GREENVILLE, Ill. - Webster University opened St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play here Wednesday by splitting a doubleheader against Greenville University at Panther Field.

The Gorloks opened Wednesday's SLIAC Game of the Week doubleheader by rallying from a 5-0 deficit after two innings to score 11 runs in the fourth inning enroute to posting an 11-9 win, while Greenville used a 2-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning to rally to earn a 9-8 win in the nightcap. 

With the split, Webster moves its record to 6-8 overall and 1-1 in the SLIAC, while Greenville moves to 3-11 overall and 1-1 in the league. 

For the doubleheader, Webster recorded a total of 24 hits and scored 19 runs, including sophomore shortstop Taylor White (St. Charles, Mo./Lutheran St. Charles), senior catcher Terri Dearth (Lemont, Ill./Southwestern Illinois), senior second baseman Tessa Johanning (Sullivan, Mo./Sullivan) and senior first baseman Katlyn Garza (O'Fallon, Mo./Ft. Zumwalt North) each recording four hits apiece, while sophomore centerfielder Abby Burroughs (Edwardsville, Ill./Triad) had three hits in the doubleheader.

In the opener, Webster had 12 hits and scored 11 runs, while they collected a season high tying 14 hits in the nightcap.

Greenville opened the scoring in bottom of the first inning as they took advantage of an infield single, a stolen base, a error by freshman Alyssa Starks (Bowling Green, Mo./Bowling Green) on a dropped fly ball to plate three runs and take a 3-0 lead.

The Panthers pushed its lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the second inning thanks to a walk and three hits, including a 2-run single by Kate Rosado off of Gorlok senior pitcher Morgan Mansur (Decatur, Ill./Lincoln Land CC).

Webster, though, would finally dent the scoreboard in a big way in the fourth inning as they sent 16 batters to the plate and used nine hits and four walks to plate 11 runs to push out to an 11-5 lead. After White grounded out the open the inning, the next 13 Gorloks reached base and 11 of those runners scored. Dearth and Johanning would reach on back-to-back singles and after Burroughs drew a walk to load the bases, Garza drew a walk to plate Dearth with WU's first run. The next hitter, Mansur, delivered an RBI single up the middle for WU's second run that chased Greenville starting pitcher Cayla Speaks from the game. Caitie Opp releived Speaks and she proceeded to walk Sheperd with the bases loaded to bring home another run and then senior designated player Chelsea Thornley (Clinton, Mo.) hit an RBI single to center to bring the Gorloks with 5-4. Thornley's single chased Opp from the game and the Panthers brought Speaks back to the circle. The first batter she faced, freshman leftfielder Skiela Martinez (Whittier, Calif./California), drew a bases loaded walk to tie the game at 5. The Gorloks would score its sixth run on a wild pitch by Speaks and then five straight singles by White, Dearth, Johanning, Burroughs and Gazra brought home four runs and Webster added its final run on an RBI groundout by Mansur. 

In the inning, Dearth, Johanning each had two hits, while Garza and Mansur each had 2 RBIs. In addiiton, Dearth, Johanning and Burroughs each scored two runs in the inning. 

Greenville, who was tabbed to win the SLIAC title in the Preseason Coaches poll this year, began to chip away at WU's 11-5 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as they used a walk, and two singles, the latter single bringing home two runs to drop WU's lead to 11-7. 

The Panthers added two more runs in the fifth thanks to back-to-back singles, a fielder's choice grounder and a ground out to pull within 11-9.

Neither team would get a runner to second until the bottom of the seventh as Greenville put runners on the corners with two outs thanks to a single and an error by Gorloks junior third baseman Brienna Sheperd (Central Point, Ore./College of the Redwoods), before Thornley, who relieved Mansur in the fifth, would seal Webster's win with by forcing Josie Koontz to ground out to end the game.

Mansur (4-3) earned the win as she pitched five-plus innings and allowed nine hits and eight runs (six earned runs), while walking two and striking out one. Thornley pitched the final three innings to earn her first save of the year. In those three innings, Thornley allowed three hits and one run, while striking out one and walking none. 

White, Dearth, Johanning, Garza and Thornley each had two hits for the Gorloks. In fact, every Gorlok starter except for Martinez and Sheperd recorded at least one hit in the opener.

Like Webster, Greenville finished with 12 hits in the opener as Amanda Atteberry recorded three hits and Kendall Farr added two hits. 

Opp (1-3) took the loss in the circle as she faced just two batters (walked one and allowed a hit to the other) and both of those runners scored in WU's 11-run fourth inning. Speaks pitched seven innings and allowed 11 hits and nine runs, while walking three and striking out four.

Wednesday's second game was a back-and-forth affair as Webster jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to a lead-off triple by White and an RBI single down the left field line by Johanning off of Farr, who started in the circle for the Panthers. 

Greenville, though, would tie the game in the bottom of the first thanks to two walks, two stolen bases and an RBI single by Rosado off of Gorlok sophomore pitcher Kaitlyn Johnson (East Alton, Ill./Greenville University). Johnson pitched last season at Greenville before transferring to Webster this year. 

In the second, Greenville loaded the bases on two singles, a bunt and a hit batsman, before Johnson would prevent any runs from scoring as she forced Koontz to ground out to end the threat and leave the bases loaded. 

The Gorloks retook the lead in the fourth inning on three straight singles, the third single being an RBI by Sheperd to give Webster a 2-1 lead. 

Greenville tied the game in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a walk, two stolen bases and an RBI single down the right field line by Emily Brandland. 

Webster once again retook the lead in the fifth thanks to run scoring singles by both Dearth and Burroughs off of Farr. 

The Panthers, though, would answer with five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 7-4 lead. In the inning, Greenville collected five hits, including a 2-run triple by Atteberry off of Thornley, who relieved Johnson earlier in the frame. 

Trailing 7-4 heading into the sixth inning, the Gorloks recorded four hits and scored four runs to take an 8-7 lead. In the inning, Sheperd led off with a double, moved to third on a single by freshman rightfielder Amanda Kraus (Valley Park, Mo./Valley Park) and after Maegan Stone relieved Farr and got two outs, White stepped to the plate and delivered a two-run double to right center to bring Webster within a run at 7-6. Dearth would then follow with a 2-run homer over the fence in left to give the Gorloks its 8-7 lead. The homer by Dearth was her second homer of the season as she hit a grand slam in Webster's 15-3 win over Bluffton on March 9 to open play in the Diamond 9 Sunkissed Games in Kissimmee, Fla.

Greenville would once again respond in the bottom of the sixth as after Thornley retired the first two hitters of the inning, she walked Beth Mersinger and then Rosado drilled an 0-1 pitch from Thornley over the fence in left center for a home run to give the Panthers a 9-8 lead. 

In the seventh, Garza hit a one-out double to fence in center and after Thonrley, who pinch ran for Garza, reached third on a ground out by Sheperd, Kraus stepped to the plate with tying run at third, but Stone would strike out Kraus to end the game and seal Greenville's win.

Thornley (1-5) took the loss in the circle for the Gorloks as she pitched two innings and allowed four hits and five runs (4 earned runs), while walking two and striking out one. Johnson pitched four innings against her former team and allowed six hits and four runs, all earned, while walking four and striking out one. 

White, Dearth, Johanning, Burroughs, Garza and Sheperd each had two hits in the nightcap for the Gorloks. 

Jordyn Wieland, Rosado and Farr recorded two hits each for the Panthers.

Stone (1-3) earned the win for Greenville as she pitched two innings and allowed three hits and two runs, while striking out one and walking none. 

In the nightcap, Greenville recorded eight stolen bases and had 13 total steals in the doubleheader. 

Webster will return to action this coming Saturday, March 24 as they travel to Eureka, Ill., for an SLIAC doubleheader against Eureka College. The doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m.