CAROL STREAM, Ill. - Webster University stepped out of St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play here Friday by splitting a non-conference doubleheader against No. 1 ranked Concordia-Chicago at Lee Pfund Stadium. 

The Cougars opened the doubleheader by posting a 1-0 win in the first game, before the 19th-ranked Gorloks scored two runs in the third inning and made those two runs hold up thanks to 3.2 scoreless inning relief pitching by senior Adrian Santiago (Chicago, Ill./Oakton College) en route to earning a 2-1 win in the nightcap.

With the split, the 19th-ranked Gorloks move its record to 27-10 overall on the season, while CUC is now 31-4 overall on the season. Friday's doubleheader was the second and third games this season between the two schools as the Cougars picked up a 4-1 win over the Gorloks in Saint Leo, Fla., on March 14. 

In Friday's doubleheader, the Gorloks offense collected a total 11 hits, including eight hits in the nightcap. Three of those eight hits in the nightcap came off the bat of sophomore Kellen Quigley (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook), who started at first base in the second game in place of junior All-American first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro).

After being shutout for the second consecutive game in Friday's opener, the Gorloks snapped an 18 inning scoreless streak in the top of the third inning of the nightcap thanks to a 2-run double by sophomore third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport). Swords' double came after Quigley and junior centerfielder Aron Hopp (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln College) reached on back-to-back singles off of Alex Carinigan. Carinigan would retire senior rightfielder Nate Tholl (Tinley Park, Ill./John A. Logan CC) on a pop up to left, before Swords delivered his team-leading 13 double of the season to plate the first two runs of the game. 

The 1-0 shutout in Friday's opener followed the Gorloks 9-0 loss in its series finale last Sunday at Fontbonne. It marked the first time Webster had been shutout in back-to-back games in the Bill Kurich era (2007-present). 

Following the Gorloks two runs in the third, the Cougars, who are ranked No. 1 in both the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and NCBWA/D3Baseball.com polls, pushed within 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double by Connor Brandon off of junior All-American Shane Donovan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett), who was making his first start of the season on the mound. Brandon's double chased Donovan from the game and brought Santiago into the contest out of the bullpen. Santiago would walk the first batter he faced and then a passed ball put runners on second and third, but the righthander would leave two runners on base as he stuck out Mateo Calle and got Paz Aguelo-Abelardo to ground out to end the inning.

In the sixth, the Gorloks loaded the bases thanks to a walk issued to junior leftfielder A.J. Smith (DuQuoin, Ill./DuQuoin), a hit by junior catcher Joe Swanson (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine West) and a hit batsman, but Carinigan would get out of the jam by forcing senior second baseman Danny Strohm (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville University) to pop up to end the inning. 

CUC put two runners on base in the bottom of the sixth thanks to singles by Bryan Vanduser and Keegan Tyrell, but Santiago left those two runners on base when he forced Calle to ground out to end the inning. 

Quigley led of the seventh with a single off of Cougars reliever Mike Tobin and moved to second on bunt by Hopp, but would be stranded on second as Tobin struck out both Tholl and Swords to end the inning. 

Santiago retired the first two batters of the seventh, before Jose Mercado reached on a two-out single to center and moved to second when Santiago committed an error on a failed pickoff attempt and then stole third, but Santiago would end the game by forcing Brayden Benavides to ground out to sophomore shortstop Matt Staker (El Cajon, Calif./Saint Augustine) to seal the win.

Santiago (5-2) earned the win in relief as he pitched 3.2 innings and allowed three hits and no runs, while walking two and fanning five. Donovan pitched the first 3.1 innings in his first start of the season and allowed four hits and one run, while striking out one and walking none. 

The Cougars offense had seven hits in the nightcap as Vanduser had two of those seven hits. 

Carinigan (5-1) suffered the loss in the nightcap for CUC as he pitched six innings and allowed seven hits and two runs, while walking one and fanning one. 

Both teams left seven runners on base in the nightcap. 

The Gorloks defense also turned two double plays to push its season total to 36, which is tied for sixth all-time in school history. The school record for double plays in a season is 44, which was set in both 2015 and 2018. 

Meanwhile, in the opener, the game was a pitching duel between Gorlok junior Matt Mulhearn and CUC's Adam Gregory and those two pitchers didn't disappoint as they combined to threw 13 innings and allow just a total of seven hits, one run, record a total of 10 strikeouts and walk just one batter. 

Mulhearn, who fell to 9-2 on the season with the loss, pitched six innings and allowed four hits and one run, while striking out five in his 70 pitch performance. On the season, Mulhearn has posted a 2.20 ERA and in 77.2 innings of work, he has recorded 85 strikeouts and walked just nine opposing hitters. 

Gregory was just slightly better than Mulhearn, though, as he pitched all seven innings and scattered three singles and allowed no runs, while walking one and fanning five in his 96 pitch outing to improve his record to 5-0 on the season. 

Mulhearn's only hiccup in the game came in the third inning as Mercado singled to left with one out and then stole second and would score when Tyrell followed with his run scoring single to left. Mulhearn would prevent further damage, though, as he forced the next batter, Vanduser, to hit into a double play. 

The Gorloks had a chance in the sixth to score as they loaded the bases thanks to a single by Swords and Gregory hitting Smith and Kent with back-to-back pitches to load the bases with two outs. Gregory, though, would get out of the jam by forcing Swanson to hit ito a fielder's choice that erased Kent at second to end the inning. 

After allowing the run in the third, Mulhearn would retire the final nine Cougar hitters in order. 

CUC had four hits in the opener, including two hits by Mercado.

Webster's hits in the opener were recorded by Tholl, Swords and Smith. 

In the opener, Webster stranded six runners on base, while CUC left just two runners on base. 

Webster will return to action in less than 24 hours as they conclude the regular season and its SLIAC schedule on Saturday, May 4 with a doubleheader at home against Blackburn College. The Blackburn doubleheader will begin at 12 p.m. at GCS Credit Union Ballpark in Sauget, Ill. Prior to Saturday's game, the Gorloks will honor its seven member senior class in a pregame ceremony.