the season for the Gorloks.

Webster added three more runs in the fourth thanks to back-to-back one-out singles by Wick and freshman third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport), a sacrifice fly by sophomore catcher Joe Swanson (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine Central), an RBI double by junior second baseman Danny Strohm (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville University) and after freshman shortstop Matt Staker (El Cajon, Calif./Saint Augustine) loaded the bases with a walk, Wardlaw delivered an RBI single up the middle to give the Gorloks a 5-0 lead. 

The Gorloks would push its lead to 6-0 in the sixth inning thanks to walk, a wild pitch, a fly out and a sacrifice bunt by Strohm that plated Swords with the sixth run. Swords had led off the inning with a walk from CSS starting pitcher Dallas Miller. 

While Mulhearn was pitching both a shutout and a no-hitter, Miller (0-1) was also pitching well as he scattered eight hits and allowed six runs, while walking two and fanning six. Miller would retire the Gorloks in order in both the third and fifth innings and faced only three hitters after Swanson walked and got thrown trying to steal in the second inning. 

In the eighth inning, junior Mike Kogut (Willow Springs, Ill./South Suburban College) relieved Mulhearn and retired the Saints in order, before running into trouble in the ninth as he walked a batter, allowed a double to put runners on second and third with one out and then Pearson cleared the bases with his double to left to break up the shutout. Pearson's double chased Kogut from the game and the Gorloks summoned sophomore Shane Donovan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) from the bullpen. The first batter Donovan faced reached on a throwing error by Swords at third base and after getting the next batter to fly out, Donovan walked Tim Munn to load the bases and the ensuing batter, Drew Colvard hit a ball deep in the hole at short that allowed Pearson to score an unearned run to drop Webster's lead to 6-3. Donovan would rebound as he forced Zwak to ground out to end the game.

St. Scholastica finished with five hits as Pearson had two of those five hits in the loss. 

The Gorloks defense committed two errors that led to one unearned run and both teams combined to leave 11 runners on base as Webster stranded four and CSS left seven runners on base.

Webster will look to make it eight wins in a row on Friday, March 16 as they face 24th-ranked Wheaton (Mass.) College at 9:15 a.m. EDT at Lake Myrtle Park Field #5 in Auburndale, Fla.