SAUGET, Ill. - Webster University opened the home portion of its 2020 baseball season here Saturday afternoon by scoring a season high 11 runs en route to earning an 11-1 win in seven innings against North Park University of GCS Credit Union Ballpark.

With the win, the No. 2 ranked Gorloks improve to 2-2 on the season and extends its home win streak to 10 consecutive games dating to last season. North Park fell to 1-1 on the season.

In Saturday's home opener, the Gorloks only scored in three innings, but scored three or more runs in two of those three innings, including putting up seven runs in the third inning. 

Junior All-American third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) went 2-for-4 with two runs and 2 RBI, while freshman centerfielder Landon Vahle (Lee's Summit, Mo./St. Michael Archangel) and freshman designed hitter Dylan Coleman (Chicago, Ill./Notre Dame College Prep) also had two hits and combined for three runs and 2 RBI. 

The Gorloks opened the scoring in the bottom of the first as they used a hit and three North Park errors to score three unearned runs and take a 3-0 lead. 

NPU would get one of those runs back in the top of the second inning off of junior Sean Beaver (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch) thanks to two singles and two hit batsmen. 

Webster, though, would put the game out of reach in the third as they took advantage of seven hits and a North Park error to score seven runs. In the inning, Swords led off with a double and after junior shortstop Matt Staker (El Cajon, Calif./Saint Augustine) walked and senior All-American first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro) reached on a single to load the bases, senior catcher Joe Swanson (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine West) followed with an RBI and then Coleman laced a 2-run single to left center to give Webster a 6-1 lead. Later in the inning, junior right fielder Adam Lovell (Lafayette, Ind./Saint Joseph's College) hit a run scoring single through the left side and Swords would complete the scoring in the inning with a 2-run triple. 

The Gorloks would cap the scoring and complete the run-ruled win in the bottom of the seventh as NPU reliever Frank Kalemba, who was the fourth pitcher of the game for the Vikings, walked three of the first four hitters he faced to load the bases, before sophomore Zach Goodman came to bat as pinch hitter and delieverd a single to right to score the 11th and final run of the game. 

Beaver (1-0) pitched five strong innings in his second outing of the season as he allowed six hits and one runs, while walking one and striking out eight. Junior Andrew Padilla (Burbank, Ill./Reavis) pitched two perfect innings in relief as he walked one and struck out four. 

Tyler Banks (0-1) took the loss for the Vikings as he pitched 2.2 innings and allowed nine hits and 10 runs (4 earned runs), while walking one and striking out three. 

Jared Cantu and Bobby Bartlett each had two hits in the loss. 

Webster left seven runners on base, while North Park stranded nine base runners. 

The Gorloks to will play in two-day Webster BSN Sports Classic on Sunday, March 2 by facing Wisconsin-Oshkosh at 10 a.m. and 31st-ranked Concordia-Chicago at 4 p.m.