SAUGET, Ill. - Webster University closed out play in its season opening Webster/BSN Sports Classic here Sunday at GCS Credit Union Ballpark by posting a 4-3 win in 10 innings and then having its final game of the two-day event halted with the score tied 1-1 going into the 10th inning after lightning hit the area forcing the game to be halted.

With the win over Wisconsin-Oshkosh, No. 2 ranked Webster improved to 3-2 on the season, while the Titans fell to 1-2 on the season. 

The halted game, which came as CUC was getting ready to bat in the top of the 10th inning, will now be made up when the two schools meet during their spring break trips to Florida. The Gorloks are scheduled to face the Cougars at Thomas B. Southard Stadium in Saint Leo, Fla., on March 10. The two teams will complete the halted, before playing the regularly scheduled game, which was scheduled for a 10 a.m. CT start.

In the halted game, Webster took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third on a two-out homer over the wall in right field off the bat of junior rightfielder Adam Lovell (Lafayette, Ind,/Saint Joseph's College). 

The Cougars, though, would get that run back in the top of the fourth as they used two hits and a throwing error by junior shortstop Matt Staker (El Cajon, Calif./Saint Augustine) as they plated an unearned to tie the game.

From that point, the game would be a pitcher's duel between Webster senior All-American pitcher Matt Mulhearn (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic) and CUC senior lefthander Adam Gregory. 

From the bottom of the fifth to the bottom of the ninth, Mulhearn would retire 12 consecutive batters before walking Matt Fauth with one out in the eighth. Mulhearn had pitched the first nine innings in total and had allowed four hits and an unearned run, while walking one and striking out nine. Mulhearn has yet to allow an earned run 17 innings of work on the season. 

Meanwhile, Gregory was also just as effective as he would retire nine Gorloks in a row after allowing Lovell's home run and in seven innings, he allowed four hits and one run, while walking none and striking out six. 

In the eighth, CUC put runners on first and third thanks to a walk and a passed ball on a third strike, but Mulhearn would leave those runners on base when he forced Howie Hatton to ground out to end the inning. 

The Gorloks had a scoring chance in the bottom of the eighth as freshman second baseman Mitch Daniels (Columbia, Ill./Columbia) drew a lead off walk from Cade Laudenschlager, who replaced Gregory on the mound. Freshman Scott Lovell (Lafayette, Ind./Lafayette Central Catholic), who was pinch running for Daniels, would move to second on a wild pitch and reached third on a bunt by senior centerfielder Aron Hopp (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln College, before Adam Lovell would ground out and freshman leftfielder Landon Vahle (Lee's Summit, Mo./St. Michael Archangel) struck out to end the inning. 

Meanwhile, in Sunday's first game, the Gorloks earned a walk-off win in the bottom of the 10th inning on an RBI single by Vahle. Vahle's single would plate Scott Lovell, who was pinch running for senior catcher Joe Swanson (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine West), who had led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch. 

The Gorloks would jump in front 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning thanks to two errors by UWO shortstop Matt Scherrman and pushed its lead to 2-0 in the third inning thanks to a single and two stolen bases by Adam Lovell and an RBI single to left field. 

UWO would tie the game in the top of the fourth inning thanks to three hits and a Gorlok error to plate two runs off of senior hurler Cooper Hape (Lincoln, Ill./IU-South Bend), who was starting on the mound for the Gorloks. 

Webster would retake the lead in the seventh inning thanks to another single and two stolen bases by Adam Lovell and a squeeze bunt by Staker. 

The Titans, though, would tie the game in the top of the eighth on an RBI single up the middle by Jake Anderson off of Hake. 

Adam Lovell had a big offensive game for the Gorloks against the Titans as he went 3-for-5 at the plate with three runs scored and four stolen bases. The four stolen bases are tied for the second most in a game in school history and the most in a game since senior All-American first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro) had four steals against Rhodes on March 10, 2018. 

In addition to Lovell's three hits and four stolen bases, junior All-American third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) added two hits and 2 RBI. 

Junior Jake Anderson (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) earned the win in relief for the Gorloks as he pitched 2.2 innings perfect innings as he had one strikeout and didn't walk a batter. Hake pitched the first 7.1 innings and allowed six hits and three runs (two earned runs), while walking one and striking out four. 

UWO had seven hits, including two from Kameron Dransfeldt. 

Schermann, who was the third Titans pitcher, took the loss as he tossed two innings and allowed three hits and one run, while walking two and striking out none. 

The teams committed a total of five errors as Webster had three and UWO committed two errors. 

Webster will return to action on Saturday, March 7 as they open up play in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational with a 4 p.m. CT game against Saint Joseph's (Maine).