WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Webster University Baseball began its nine day, seven game trip to Central Florida here Saturday as the Gorloks opened play in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational with a 3-1 win over St. Joseph's (Maine) at Chain of Lakes Stadium. 

With Saturday's win, the No. 2 ranked Gorloks improve to 4-2 on the season, while St. Joseph's falls to 2-7 on the year. 

Saturday's game turned into a display strong defense from Webster junior shortstop Matt Staker (El Cajon, Calif./Saint Augustine) and a pitcher's duel between Gorlok senior Cooper Hake (Lincoln, Ill./IU-South Bend) and Monks sophomore Matt Poff. 

Hake (1-0) pitched eight strong innings as he allowed seven hits and one run, while striking out three and walking none to earn his first win as a Gorlok, while Poff was just as effective as he pitched seven innings and allowed three runs and one earned run, while striking out four and walking none. 

Hake was bailed out at least six times in the field by Staker as he took away several balls that appeared headed into the outfield for hits into outs as he recorded two put-outs and had seven assists on the day. The seven assists are tied for 17th most in a game in school history. 

Against the Monks, Webster recorded seven hits, including a 2-for-4 effort at the plate from junior All-American third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport). 

Webster got the scoring started in the bottom of the third inning as freshman third baseman Mitch Daniels (Columbia, Ill./Columbia) led off with a single to left center, moved to second on an error by Monks shortstop Justin Juliano and after freshman centerfielder Landon Vahle (Lee's Summit, Mo./St. Michael Archangel) popped out on a bunt attempt, Sword would deliver an RBI single to right to score Daniels with the first run of the game. Swords and junior rightfielder Adam Lovell (Lafayette, Ind./Saint Joseph's College) would then steal second and third and senior leftfielder A.J. Smith (DuQuoin, Ill./DuQuoin) hit a sacrifice fly to bring home the second run. 

The Monks would get one of those runs back in the top of the fourth and Drew Healey and Jonathan Dube reached on back-to-back one out singles and Healey would score when Hake was called for a balk by the home plate umpire. 

Webster added its third run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Lovell, who brought home his brother, freshman Scott Lovell (Lafayette, Ind./Lafayette Central Catholic), who was pinch running, from third base. Lovell was running for freshman designated hitter Dylan Coleman (Chicago, Ill./Notrre Dame College Prep), who had singled up the middle to open the inning.

From that point, the Gorloks turned the game over to Hake and its defense as they would allow just three base runnners over the final four innings with two of those base runners coming in the seventh as Ben Gravel and Matthew Martinello reached on back-to-back single to open the inning, but Martinello, who paced the Monks with two of their seven hits, would be retired when the next batter, Jacob McGill, hit the ball to Staker that hed turned into a 6-3 double play. 

In the ninth, senior All-American Matt Mulhearn (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic) came out of the bullpen and retired all three Monks on strikeouts to record his first save of the season. 

For the game, both teams turned a double play and they combined to leave seven runners on base as St. Joseph's left four on base and Webster stranded three. 

Webster will look to make it two straight wins on its Florida spring break trip on Sunday, March 8 as they face Aurora University in a 9:30 a.m. ET game at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, Fla.