NORMAL, Ill. - Webster University stepped out of St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play for the final time this season here Tuesday evening and took both ends of a doubleheader against Benedictine (Ill.) University at Duffy Bass Field on the campus of Illinois State University.

The 15th/24th-ranked Gorloks opened the doubleheader with a 5-1 win and then posted a 4-1 victory in the nightcap to extend its win streak to 17 consecutive games and improve its record to 31-7 on the year. The 31 wins marks the ninth 30 win campaign for the Gorloks in school history and the first since 2015. In fact, Webster has won 30 or more games seven times in the last nine seasons. Both of Tuesday's games were seven inning games. 
 

Tuesday's game were dominated by solid starting pitching by the Gorloks as their starters combined to throw 12.1 innings and allow a total of seven hits, two runs, while walking one and fanning 10. In the opener, freshman Sean Beaver (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch) pitched six innings and allowed three hits and one run and struck out three in his 95 pitching outing to improve to 4-1 on the season and then senior Austin Beccue (Red Bud, Ill./Gibault Catholic) was just as effective in the nightcap as he scattered four hits and allowed one run, while walking one and striking out a career high seven in 6.1 innings of work as his record moved to 4-1 on the year.

Sophomore Shane Donovan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) would close things out in both games as he allowed a hit in one inning in the opener and then retired the final two Eagles he faced in the seventh of the nightcap to secure his seventh save of the season. The seven saves is tied with Steven Dooley, who had seven saves in 2012, for the most in Webster single season history.

In Tuesday's opener, Benedictine (21-14 on the year) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to back-to-back singles and then used a groundout by Jonathan Hodo to plate the game's first run.

The Gorloks, though, answered in the bottom of the first as the first three Webster hitters reached thanks to a lead off single by senior leftfielder Mike Wick (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett), a hit by pitch drawn by junior rightfielder Nate Tholl (Tinley Park, Ill./John A. Logan CC) and both of those runners scored on a 2-run triple to right center by senior designated hitter Ben Dinter (Gurnee, Ill./College of Lake County). Dinter would then score when the next Gorlok hitter, sophomore first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro) grounded out to short to plate the third run of the inning to give Webster a 3-1 lead.

Webster pushed its lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a walk, a single, a bunt and an RBI groundout by Kent. Kent's groundout plated senior centerfielder Conner Wardlaw (Arnold, Mo./Jefferson College), who walked to lead off the inning.

The Gorloks added a run to its lead in the sixth thanks to a lead off double by freshman third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) and then back-to-back bunt, the second bunt, a squeeze by junior second baseman Danny Strohm (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville University) allowed Swords to score from third and give Webster a 5-1 lead.

Beaver (4-1) earned the win as he tossed six innings and allowed three hits and one run, while striking out three and walking none. On the season, Beaver has now struck out 43 and walked just six in 40 innings of work.

The Gorloks had five hits in the opener, including a two hit effort from Wick, who has had seven hits in his last 10 at-bats and is now hitting .333 on the season. In addition to Wick's two hits, Dinter drove in three of his team's five runs.

Justin Sosa (1-1) took the loss for the Eagles as he allowed three hits and four runs in five innings of work,while walking three and striking out two.

In the nightcap, Webster jumped in front 1-0 in the bottom of the first thanks to a double and stolen base by sophomore rightfielder Adam Lovell (Lafayette, Ind./Saint Joseph's) and a passed ball by Benedictine catcher Noah Davis that allowed Lovell to score from third.
 

The Eagles, though, would tie the game in the top of the fourth as they used a leadoff single, a walk, a balk by senior hurler Austin Beccue (Red Bud, Ill./Gibault Catholic) and a sacrifice fly to tie the game.

Webster would finally break the game open in the bottom of the sixth as they used one h8t and took advantage of a throwing error by right fielder Jimmy McLaughlin to plate three runs and take a 4-1 lead. In the inning, Lovell walked to lead off the frame, moved to second on a bunt by Dinter and then Kent was intentionally walked by Eagles reliever Marty Maves. After walking Kent, Maves uncorked a wild pitch that moved Lovell to third and Kent to second and then after intentionally walking Swords to load the bases, Wardlaw drilled a double to right field that brought home both Lovell and Kent and on the throw back into the infield, McLaughlin overthrew the cutoff man and the ball skated near the Webster dugout and that allowed Swords to score the third run of the inning and moved Wardlaw to third. Maves, though, would prevent further damage by striking out the next two Gorlok hitters. 

In the seventh, Beccue allowed a one-out single up the middle off the bat of Nicholas Quick and that brought Donovan out of the bullpen and he would retire the next two Eagles in order to seal the win and also secure his seventh save of the season.

Webster was outhit 4-2 in the nightcap as Webster's only hits came from Lovell and Wardlaw. 

Michael Santarelli (1-2) took the loss for the Eagles as he pitched five-plus innings and allowed one hit and two runs (one earned), whole walking three and fanning one. 

The Gorloks will close out the 2018 regular season on Saturday, May 5 as they host Spalding in a SLIAC doubleheader at GCS Credit Union Ballpark. First pitch of Saturday's doubleheader begins at 12 p.m. and prior to the game, the Gorloks will honor its seven-member senior class in a pregame ceremony.