KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Webster Baseball continued its hot play in the Sunshine State here Monday morning as the 15th-ranked Gorloks continuned play in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational by posting a 12-5 win over Rhode Island College at the Osceloa Heritage Park Stadium.

With the win, Webster extends its win streak to three straight games and improves its record to 7-2 on the season, while RIC suffered its first loss of the season and fell to 3-1.

Much like Sunday's 12-2 win over Ohio Northern, Webster had to rally from an early deficit in Monday's game as they trailed 2-0 heading into the bottom of the second inning, but scored 12 of the next 13 runs, before RIC tallied a run in the top of the ninth to complete the scoring.

Monday's game was a sloppy affair as the two teams combined for five errors, 13 walks, 13 pitchers and nine hit batsmen, including junior centerfielder Aron Hopp (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln College) getting hit twice by pitches. In addition to Hopp, senior rightfielder Nate Tholl (Tinley Park, Ill./John A. Logan CC), redshirt junior designated hitter A.J. Smith (DuQuoin, Ill./DuQuoin) and sophomore shortstop Matt Staker (El Cajon, Calif./Saint Augustine) were also hit in the game. 

Both teams finished with seven hits in the game and Smith and sophomore third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) each had two hits for the Gorloks, while Smith and junior All-American first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro) each scored three runs and Smith finished the day with 5 RBI.

RIC got the scoring started in the top of the second as they took advantage of walk and errors by Swords and junior starting pitcher Dakota Borman (Freeport, Ill./Highland CC) to score two unearned runs without the benefit of a hit. In fact, Borman was chased from the game after Swords' fielding error at third allowed the second run to score. Junior All-American releiver Shane Donovan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) would replace Borman and would prevent further damage by forcing Sam Banks to ground into an inning-ending 3-6-3 double play. 

The Gorloks got one of those runs back in the bottom of the second as they also took advantage of an error by RIC pitcher Erry Baldayac on a failed pickoff attempt that allowed Smith to move to third base after he walked to lead off the inning. Smith would score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of senior second baseman Danny Strohm (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville University). 

RIC pushed its lead to 3-1 in the third inning thanks to a double, a single and a sacrifice fly off of Donovan. 

Trailing 3-1, Webster mounted its comeback in the bottom of the fourth inning as they used one hit, one error and two hit batsmen to score two runs and tie the game at 3. In the inning, Kent led off with a walk, moved to second when Smith was hit by a pitch from RIC hurler Jake Rockefeller, who has relieved Baldayac at the start of the inning despite holding the Gorloks hitless in three innings of work. Staker would then be hit by a Rockefeller pitch to load the bases with one out. The next Gorlok hitter, junior catcher Joe Swanson (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine West) would then reach on an error that allowed Kent to score the second run. Following the error, junior leftfielder Adam Lovell (Lafayette, Ind./Saint Joseph's) lofted a fly ball to left to bring home Smith and tie the game. Hopp then would reload the bases on a single through the left side, but Rockefeller would get out of the jam by striking out Tholl to end the inning. 

WU retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth thanks to two walks, a leadoff single by Swords and a sacrifice fly by Staker off of RIC reliever Cameron Harris, who was the Anchormen's third pitcher of the game. Staker's sacrifice fly gave WU a 4-3 lead. 

RIC would retie the game in the top of the sixth as they used two walks, a stolen base, a wild pitch and a run scoring single by Josh Silva to even the game at 4-all. The two walks were issued by sophomore reliever Jake Anderson (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook), who replaced Donovan with two outs in the fifth. 

Webster broke the game open in the sixth as they sent 10 hitters to the plate and scored six runs on three hits and an RIC error to take a 10-4 lead. The first hitters, Hopp and Tholl were hit by pitches from RIC reliever Sam Alkins, who was the fourth pitcher of the game for the Anchormen. After the two hit batsmen, both runners then stole third and second respectively and Hopp would then score on an RBI double down the right field line by Swords. Following the double, Kent would draw his third walk of the game and Smith would then drill as pitch over the wall in right center for a grand slam. The grand slam came off RIC reliever Tyler Calabro, who replaced Alkins after he walked Kent. After an out, Staker then walked, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Swanson and after an error on RIC third baseman Ray Zincone put two runners on base, Calabro would get out the jam by forcing Hopp to it into fielder's choice to end the inning.

Kent finished the game with four walks and has now been walked 10 times on the season. 

The Gorloks would then add single runs in the seventh on an RBI triple by Smith and in the eighth on a wild pitch by RIC reliever Charlie Amarante, who was the seventh pitcher of the game for the Anchormen, to push its lead to 12-4. 

In the ninth, RIC completed the scoring by using a single, two hit batsmen by senior pitcher Jay Blake (Imperial, Mo./Mineral Area CC) and an RBI groundout to cut WU's lead to 12-5. Redshirt freshman Joey Marko (Winfield, Mo./Winfield) would replace Blake after the second batter he hit and would retire the next three hitters he faced in order to seal the win. Marko was the sixth pitcher of the game for the Gorloks. 

Senior Adrian Santiago (Chicago, Ill./Oakton College), who was the fourth hurler of game for the Gorloks, earned the win and improved to 2-1 on the season. Santiago tossed two scoreless innings and allowed two hits, walked one, hit one batter and struck out two. 

Alkins (0-1) took the loss for RIC as he pitched one inning and allowed one hit and four runs, while walking one, hitting two and striking out none. 

Silva and Sam Franco accounted for four of RIC's seven hits from the top two spots in the line-up. Tyler Walsh was hit by three pitches in the loss. 

For the game, both teams left 11 runners on base each and the Gorloks stole five bases, including two each by Hopp and Tholl. 

Webster will now take a day off before returning to action on Wednesday, March 13 with a 4:30 p.m. ET game with preseason seventh-ranked UMass-Boston at Osceola Heritage Park Field #1.