AUBURNDALE, Fla. - Webster University tallied double-digit runs for the fourth consecutive game and also won its second straight game here Saturday afternoon in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational as the No. 2 ranked Gorloks rallied for an 11-6 win over the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse at the Lake Myrtle Complex. 

With the win, Webster improves its record to 7-5 on the season and is now 4-2 on its seven game spring break trip to Florida with one game remaining tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. ET against Keene State. The Eagles fall to 1-4-1 on the season.

In Saturday's game, the Gorloks offense recorded double digits in both runs and hits in the fourth consecutive game as Webster scored 11 runs on 14 hits, including three hits apiece from junior All-American third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) and freshman leftfielder Landon Vahle (Lee's Summit, Mo./St. Michael Archangel). 

Along with three hits from both Swords and Vahle, senior All-American first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro) went 2-for-5 with 3 RBI and junior rightfielder Adam Lovell (Lafayette, Ind./Saint Joseph's College) scored three runs and stole two bases to improve to 14-for-17 on the year in stolen bases. 

UWL, who played their final game of the 2020 season on Saturday thanks to ongoing progession of the COVID-19 disease and the cancellation of the spring sports season by almost every single Division III league in the country, jumped ion Gorlok senior All-American pitcher Matt Mulhearn (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic) for four earned runs to take a 4-0 lead. The four earned runs allowed by Mulhearn were the most allowed by the righthander in a game since allowing four earned run in a loss at Spalding last season. 

The Gorloks would get one of those runs back in the bottom of the first as senior centerfieldfer Aron Hopp (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln College) walked with one out, moved to second on a passed ball and scored when Kent laced an RBI single up the middle off of UWL starter, Zach Pronschinske. Pronschinske was the first of 10 pitchers used by the Eagles in the game. 

Webster added a second run in the bottom of the third as Vahle led off with a single, moved to third on a singlle by Swords and would steal home as Swords was also attempting to steal second on a play that resulted in an Eagles error.

In the fifth, UWL pushed its lead to 5-2 as they plated a run thanks to three straight singles to open the inning off of senior Garrett Davis (Geneva, Ill./Elgin CC), who relieved Mulhearn to open the inning. 

The Gorloks pulled within 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth as Vahle singled, Lovell walked, Hopp would deliever an RBI single up the middle and Swords would add an RBI single through the left side. Sawyer Phillips, who pitched the fifth for the Eagles, would get out of jam with runners on second and third with no outs by striking out both Kent and senior designated hitter A.J. Smith (DuQuion, Ill./DuQuoin) and forcing senior catcher Joe Swanson (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine West) to ground out to end the inning. 

Webster would take the lead in the bottom of the sixth as they used a walk, two singles, an RBI groundout by Hopp and a 2-run double to right center by Swords to plate three runs and take a 7-5 lead. 

UWL added a run in the top of the seventh to pull within 7-6, but the Gorloks would score two runs in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a squeeze bunt by junior shortstop Matt Staker (El Cajon, Calif./Saint Augustine) and a wild pitch by Alex Mach, the seventh Eagle pitcher of the game. 

Webster's lead grew to 11-6 in eighth thanks to a 2-run double to left center off the bat of Kent. Kent's double scored both Lovell, who led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch and Swords, who walked. Both Lovell and Swords would steal second and third before Kent's double. 

In the ninth, sophomore Joey Marko (Winfield, Mo./Winfield) retired the Eagles in order to record his first save of the season. 

Davis (1-0) earned the win in relief of Mulhearn as he tossed three innings and allowed seven hits and two runs, while striking out two and walking none. Mulhearn would pitched four innings in what was probably his final start of his Gorlok career. In those four innings, he allowed five hits and four runs, while striking out two and walking one. 

Ben Byom (0-1) took the loss for the Eagles as he tossed an inning and allowed three hits and three runs, while walking one and fanning one. 

UWL recorded 12 hits in the loss as Zach Carney and Jonathan Wizner each had two hits, while Parker Plume had 2 RBI. 

The two teams combined to leave 17 runners on base as Webster left nine and UWL stranded eight. In addition, the Gorlolks turned two double plays and UWL had one double play.

Webster will conclude play in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitatonal on Sunday, March 15 with an 11 a.m. EDT game against Keene State on Field 8 at the Lake Myrtle Complex in Auburndale, Fla.