ST. LOUIS - Webster University Softball christened its new home field at St. Joseph's Academy here Sunday afternoon by splitting a non-conference doubleheader against Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

The Gorloks used a season high 11 hits and scored a season high six runs, including plating five runs in the bottom of the first to post a 6-0 win the opener, before falling 5-1 in the nightcap. 

With the doubleheader split, Webster improved to 4-3 on the season, while Rose-Hulman falls to 4-4. 

Sunday's doubleheader was Webster's first home softball game since dropping both ends of a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader at Blackburn Park on April 13, 2019, against Eureka College. Blackburn Park had served as the home field for Webster softball from 1998-2019, before the school decided to look for a new field to play their home games. 

In the opener, five Gorloks collected two hits, including freshman second baseman Sidney Holtz (Taylorsville, Utah/Murray), who also scored two of her team's six runs. Junior shortstop Sheyla Iniguez (Riverside, Calif./Bloomington) and freshman catcher Paige Thomas (Emporia, Kan./Emporia) each had 2 RBI in the shutout win. 

Webster's 6-7-8-9 hitters in the line-up combined to go 6-for-11 at the plate with three runs scored and 5 RBI as fifth-year senior centerfielder Abby Burroughs (Edwardsville, Ill./Triad) scored a run and had an RBI. 

The other Gorloks with two hits in the opener were senior rightfielder Anna Muecke (Lueneburg, Germany/Spartanburg Methodist) and senior pitcher Kirbie Mendenhall (Robinson, Ill./Parkland College). 

Along with her two hits, Mendenhall (2-1) was strong in the circle for the Gorloks as she allowed just one hit, while walking three and striking out four in pitching five-plus shutout innings.  In fact, she had a no-hitter going until the top of the sixth when Maggie Swank led off the inning with a pinch-hit single to left. 

All the offense Webster needed in the opener came in the bottom of the first inning as they sent 11 hitters to the plate and scored five runs on seven hits off of RHIT starting pitcher Ashley Pinkham. In the inning, Muecke led off with a single up the middle, moved to second on a bunt by freshman leftfielder Shelbi Patterson (Sesser, Ill./Christopher) and scored on an RBI single through the right side by Mendenhall. The Gorloks would eventually load the bases thanks to singles by sophomore first baseman Ashlee Seltzer (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Rock Canyon) and Holtz and a hit batsman and added its second run when Burroughs drew a bases loaded walk for an RBI. The walk to Burroughs bought Alyssa Pinkston into the game to relieve Pinkham and Pinkston would allow a 2-run single to Thomas to make the score 4-0 in Webster's favor. Iniguez would then follow with an RBI single to right that plated Burroughs with the fifth run of the game. Muecke would then add a second single on an infield hit in the inning to reload to bases, but Pinkston got out of the jam by striking out Patterson to end the inning. 

The Gorloks would take a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the third as they used singles by Holtz and Thomas and an RBI double to left center to score Holtz with the sixth run of the game. 

Mendenhall would double to right center in the bottom of the fourth, but would be left stranded on third in the inning. 

Rose-Hulman would collect its first hit in the sixth on Swank lead-off pinch-hit double that brought sophomore Alexandia Cafolla (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood West) to the circle to replace Mendenhall and she would leave Swank stranded as she retired the next three RHIT hitters in order, including striking out Nicole Lang looking to end the inning. 

Cafolla, who pitched two innings and allowed one hit and struck out one, would work around a single in the seventh by Jessica Rexing to complete the 2-hit shutout win.

The teams combined to leave 10 runners on the base in the opener as Webster stranded six and RHIT left four on base. 

Meanwhile, in the nightcap, Webster outhit the Fightin' Engineers, 4-2, but senior pitcher Morgan Parrish (Lawrenceville, Ill./Parkland College) and freshman Reese Waggoner (Centennial, Colo./Eaglecrest) combined to walk five RHIT hitters. 

Parrish, who started in the circle in the nightcap, was only to last 2.2 innings as she allowed one hit and two runs, while walking three and striking out four in earning her first loss of the season (1-1). Waggoner would pitch 3.1 innings and allowed two runs on no hits, but she walked two and struck out three. 

The Gorloks would take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as Muecke reached on a leadoff single and then stole second and would score when Mendenhall reached on a throwing error by Pinkham. 

RHIT would respond in the top of the second inning as they used a bunt single by Alexis Sullivan, two Gorlok errors and two walks to plate two runs and take a 2-1 lead. 

The Fightin' Engineers would add two more runs to its tally in the top of the fifth inning as they scored two runs without the benefit of a hit. RHIT scored their runs on a wild pitch by Waggoner and a fielder's choice grounder off the bat of Sullivan. 

Webster had a chance to add some runs in the bottom of the sixth as they used a single by Mendenhall, a walk and a hit batsman to put runners on second and third with two outs, but RHIT pitcher Mackenzie Hunt would get out of the jam by forcing Holtz to fly out to deep right center. 

In the seventh, RHIT added a fifth run off of freshman pitcher Jaleesa Smith (Harrison, Tenn./Chattanooga Central) to push in front, 5-1. Smith made her collegiate debut with that pitching appearance. 

Iniguez reached on a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh, but Hunt would force Muecke to ground out to end the game and seal RHIT's win and salvage a split. 

Muecke, Mendenhall and freshman first baseman Jaelin Holdaway (West Valley, Utah/Cyprus) each had a hit in the nightcap.

Hunt (1-1) pitched a complete game for RHIT in the nightcap as she allowed four hits and one unearned run, while walking three and striking out seven. 

Both team committed two errors in the second game and the teams combined to leave to 12 runners on base as each team stranded six. 

The Gorloks will look to start a new win streak this coming Wednesday, March 24 as they travel to Clayton, Mo., for a 4 p.m. single non-conference match-up at Washington University in St. Louis.