ST. ANN, Mo. - After suffering a hard-fought 11-9 setback on Thursday to Westminster (Mo.) College in the first round of the 2018 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, Webster University fell into the elimination round of the tournament and the Gorloks split their elimination round games on Friday at ABC Park to close out its 2018 campaign.

Webster began play in the elimination round on Friday afternoon by posting a 5-3 win over No. 3 seeded Fontbonne to advance to another elimination round game later on Friday against top-seeded Westminster, a game that the Gorloks lost 3-2. With the 3-2 win, Westminster advances to Saturday's championship round to face No. 2 seeded Greenville University at 1 p.m. Greenville is undefeated in the double elimination tournament and needs just one win to win its second consecutive SLIAC Tournament title. 

With Friday's split, the Gorloks end its season with an 18-17 overall record. In addition, the Westminster game marked the final contest for Webster's six seniors - catcher Terri Dearth (Lemont, Ill./Southwestern Illinois), pitcher Kelsey Donohue (Hazelwood, Mo./Hazelwood West), first baseman Katlyn Garza (O'Fallon, Mo./Fort Zumwalt North), second baseman Tessa Johanning (Sullivan, Mo./Sullivan), pitcher Morgan Mansur (Decatur, Ill./Lincoln Land CC) and pitcher Chelsea Thornley (Clinton, Mo./Clinton).

In Friday's two games, Webster recorded 24 hits, but stranded 18 runners in the two games, including leaving 10 runners on bases in the win over Fontbonne, including leaving two runners on base in the second and third innings and the bases loaded in the sixth.    

Against Fontbonne (13-23), Webster opened the scoring in the top of the first inning a 2-run homer over the fence in left by sophomore leftfielder Abby Burroughs (Edwardsville, Ill./Triad) off of Griffins starter Maddy Strickland. The homer by Burroughs was her third of the season.

Fontbonne got one of those runs back in the bottom of the first on a single, double and a sacrifice fly by Strickland off of Mansur, who started in the circle for the Gorloks.

The Gorloks pushed its lead to 3-1 in the fourth inning on an RBI single to right by freshman rightfielder Amanda Kraus (Valley Park, Mo./Valley Park). Kraus single plated junior third baseman Brienna Sheperd (Central Point, Ore./College of the Redwoods), who led off the inning with a single and moved to second on bunt by junior catcher Casey Cullinane (Simi Valley, Calif./College of the Redwoods).

Webster added another run in the fifth as Burroughs reached on a one-out infield single and would come around to score on Garza's single to the fence in left center to give Webster a 4-1 lead.

In the top of the sixth, Webster used a throwing error by Fontbonne, a bunt single by sophomore shortstop Taylor White (St. Charles, Mo./Lutheran St. Charles) and a single to center by Dearth to load the bases with one out, but Strickland once again respond as she forced Johanning to fly out to shallow left for the second out and then Burroughs ended the inning by flying out to center. 

After failing to score in the top of the sixth, Webster watched Fontbonne make things interesting in the bottom of the sixth as they recorded four hits and scored two runs on a 2-run double down the right field line by Emily Cardwell off of Mansur. The Griffins could've tied the game in the inning, if not for pinch runner Makayla Huss being thrown out trying to steal second base two batters before Cardwell's single.

The Gorloks would add an insurance run in the seventh thanks to a lead off walk to Garza, a bunt by Mansur and an RBI single by Cullinane that plated junior Chelsea Snyder (Mount Vernon, Ill./Fort Scott CC), who was pinch running for Garza.

In the bottom of the seventh, Mansur would walk Courtney Kedroski with two outs,but would leave Kedroski at first after getting Alleigh Kruse to fly out to right to end the game.

Mansur (11-7) earned the win as she pitched a complete game and allowed eight hits and three earned runs, while walking three and striking out five.

The Gorloks finished with 14 hits in the win as Dearth, Johanning, Burroughs, Sheperd, Cullinane and Kraus each had two hits, while Burroughs scored two runs and had 2 RBIs.

Strickland (7-11) took the loss in the circle for the Griffins as she pitched all seven innings and allowed 14 hits and five earned runs, while walking one and fanning four.

Melanie Russo had three of Fontbonne's eight hits in the loss. 

Meanwhile, in the nightcap against the Blue Jays, Webster once again took an early lead in the first inning as sophomore shortstop Taylor White (St. Charles, Mo./Lutheran St. Charles) led off the game with a bunt single, stole second and advanced to third on an error by Westminster catcher Jordan Milam. Following White's stolen base, Dearth would then reach base on another bunt single. After Johanning popped up for the first out of the inning, Dearth would steal second base and on the play, Milam would have a passed ball that allowed White to score from third and advance Dearth to third. With a runner and one out, Blue Jays pitcher Madison Ingram would prevent any further damage as she struck out both Burroughs and Garza on 3-2 counts to end the inning. 

The Blue Jays, who won the regular season SLIAC title with a 16-2 record and improved to 22-17 with the elimination round win over Webster, would plate two runs in the bottom of the first off of Gorloks sophomore pitcher Kaitlyn Johnson (East Alton, Ill./Greenville University) to take a 2-1 lead. 

Westminster, who fell into the elimination round with its 6-0 loss in Friday's winner's bracket game against Greenville, pushed its lead to 3-1 in the second inning thanks to two hits and a Webster error that led to an unearned run. 

The Gorloks had a scoring chance in the fourth inning as Burroughs and Garza recorded back-to-back singles to open the frame, but those two runners would remain there as Ingram would retired the next three Gorloks in order to end the inning. 

Webster would pull within a run at 3-2 in the top of the sixth thanks to a wild pitch from Katie Price, who relieved Ingram earlier in the inning after allowing a single to Garza and walking Sheperd to put runners on first and second with one out. Price would come into to the game force a ground out to Cullinane that moved the runners to second and third and with Mansur at the plate as a pinch hitter, Price uncorked a wild throw that went back to the backstop that allowed Johnson, who pinch ran for Garza, to score from third. Mansur would eventually ground out to end the inning with the tying run on third. 

In the seventh, Webster had a chance to tie the game as Dearth and Johanning reached on back-to-back two out singles, before Price forced Burroughs to ground out to short to end the game and seal her second save of the season.

Johnson (3-5) pitched all six innings and allowed seven hits and three runs (one earned), while walking none and fanning none. 

Dearth had three hits in her final collegiate game and finished with 37 hits and eight home runs on the season, while Garza and White each had two hits for the Gorloks, who recorded 10 hits in the loss. 

Ingram (8-7) picked up the win as she pitched 5.1 innings and allowed eight hits and two runs (one earned), while walking one and striking out five, while Price pitched the final 1.2 innings and struck out one and allowed two hits to record the save. 

Amber Tepen had two of Westminster's seven hits in the game.