SAUGET, Ill. - Webster University concluded its six-game homestand here Tuesday afternoon by splitting a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Westminster at GCS Credit Union Ballpark.

The third and sixth-ranked Gorloks fell 8-3 in the opener, before scoring five runs in the fifth inning of the nightcap to post a 6-3 win to secure the split. 

With the split, the Gorloks are now 14-4 overall and 10-2 SLIAC on the season, while Westminster is now 9-6 overall and 6-6 in the league. 

The doubleheader was originally scheduled for March 17, but was forced to be rescheduled due to inclement weather. 

In Tuesday's second game, the Gorloks outhit the Blue Jays, 9-7 and used an outstanding starting pitching performance from fourth-year junior Andrew Padilla (Burbank, Ill./Reavis), who pitched 6.2 innings and allowed six hits and two unearned runs, while striking out a career high eight and walking none en route to improving his record to 1-1 on the season.

The Blue Jays would get the scoring started in the second inning of the second game as used two hits and an error by fourth-year junior shortstop Matt Staker (El Cajon, Calif./Saint Augustine) to plate two unearned runs off of Padilla, who was making his career start as a Gorlok.

After being held without a base runner through 3.2 innings, Staker would give Webster its first hit on an infield single and moved to second on an error by Westminster shortstop Payton Whitehead. Staker, though, would be stranded on second. 

The Gorloks would get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth as they used two hits and a throwing error by Blue Jay pitcher Jay Bertish on a bunt off the bat of fifth-year senior leftfielder A.J. Smith (DuQuoin, Ill./DuQuoin). In the inning, fourth-year junior All-American third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) and fifth-year senior All-American first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro) each reached recorded back-to-back hits before Smith bunt. 

Webster wouldf break the game open in the bottom of the fifth as they sent nine batters to the plate and used four hits, an error and a hit batsman to score five runs to take a 6-2 lead. In the inning, fourth-year junior second baseman Jacob Knoebel (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield East) would open the frame by being hit on pitch from Bertish, moved to second on an infield single by freshman designated hitter Levi Hall (Oceanside, Cailf./El Camino) and a bunt by Staker would load the bases. The next Gorlok batter, fourth-year junior rightfielder Adam Lovell (Lafayette, Ind./Saint Joseph's College) walked with the bases loaded to bring home the first run and the freshman catcher R.J. LaRocco (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma) drove home the second run on a sacrifice fly to left and then Swords followed with a double down the left field line that scored one run on the throw back into the infield the 'Jays committed an error that allowed a second run to scored and Kent completed the scoring with another sacrifice fly. 

Padilla would get into some trouble in the seventh inning as after retiring the first two hitters he faced, he allowed a single to Steven Diaz to end his day on the mound as junior Ben Kowalski (Ottawa, Ill./Ottawa Township) would take over on the mound and after Diaz moved to second on a passed ball, Kowalski would get Bryce McKinnon to fly out to end the inning. 

The Gorloks would load the bases in the bottom of the seventh thanks to two walks and Smith getting hit by a pitch from Blue Jay reliever Sam Owen, but would leave the bases full when Owen forced Knoebel to fly out to center to end the inning.

Webster put two more runners on base in the eighth thanks to back-to-back two out singles by Lovell and LaRocco against Austin Mayton, before Mayton would get out of the jam by forcing Swords to fly out to center. 

The Blue Jays would complete the scoring in the top of the ninth as they would plate a run on a hit, two walks and wild pitch by third-year sophomore hurler Joey Marko (Winfield, Mo./Winfield), who was the third Gorlok pitcher of the game. 

Swords and Staker each had two hits in the nightcap, while Swords also scored two runs. Overall, seven different Gorloks recorded a hit in the game. 

Bertish (0-1) took the loss for the Blue Jays as he pitched five-plus innings and allowed seven hits and six runs (five earned), while walking one and striking out two. 

Westminster got one hit apiece from seven different players. 

The teams combined to leave 16 runners on bases as Webster stranded nine and Westminster left seven on bases. The Blue Jays also turned two double plays in the second game. 

Meanwhile, in Tuesday's opener, Webster's pitchers walked seven and and allowed 10 hits in suffering an 8-3 setback. 

The Gorloks finished the first game with just four hits that were spread over the seven innings and they also left 10 runners on base, including leaving the bases loaded in the second and stranding two on base in the first and fifth innings. 

Westminster would score two runs in the first inning without the benefit of a hit as junior Bryce Meyer (Bartonville, Ill./Carl Sandberg) would walk the first three batters he faced before being replaced by fifth-year senior Cooper Hake (Lincoln, Ill./IU-South Bend), who would force the first he faced to hit into a double play that scored one run and the 'Jays second run would score on a error by Swords at third base. 

The Gorloks would get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second thanks to an RBI groundout by fifth-year senior centerfielder Aron Hopp (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln College). Following Hopp's groundout, Lovell walked and LaRocco was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Westminster's Nat Shepard got out of the jam by getting Swords to fly out to right. 

Westminster pushed its lead to 4-1 in the top of the third on a 2-run double by Hunter Mulholland off of Hake. 

The Blue Jays lead grew to 6-1 in the fifth on a 2-run home run by Parker Schneiders off of second-year sophomore Nick Heiden (Minooka, Ill./St. Laurence) and then they added another run in the sixth on a lead-off double by Diaz and a single by McKinnon to push in front 7-1.

Webster would get two of those runs back in the bottom of the sixth on a 2-run double by LaRocco. LaRocco leads the Gorloks in RBIs with 14 this season.

Westminster would record three more hits in the seventh and scored the final run on an RBI single to left by Mayton off of Heiden, who pitched the final four innings for the Gorloks. 

In his four innings of work, Heiden allowed seven hits and four runs, while walking one and striking out two. 

Trent Morrow (1-0) earned the win in relief as he pitched two innings shutout innings and allowed one hit and walked one. 

Four different Gorloks had a hit in the first game. 

Whitehead, Schneiders and Diaz each had two hits to pace the Blue Jays, while Schneiders scored two runs in the win. 

While Webster left 10 runners on base, the Blue Jays left seven runners on base and the teams combined to turn five double plays as Westminster had three and Webster had two. 

The Gorloks will return to action this coming weekend (April 2-3) as they travel to Eureka, Ill., for a four-game series at Eureka College. The teams will open the series with a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. on Friday, April 2 and then play a second doubleheader on Saturday, April 3 at 12 p.m.