SAUGET, Ill. - Webster University suffered its third consecutive setback here Sunday afternoon as a two-run homer in the third inning by Wartburg's Eric Willis proved to be the difference in the Knights 3-1 victory over the Gorloks at GCS Credit Union Ballpark.

The loss to Wartburg came on the heels of Webster's 4-1 setback earlier in the day on Sunday to Rose-Hulman and their 4-2 loss last Saturday in Auburndale, Fla., to 26th-ranked Wisconsin-La Crosse. Webster's record falls to 9-5 overall on the season and they are now 3-4 at home this season.

Willis' homer gave the Knights a 2-1 lead over the Gorloks and sophomore hurler Matt Mulhearn (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic). Wartburg would add an insurance run in the seventh and then survived jams by Webster in both the eighth and ninth innings.

Mulhearn, who fell to 3-2 on the season with the loss, pitched into the seventh and allowed seven hits and three runs, while walking one and fanning four. He was replaced in the seventh by sophomore Shane Donovan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) after allowing a lead off double to Joseph Baumann and walking Tyler Hovick. Baumann would eventually score the game's third run on an RBI single later in the frame by Willis. 

After recording just three hits and having just five baserunners in its loss earlier on Sunday to Rose-Hulman, the Gorloks recorded eight hits against the Knights and left nine runners on bases, including stranding two runners in the sixth and ninth innings and leaving the bases loaded in the eighth.

Senior centerfielder Conner Wardlaw (Arnold, Mo./Jefferson College) and junior second baseman Danny Strohm (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville University) each had two hits against Wartburg. 

Webster opened the scoring in Sunday's second game by using a single, a balk, a ground out and an RBI single by Strohm to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Strohm's single brought home senior rightfielder Mike Wick (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett), who had reached on a one-out single earlier in the inning. 

In the third inning, Willis drilled the first pitch he saw in the inning from Mulhearn over the wall in left field for a 2-run homer to give Wartburg a 2-1 lead. 

The Knigthts had a scoring chance in the fifth inning as Hovick and Clay Henning reached on back-to-back singles to open the frame, but Mulhearn would retire the next three Knight hitters in order to keep the score at 2-1.

Webster would put runners on first and second with two outs in the sixth thanks to back-to-back single by sophomore first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro) andf senior pinch hitter Ben Dinter (Gurnee, Ill./College of Lake County), before Wartburg's Tanner Eckhart got out of the jam by striking out freshman third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) to end the ininng. 

After Willis' RBI single in the seventh gave the Knights a 3-1 lead, the Gorloks would load the bases with two outs thanks to singles by Wardlaw and junior rightfielder Nate Tholl (Tinley Park, Ill./John A. Logan CC), a fielder's choice and a walk issued to Dinter from Knights relief pitcher Nathan Brown. Brown, though, would prevent any runs from scoring as he struck out Swords on a 2-2 pitch to end the inning.

Much like the eighth inning, Webster put some pressure on the Knights and reliever Chris Tomkins as Wick was hit by a pitch leading off the frame, but Wick would be erased on a double play grounder hit by sophomore catcher Joe Swanson (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine West). With two outs, Strohm would keep the game alive with an infield single and senior Dakota DeFreitas (Brechin, Ontario/John Wood CC) drew a walk as a pinch hitter to put runners on first and second, but Tomkins would leave those two Gorloks on base as he forced Wardlaw to pop up in shallow center field.

Eckhart (3-1) earned the win for the Knights as he pitched seven innings and allowed five hits and one run, while walking none and fanning six. Brown and Tomkins, who picked up his first save, combined to allow three hits, walk two and strike out one over the final two innings out Wartburg's bullpen.

Wartburg recorded nine hits in the win over the Gorloks as Willis, Henning and Clay Kannegieter each had two hits in the win. 

While Webster stranded nine runners on base, Wartburg left seven runners on base and committed an error. 

The Gorloks will look to get into the win column this coming Wednesday, March 28 as they open up St. Louis Intercollegiate Conference play with a doubleheader in Carlinville, Ill., against Blackburn College. The doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., with the second game slated to start at around 4 p.m.