SAUGET, Ill. - For the second consecutive Saturday, Webster University used a solid starting pitching performance from freshman Sean Beaver (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch) en route to posting a 6-2 victory over seventh-seeded Monmouth (Ill.) College and remaining alive in the NCAA Division III Central Regional Tournament at GCS Credit Union Ballpark.

With the victory, the seventh-ranked Gorloks improve to 38-9 overall on the season and moves into another elimination round game on Sunday at 1:15 p.m. against No. 3 seeded Texas-Tyler, who remained alive with a 10-1 win over 13th-ranked and fifth-seeded Franklin (Ind.) in a game that ended at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. Monmouth closes its season with a 29-14-1 record. 

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The 38 victories this season establishes a new single season school record for wins. The previous record was 37, which was set by both the 2013 and 2014 squads. 

In last Saturday's St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship game against Greenville, Beaver tossed seven innings of shutout ball as he allowed five hits, while walking one and fanning four in helping the Gorloks to an 8-0 win in the title game, while in Saturday's elimination game against Monmouth, Beaver tossed his second career complete game as he allowed eight hits and two runs (one earned run), while walking one and fanning five in improving to 6-1 on the year.

Along with Beaver's pitching, the Gorloks offense recorded seven hits, including another two hit game from sophomore first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro), who has now recorded a team-best 28 multi-hit games on the season and upped his single season school record total for hits to 83. 

Neither team was able to get much going in the early going as the two teams combined for three hits and just five base runners, including Beaver picking off back-to-back base runners in the second and third innings before the Gorloks finally found the scoreboard in the fourth inning as they used a walk, a single by Kent and a 2-run double to right center by sophomore catcher Joe Swanson (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine West) to push in front 2-0.

The Gorloks added three runs to its lead in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead. In the inning, junior second baseman Danny Strohm (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville University) reached on an error to start the frame, moved to second when senior leftfielder Mike Wick (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) was hit by a pitch. After sophomore rightfielder Adam Lovell (Lafayette, Ind./Saint Joseph's) flew out for the first out, senior designated hitter Ben Dinter (Gurnee, Ill./College of Lake County) brought home Strohm with his RBI single to through the right side and Kent brought home the next run with his RBI single to center. 

Webster's lead grew to 6-0 in the sixth inning as they scored a run without the benefit of a hit. In the inning, Swanson was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a bunt by senior centerfielder Conner Wardlaw (Arnold, Mo./Jefferson College) and reached third on a wild pitch before scoring when freshman shortstop Matt Staker (El Cajon, Calif./Saint Augustine) reached on a fielding error by Monmouth first baseman Bryson Sheppard. 

After allowing just four hits through the first five innings, Beaver ran into a little trouble in the sixth as the Scots put its first two runners on base thanks to back-to-back singles, but Beaver would pick another runner off at first and Monmouth would prevent a shutout as Matt Temaner scored from second when Wick dropped a fly ball in left for an error to drop Webster's lead to 6-1.

In the seventh, the Gorloks put two runners on bases thanks to a single by Lovell and a walk issued to Kent and after Lovell stole third that put runners on the corners, Tyler McDonald would strike out freshman third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) and then forced Swanson to ground out to end the inning. 

Monmouth, who advanced to Saturday's elimination game following its 11-10 win late Friday night against sixth-seeded Aurora, would plate it second run in the bottom of the seventh thanks to two singles and a wild pitch by Beaver. The second single by Jake Starkey brought home Tyler Ulfig with the Scots' final run of the 2018 season.

Beaver would then close out the game retiring the final six Monmouth hitters in order, including striking out Cameron Kellar to end the game and complete just the fourth complete game of the season for a Gorlok pitcher.

Conner McDonald (3-1) took the loss for the Scots as he allowed five hits and six runs (two earned runs), while walking one and striking out three in his six innings of work.

Monmouth recorded eight hits in the game, including a 3-for-4 effort at the plate by Ulfig.