CARLINVILLE, Ill. - Webster University recorded 20 hits, including six extra base hits here Sunday afternoon en route to scoring 19 runs in sweeping a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Blackburn College at Blackburn Field.

The No. 3/No. 8-ranked Gorloks opened Sunday's doubleheader by using 15 hits, including six base hits and another standout starting pitching performance from graduate student All-American pitcher Matt Mulhearn (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic) to post a 16-2 win that was halted in the seventh due to the 10-run mercy rule and then used another strong pitching effort from freshman J.T. Miller (Centennial, Colo./Regis Jesuit) in posting a 3-0 win in the nightcap. 

With the two wins, Webster extended its win streak to seven consecutive games and improved its record to 8-1 overall and 4-0 in the SLIAC, while Blackburn fell to 0-6 overall and 0-6 in the league. 

In the doubleheader, which was pushed back one day to allow Blackburn's field more time to dry due to rain that hit the area late in the week, five Gorloks collected at least two hits, including fourth-year junior rightfielder Adam Lovell (Lafayette, Ind./Saint Joseph's College) going 4-for-8 at the plate with four runs scored, a double, two walks and four stolen bases, while freshman catcher R.J. LaRocco (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma) was 3-for-6 with three runs scored, a double, a triple and 4 RBI and freshman first baseman Levi Hall (Oceanside, Calif./El Camino) was 2-for-3 with a run scored, a grand slam in the fifth inning and 5 RBI. The other two Gorloks to record two hits on the day was graduate student All-American first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro) and fifth-year senior designed hitter A.J. Smith (DuQuoin, Ill./DuQuoin). 

Fourth-year junior All-American third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) had one hit, scored one run and recorded 5 RBI in the two games and graduate student centerfielder Aron Hopp (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln College) scored four runs as he had 2 RBI and drew three walks. 

Webster also was 6-for-8 in stolen bases, walked 14 times, including eight times in the opener and was hit by seven pitches and hit .323.

Webster scored five runs in the second inning of Sunday's first game to take a 5-0 lead. Smith opened the frame with a single, moved to second on a walk issued to Kent and after an out, third-year sophomore second baseman Mitch Daniels (Columbia, Ill./Columbia) drove home Smith with an RBI single. Hopp would then follow with a 2-run single by Hopp to give WU a 3-0 lead and LaRocco would complete the scoring later in the inning on a two-run triple. 

The Gorloks added four runs to its lead in the third inning as the first run scored when LaRocco was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and then Swords followed with a 3-run double off of Blackburn reliever Hayden Sheehan, who replaced starter Skylar McManus after he hit LaRocco. McManus would hit two batters in his 2.2 innings of work. 

Giving a 9-0 lead was enough of a cushion for Mulhearn as he pitched five innings and allowed six hits and two runs (one earned), while walking one and striking out 10. The 10 strikeouts helped Mulhearn (4-0) become the school's all-time leader in career strikeouts. In four appearances this season, Mulhearn has an 0.67 ERA as in 27 innings of work, he has struck out 40 and walked just three and has had nine of more strikeouts in three of his four appearances. 

Blackburn got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth as they took advantage of an error by freshman second baseman Bo Slaymaker (Johnstown, Colo./Roosevelt) and an RBI single by Avery Dugan to plate an unearned run off of Mulhearn.

Webster would push its lead to 14-1 in the top of the fifth inning as they used four hits and an error to plate those five runs with four of those runs coming on a grand slam off the bat of Hall. The grand slam was the first of the season for Webster and just the fourth homer of the season by the Gorloks. 

The Beavers added a second run in the bottom of the fifth off of Mulhearn as Nolan Rooney was hit by a pitch, then moved to second on a wild pitch and would score on an RBI single by Tyler Jackson. 

Webster added a 15th run in the top of the sixth thanks to a lead off double by LaRocco, a pinch hit single by fifth-year senior Garrett Davis (Geneva, Ill./Elgin CC) and an RBI single by Hall. 

Fourth-year junior pitcher Joey Marko (Winfield, Mo./Winfield) would replace Mulhearn on the mound in the sixth and he would strike out all three Beaver hitters he faced. 

The Gorloks completed the scoring in the top of the seventh as they used two hits and an error to plate an unearned run which came in when Davis drew a bases loaded walk issued by Zach Knox, who was the third Blackburn pitcher of the game. 

In the bottom of the seventh, second-year sophomore pitcher Nick Heiden (Minooka, Ill./St. Laurence) would work around a double in the inning to pitch a scoreless frame to complete the win. 

LaRocco had three hits, scored three runs, was hit by two pitches and had 3 RBI in the opener, while Smith and Hall each had two hits. Swords had three RBI and Hopp and Lovell combined to score five runs. 

McManus (0-2) took the loss for the Beavers as he allowed five hits and nine runs, all of which were earned, while walking six and striking out two. 

Jaidon Erivex had three of Blackburn's seven hits in the first game. 
 
The two teams combined to leave 21 runners on bases as Webster stranded 13 and Blackburn left eight. 

Meanwhile, in the nightcap, Webster opened the scoring in the top of the first as Lovell led off with a double and then would steal third and score when Swords delivered a sacrifice fly to left for the first run of the game. 

The Gorloks lead grew to 3-0 in the top of the fifth as Hopp led off the inning with a walk, moved to third on a single by Lovell and after Lovell stole second to put runners on second and third, LaRocco would bring home Hopp with a sacrifice fly to right and Swords followed with another sacrifice fly to plate Lovell for the second run of the inning. 

Following the three runs by its offense, the Gorloks turned the game over to their pitching staff as staked to 3-0 lead, Miller (1-0), who picked up the win on the mound, pitched into the sixth inning as he allowed just one hit, while walking three and striking out eight. On the season, Miller has an 0.50 ERA as in 18 innings of work, he has allowed just one earned run, while striking out 15 and walking five. 

After allowing a lead-off single to open the sixth to Trevor Platt and forcing Nolan Rooney to fly out, Miller was replaced on the mound by fourth-year senior pitcher Jake Anderson (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) and he would pitch into the ninth inning as in those three innings, he allowed just one run, while walking two and striking out five. 

Blackburn made things interesting in the ninth as Blake Dunning drew a lead-off walk from Anderson, moved to second on a wild pitch and reached third on a ground out by Erivez. The groundout chased Anderson from the game and brought freshman reliever Alek Elges (Littleton, Colo./J.K. Mullen) into the game for a save situation. Elges would strike out the first batter he faced, Dugan and then ended the game by forcing Mitchell Binder to ground out. 

While Miller earned his first win in the game, Elges recorded his second save of the season as in 4.2 innings of work this season, he has yet to allow a run and has recorded two strikeouts and walked two. 

Webster finished with five hits in the nightcap as Lovell had three of them as he was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and he stole four bases. The Gorloks recorded six steals in the nightcap. 

The other two hits came from Kent as he was 2-for-4 at the plate.

Isaac Garrett (0-1) took the loss for the Beavers as he pitched seven innings and allowed three hits and three runs, while walking five and striking out one. 

Both teams combined to leave 11 runners on bases as Webster stranded seven and Blackburn left four. In addition, Blackburn turned two double plays and Webster turned one double play. 

The two teams will conclude the four-game SLIAC series with another doubleheader on Monday, March 22 beginning at 12:30 p.m.