KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Webster University closed out its eight game slate here Tuesday afternoon in the 2019 PFX Spring Games by suffering a heartbreaking 2-1 setback to Geneva (Pa.) College at the Osceola County Softball Complex. 

Tuesday's loss to Geneva followed the Gorloks hard-fought 11-8 loss earlier in the day on Tuesday to the United States Coast Guard Academy. With the loss to Geneva, Webster's record falls to 1-9 overall on the season and they went 1-7 at the PFX Spring Games. Geneva improves to 3-3 on the year with the win.

Tuesday's finale against Geneva turned into a pitcher's duel between Webster freshman Arianna Arias (Pomona, Calif./Bishop Amat) and Geneva's Kyleigh Jo Ward. Both pitchers threw less than 80 pitches in the game that lasted 75 minutes and featured just nine hits and an error by each team.

Arias (0-2) tossed six innings and scattered four hits and allowed two runs (one earned), while walking none and striking out two in her 66 pitch outing. For the game, Arias threw 50 of those 66 pitches for strikes. 

Meanwhile, Ward (2-1) was just as effective as she tossed all seven innings and allowed five hits and one run, while walking none and striking out one in her 77 pitch outing.

It is the first game all season that Webster has played that they didn't walk a batter, nor did they draw a walk. 

Webster would break open a scoreless game in the top of the fourth inning as Arias led off the frame with a triple, remained at third when junior catcher Darian Morlan (Duchesne, Utah/Trinidad State) reached on a bunt single and would score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of junior first baseman Avery Boccella (Gilbert, Ariz./Trinidad State). With two runners on base and only one out, Ward would retire the next two Gorloks in order on a pop up and line out to end the inning. 

Geneva would respond in the bottom of the fourth as they tied the game at 1-all thanks to a single, stolen base and an RBI single by April Lude. 

In the fifth inning, both pitchers retired the side in order and then in the sixth, Webster went down in order on five pitches, before Geneva would strike again as they used a hit and an error to plate an unearned run off of Arias and take a 2-1 lead. 

Freshman shortstop Sheyla Iniguez (Riverside, Calif./Bloomington) led off the seventh with a single to left, but was erased one batter later on a fielder's choice grounder off the bat of junior centerfielder Abby Burroughs (Edwardsville, Ill./Triad). The next Gorlok hitter, freshman second baseman Andrea Stephens (New Berlin, Wis./New Berlin West), lined into a double play to end the game. 

Iniguez had two of Webster's five hits in the game, while Sarah Johnson recorded two hits to pace the Golden Tornadoes. 

For the tournament, Webster hit .257 as a team. Morlan paced the Gorloks with a .375 batting average in seven games, while freshman rightfielder Taylor Jackson (Calgary, Alberta/Bishop Grandin) hit .333, but led the team with eight hits and six runs scored and Iniguez also hit .333 as she had seven hits in the eight games. 

Arias finished the eight games with a team-best 2.62 ERA as she made three appearances and two starts in the circle. Junior Breelyn Craig (Victorville, Calif./Trinidad State) made six appearances, earned the lone pitching win and tossed 18.1 innings and had 17 strikeouts, while junior Kaitlyn Johnson (East Alton, Ill./Greenville University) made five appearances and three starts and tossed 18.0 innings and struck out 10. 

The Gorloks will now return home to St. Louis to begin preparations for St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play as they return to action next Saturday, March 23 as they host Greenville University for a SLIAC doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at Blackburn Park. The Greenville game will mark the first of six home doubleheaders this season for the Gorloks.