AUBURNDALE, Fla. - Webster University rebounded from its 4-1 loss on Thursday to ninth-ranked Concordia-Chicago here Friday evening by using three hits and 3 RBI from senior rightfielder Nate Tholl (Tinley Park, Ill./John A. Logan CC) en route to posting a 4-3 victory over Benedictine University in RussMatt Central Florida Invitational action at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex.

With the win, the 15th-ranked Gorloks improve to 9-3 on the season and move to 5-2 on its Spring Break trip to Florida, while Benedictine falls to 2-3 overall. 

Along with Tholl's team-leading three hit game and career high tying three RBI effort, the Gorloks also got strong pitching from freshman starter Brendan May (St. Louis, Mo./Vianney) and its bullpen duo of junior All-American Shane Donovan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) and senior Adrian Santiago (Chicago, Ill./Oakton College). 

May (3-0) pitched six-plus innings and allowed five hits and three runs (one earned run), while walking one and striking out two in his 92 pitch outing. Donovan, who replaced May in the seventh inning, allowed one hit and struck out three in 2.1 innings, while Santiago pitched the final two-thirds of a inning to record his third save of the season as he walked one and faced just two batters as he ended the game by forcing a 6-4-3 double play.

Webster got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first junior centerfielder Aron Hopp (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln) resached on an infield single and would score one batter later on an RBI double to right center by Tholl off of Benedictine starting pitcher James Wright (0-1). 

The Eagles, though, would come right back in the top of the second as they used two hits and a fielding error by Hopp in center to score three runs and take a 3-1 lead. In the inning, Tyler Woynerowski led off with a double to right center and scored two batters later on an RBI double to right field by Jimmy McLaughlin. After a fly ball for the second out, McLaughlin moved to third on a passed ball and after Chase Patterson drew walk to put runners on the corners, Kyle Mittler would lift a fly ball to Hopp in center and the ball would carom off his glove for an error and allow the two baserunners to score. Mittler, though, would be caught stealing to end the inning. 

Webster responded in the bottom of the second as they used four hits to score three runs and take a 4-3 lead. In the inning, senior second baseman Danny Strohm (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville University) led off with an infield hit, moved to third on a double down the right field line by junior catcher Joe Swanson (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine West). WU would eventually load the bases with one out on an infield hit by junior leftfielder Adam Lovell (Lafayette, Ind./Saint Joseph's (Ind.) College), before Wright uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Strohm to score the first run of the inning. Tholl would then step to the plate with two outs and deliver a 2-run single to center and would move to second when junior designated hitter A.J. Smith (DuQuoin, Ill./DuQuoin) reached on an error by Benedictine leftfielder Brenden Norberg and reached third when sophomore third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) drew a walk on a full-count, but Wright got out of the bases loaded jam by forcing junior All-American first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro) to ground out to end the inning.

From that point, Webster turned the game over to May as he would retire 12 of the next 14 batters he faced over the next four innings, including retiring the final seven hitters he faced in order from the fourth to the sixth innings. In the seventh, May allowed a single to McLaughlin and hit Norberg with a pitch to be chased from the game. 

Donovan would be summoned from bullpen and he would leave those two runners on base as retired the next three hitters in order, including striking out the first two batters he faced. In the eighth, Donovan retied the Eagles in order and would be replaced in the top of the ninth after Michael Chaffin reached on a one-out pinch hit double down the left field line. Santiago came into the game and the first batter he faced, Norberg, drew a walk, before he induced pinch hitter Zach Haddox to ground into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play.

While May retired 12 of 14 batters he faced between the third and sixth innings, Benedictine's Wright was just as strong as he  retired 12 of 13 batters he faced over the next four innings, including retiring the final four hitters he faced in order after walking Kent with two outs in the fifth. 

Wright took the loss for the Eagles as he tossed six innings and allowed seven hits and four runs (four earned runs), while walking two and striking out two in his 93 pitch outing. 

In the eighth, the Gorloks had a chance to add an insurance run as Kent reached on a one-out single through the right side and then moved to second when Strohm walked and both runners advanced to second and third thanks to a wild pitch by Ty Liaromatis. But Liaromatis would battle back as he forced a fielder's choice on a ball hit by Swanson that retired Kent at home for the second out and then sophomore shortstop Matt Staker (El Cajon, Calif./Saint Augustine) fouled out to the catcher to end the inning. Kent's hit snapped an 0-for-7 slump at the plate for Kent, who has recorded just six hits in 44 at-bats through 12 games this season.

In addition to Tholl's three hits, Lovell added two hits from the No. 9 spot in the line-up as the Gorloks collected nine hits in the win. 

Benedictine finished with six hits, including a 2-for-3 night by McLaughin. Four of the Eagles six hits went four doubles. 

Both teams committed an error and they combined to leave 12 runners on base as Webster stranded seven and Benedictine left five runners on base,

The Gorloks will conclude its play in the RussMatt Central Invitational on Saturday, March 16 with a 1:30 p.m. EDT game against the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex Field 1 in Auburndale, Fla.