ST. ANN, Mo. - The Webster University softball team continued St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play here Friday afternoon at ABC Park by splitting a doubleheader against Fontbonne University.

Fontbonne opened the doubleheader with an 8-0 run-ruled win after six innings, before the Gorloks picked up a 6-3 win in the second game. 

With the doubleheader split, Webster moved to 11-7 overall and 3-3 in the league, while Fontbonne moved to 9-10 overall and 5-3 in league play. 

Friday's doubleheader continued a pattern for the Gorloks this season as they have played eighht doubleheaders this season and have split six of those eight doubleheaders, including all three doubleheaders in league play. The only difference in Friday's doubleheader was that Webster lost the first game and the won the second game, as in their previous five doubleheaders, the Gorloks had won the first game and then lost the second game. The only doubleheaders Webster swept came at home against Blackburn on April 3 and in the season opener against Nebraska Wesleyan on March 5. 

Senior Kirbie Mendenhall (Robinson, Ill./Parkland College) allowed 10 hits and just three runs during a complete-game effort and used a five run fifth inning to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 6-3 lead in the second game against the Griffins. 

Mendenhall, who improved to 5-1 on the season with the win, struck out two and didn't walk a hitter in her fifth start of the season.The five wins are the most on the team and is tied for second-most in the league. 

Webster, who shutout for just the second time this season in the opener, jumped in front 1-0 in the top of the first in the second game thanks to sacrifice fly off the bat of sophomore first baseman Ashlee Seltzer (Highland Ranch, Colo./Rock Canyon). Seltzer's fly ball allowed fifth-year senior centerfielder Abby Burroughs (Edwardsville, Ill./Triad) to score from third. Burroughs recorded double with one out and then moved to third on a single to right by freshman second baseman Sidney Holtz (Taylorsville, Utah/Murray). 

Burroughs, who had two hits in the second game and went 5-for-8 in the doubleheader after a 3-for-3 effort at the plate in the opener, is now hitting .583 over her last six games as she has also scored seven runs, had 6 RBI, hit three doubles and a triple over that span. With her five hits on Friday, Burroughs moved into second place on the school's career hit chart with 147 as she passed Kelsey Washam for second place as Washam recorded 144 hits from 2007-09.

The Griffins, though, would take the lead in the bottom of the fifth as they used three hits, three stolen bases and an error on dropped fly ball in shallow left field by junior shortstop Sheyla Iniguez (Riverside, Calif./Bloomington) to score three runs and take a 3-1 lead. Two runs scored on Iniguez's error, while Fontbonne's other run came home on an RBI single by Lexi Becker. 

Trailing 3-1 heading to the sixth, the Gorloks would send nine batters to the plate and score five runs off of two hits and two Griffin errors to retake the lead at 6-3. Webster got the scoring started when freshman catcher Paige Thomas (Emporia, Kan./Emporia) drew a bases loaded walk from Becker. That walk chased Becker from the circle and brought reliever Skylar Freeman in the game and the first batter she faced, Iniguez, drilled as 2-run double to right center to give Webster a 4-3 lead. Burroughs would then bring home a run as she reached on a throwing error by Fontbonne third baseman Gracie Morris and the final run came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Holtz. 

Mendenhall would retire the Griffins in order in the sixth, but ran into some trouble in the seventh as she loaded the bases on four hits, but was able get out the jam without allowing any runs after Lilly Jones was moving towards second when Grace Paez delivered an infield single and on the play, Jones was hit by the ball for the third and final out of the game. 

In addition to Burroughs' two hits, Iniguez and freshman leftfielder Kaelyn Kearney (Draper, Utah/Corner Canyon) also each had two hits in the second game, while Iniguez added 2 RBI. 

Patience Vandermeirde paced Fontbonne with three hits in three at-bats, while Madison Galczyski, Becker and Jones each had two hits in the loss as the Griffins recorded 10 hits in the second game. 

Becker (1-1) took the loss for the Griffins as she pitched 5.1 innings and allowed seven hits and five runs (four earned), while walking two and striking out two. 

The teams committed a total of three errors with Fontbonne having two and a combined 13 runners were left on base as Webster stranded seven and Fontbonne left six on base. 

Meanwhile, in Friday's opening game, Fontbonne scored three runs in the first and would score a total of five runs in the fifth and sixth innings combined to pick up the run-ruled shutout win. 

In the bottom of the first, Fontbonne recorded four hits and used two errors to score three runs and take an early 3-0 lead in the game off of Waggoner, who started in the circle for the Gorloks. 

Webster, who was outhit 13-5 in the opener, had a scoring chance in the fourth as Burroughs led off with a single and moved to third on a one-out double to left by junior second baseman Taylor Jackson (Calgary, Alberta/Bishop Grandin), but FBU's Michaela Mason would get out of the jam by forcing senior rightfielder Chloe Johnson (Hazelwood, Mo./STLCC) to ground out to third and Kearney to fly out to left. 

The Griffins added a run to its lead in the fifth as Becker, who opened the inning by reaching on a bunt single, would score from second after Paez struck out, but reached on an error by freshman catcher Jaelin Holdaway (West Valley, Utah/Cyprus) that allowed Becker to score from second. 

In the sixth, Burroughs would lead off with a single, before stealing second and reaching third on an FBU error on that stolen base with two outs, but Mason would leave Burroughs stranded as she struck out Johnson to end the inning. 

Fontbonne would end the game early in the bottom of the sixth as they used five hits and scored four runs, including scoring the eighth and final run of the inning on a wild pitch from senior Morgan Parrish (Lawrenceville, Ill./Parkland College), who relieved Waggoner in the circle to open the sixth inning. 

Waggoner (3-2) took the loss for the Gorloks as she pitched five innings and allowed eight hits and four runs (three earned), while walking none and striking out two. 

Burroughs went 3-for-3 in the opener for the Gorloks as they had five hits against Mason (4-4) as she tossed six innings and allowed those five hits and no runs, while striking out three and walking one. 

Becker and Jones combined to 6-for-7 at the plate from the top two spots in the line-up as each player had three hits and scored a combined five runs. In addition, Paez, Vandermeirde and Hannah Miener each had two hits for the Griffins. 

The Gorloks also committed four errors in the opener and left six runners on base. Fontbonne had one error and stranded four runners. 

Webster will return to action this coming Sunday, April 18 as they travel to Eureka, Ill., for a non-conference doubleheader at Eureka College. The doubleheader is scheduled for a 12 p.m. start.