FULTON, Mo. - Webster University Softball hit the road for the first time in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play here Sunday by dropping both ends of a doubleheader at Westminster (Mo.) College at Blue Jay Field on the Westminster campus.

In Sunday's opener, Webster had just two base runners in suffering an 8-0 loss that was called after five innings due to the 8-run mercy rule and then fell 5-3 in the nightcap to the SLIAC preseason favorite Blue Jays. 

With the two setbacks, Webster fell to 4-16 overall and 1-5 in the SLIAC, while Westminster improved to 6-10 overall and 6-0 in the league. 

For the doubleheader, Webster had eight hits, including seven in the nightcap after being limited to just one hit in the opener against Westminster's Katie Price, who tossed a no-hitter last season against the Gorloks. 

In the nightcap, Westminster jumped in front 3-0 in the bottom of the first as they used three hits and two Gorlok errors to plate two earned runs off of freshman Arianna Arias (Pomona, Calif./Bishop Amat). The big hit in the inning was a 2-run homer over the fence in right field by Hannah Schroeder. 

The Gorloks snapped a six inning scoreless streak in the doubleheader in the second inning as Arias delivered a two-out single to right that plated freshman shortstop Sheyla Iniguez (Riverside, Calif./Bloomington), who had walked to open the inning off of Madison Ingram.

In the top of the fifth inning, Webster loaded the bases with one out thanks to a hit batsman and back-to-back bunt singles by junior first baseman Kaitlyn Johnson (East Alton, Ill./Greenville University) and junior catcher Darian Morlan (Duchesne, Utah/Trinidad State). Ingram, though, would get out of the jam as she recorded back-to-back strikeouts on senior second baseman Chelsea Snyder (Mount Vernon, Mo./Fort Scott CC) and senior third baseman Brienna Sheperd (Central Point, Ore./College of the Redwoods). 

After Webster loaded the bases in the top of the fifth, but couldn't score, Westminster would record three hits and score two run in the bottom of the fifth to take a 5-1 lead. Both of the runs came with two outs and came on a 2-run double by Brooklyn Bledsoe off of Arias. 

Webster would finally dent the scoreboard again in the top of the sixth as they used back-to-back one out singles by freshman leftfielder Taylor Jackson (Calgary, Alberta/Bishop Grandin) and sophomore designated player Amanda Kraus (Valley Park, Mo./Valley Park) and an 2-run double by Arias to left center to pull the Gorloks within 5-3.

In the seventh, Morlan reached on a error to lead off the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch, but would be left stranded on second as Bailey Zemianek, who replaced Ingram in the sixth after Arias' double, would retire the next two Gorloks in order to seal her first save of the season. 

Arias (2-4) took the loss in the circle for the Gorloks as she tossed six innings and allowed nine hits and five runs (three earned), while walking one and striking out two. 

Jackson and Arias each had two hits in the loss for the Gorloks as they had seven in the nightcap. Bledsoe had two of Westminster's nine hits in the game. 

Ingram (3-3) earned the win for the Blue Jays as she tossed 5.1 innings and allowed seven hits and three runs, while walking one and striking out 10. Zemianek retired five of the six hitters she faced in her 1.2 innings of work and recorded a strikeout.

The two teams combined to leave 13 runners on base as Webster stranded seven and Westminster left six on base.

Meanwhile, in the opener, Sheperd recorded WU's only hit of the in the second inning off of Price. Sheperd's hit was a double to left center.

The Blue Jays would send 11 hitters to the plate in the third inning and scored six runs on six hits to take a 6-0 lead in the game. 

Westminster would add two more runs in the fourth on a 2-run single by Madison Washington off of Johnson, who relieved junior Breelyn Craig (Victorville, Calif./Trinidad State) with two outs in the third inning. 

In the fifth, Price would hit Sheperd with one out, but would leave her stranded as she retired the next two Gorloks in order to complete her one-hit shutout win. Price would allow just one hit and recorded one strikeout in her 49 pitch outing. 

Craig (1-4) pitched 2.2 innings and allowed five hits and six runs (six earned), while walking two and striking out two. 

Webster will now take five days off before returning to action next Saturday, April 6 with a doubleheader in Louisville, Ky., against Spalding University. The doubleheader is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET.