LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Webster University's struggles in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball play continued here Saturday afternoon as the Gorloks dropped both ends of a league doubleheader against Spalding University at Holy Cross Field. 

In Saturday's doubleheader, Spalding scored eight runs in the first two innings en route to posting an 8-0 win in five innings in the opener, before both teams combined for 23 hits and scored a total of 24 runs in the Golden Eagles 14-10 win in the nightcap.

With the two setbacks, Webster fell to 4-18 overall and 1-7 in the SLIAC, while Spalding improved to 14-5 overall and 2-0 in the league. Webster has now lost five straight games since picking up a 1-0 home win over Blackburn College on March 27. 

In Saturday's doubleheader, Webster's offense recorded 12 hits, including rapping out 10 hits, including four extra base hits in the nightcap. The 10 runs are the second most scored by the Gorloks this season as Webster scored a season high 11 runs against Keene State in Florida on March 11. 

Junior centerfielder Abby Burroughs (Edwardsville, Ill./Triad) made history in the nightcap as she went 2-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored and had 2 RBI. With her two hits, she moved to 10th on the school's all-time hit list with 100 career base hits. Burroughs is one of just 10 Gorloks in the program's history to record 100 base hits. 

Burroughs was one of three Gorloks to record two hits in the nightcap as along with Burroughs, junior pitcher Kaitlyn Johnson (East Alton, Ill./Greenville University) and freshman first baseman Arianna Arias (Pomona, Calif./Bishop Amat) also had two hits and combined for four runs and 2 RBIs. Overall, Burroughs, Johnson and Arias went a combined 6-for-11 at the plate with seven runs scored and 4 RBI in the nightcap.

Webster, who was shutout out for the sixth time this season in the opener, jumped in front 1-0 in the top of the first inning in the nightcap thanks to two hits and a Spalding error. In the inning, Johnson led off with a single, moved to second on bunt, moved to third on a single by Arias and would score when Burroughs reached on a fielding error by Golden Eagles shortstop Lindsey Hubbard.

Spalding, who were playing their first SLIAC games of the 2019 season on Saturday, tied the game in the bottom of the first on a single by Ally Klein and a run scoring double by Jaycee Head off of Johnson, who started the game in the circle for the Gorloks.

The Golden Eagles would break the nightcap open in the second as they used five hits and scored seven runs to take an 8-1 lead. The first two runs in the inning came home on a bases loaded hit by pitch and a bases loaded walk both issued by junior Breelyn Craig (Victorville, Calif./Trinidad State), who replaced Johnson after she walked Addie Morris to load the bases. The other runs came home on 2-run double by Klein, a 2-run single by Grace Sweat and an RBI single by Olivia Carter.

Webster, though, wouldn't go away as they responded in the top of the third inning as they scored six runs thanks to four hits and two Spalding errors to pull within a run at 8-7. The big hits in the inning were 2-run doubles by both Arias and freshman rightfielder Hailey Kesler (Bell City, Mo./Scott County Central). The double by Kesler was her first career collegiate hit and also her first career RBIs.

Spalding came right back in the bottom of the third as they plated five runs on four hits to push its lead to 13-7. The big hits in the innings were 2-run singles by both Miranda Thomas and Abby Booker off of Arias, who was the third pitcher of the game for the Gorloks.

Webster would add a run in the fifth on a lead-off homer by Burroughs and then tallied another run in the sixth as they took advantage to two Spalding errors to score an unearned run and pull within 13-9.

The Golden Eagles responded in the bottom of the sixth as they used an RBI single by Klein to score the 14th run of the game and take a 14-9 lead. 

In the top of the seventh, Webster concluded the scoring as senior second baseman Chelsea Snyder (Mount Vernon, Ill./Fort Scott CC) lifted a fly ball to center for a sacrifice fly to plate Burroughs with WU's 10th run. Burroughs had opened the inning by reaching on a double to left. Burroughs has recorded just nine hits this season, of which, six of them have gone for extra bases as she has recorded three doubles and leads the team with three home runs. 

Johnson (1-6) took the loss in the circle as she pitched two innings and allowed six hits and five runs, while walking one and fanning none. 

While Webster had 10 hits in the nightcap, Spalding recorded 13 hits, including a 4-for-5 effort at the plate by Klein. In fact, in the nightcap, the two teams combined for seven extra base hits, including five doubles, a triple and a home run. 

Carter (7-3) earned the win in the circle for the Golden Eagles as she pitched four innings and allowed four hits and three runs (two earned), while walking and striking out none. 

The Golden Eagles defense committed five errors that led to five unearned runs for the Gorloks. 

Meanwhile, in the opener, Spalding jumped in front 5-0 thanks to two hits and a Webster error in the bottom of the first inning. Four of the five runs came home on 2-run doubles by Sweat and Mac Henderson, while the other run came home on a groundout by Brooke Smith off of Arias, who started the game in the circle. 

Spalding's lead grew to 8-0 in the bottom of the second as they used three hits and a Gorlok error to plate three runs. 

That eight run cushion would be more than enough for Carter as she would allow just a single and walk a batter over the final three innings to seal her team's shutout win. 

In the game, Webster had just two hits as Arias reached on a single in the second and Craig reached on a bunt single in the third. 

Carter allowed just two hits, while walking one and striking out two in her five innings of work.

Arias (2-5) took the loss for Webster as she pitched one-plus innings and allowed four hits and eight runs (six earned), while walking one and striking out one.

Johnson would pitch the final three innings and allow just one hit and strike out one in relief of Arias. 

Spalding had five hits in the opener and had two players score two runs each in the win.

The Gorloks defense committed three errors in hte game, while Spalding had one error. 

Webster will return to action this coming Tuesday, April 9 as they host Fontbonne for a SLIAC doubleheader at Blackburn Park. The Fontbonne doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. and will mark the beginning of a six game homestand for the Gorloks to close out its home schedule.