FULTON, Mo. - For the first time in 18 days and just the third time this season, the Webster University softball team came away with a doubleheader sweep here Thursday as the Gorloks took both ends of a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader at Blue Jay Field. 

Webster opened Thursday's doubleheader with a 10-2 run-ruled win in six innings and then scored six runs in the first two innings and then held a late inning rally by the Blue Jays to post a 7-6 win in the second game of the doubleheader. 

Thursday's doubleheader sweep was the first for the Gorloks since sweeping a home doubleheader on April 3 against Blackburn College. In fact, since that sweep, Webster had split its previous six doubleheaders. The Gorloks also swept its season opening doubleheader in Ellisville, Mo., against Nebraska Wesleyan. 

With the doubleheader sweep, Webster improved to 14-8 overall and 5-3 in the SLIAC, while Westminster fell to 12-16 overall and 5-5 in the league. The Gorloks moved into second place in the league standings with the doubleheader sweep heading into the final week of the regular season. 

The Gorloks recorded 21 hits in Thursday's doubleheader and scored 17 runs and recorded eight extra base hits, including hitting three home runs in the first game of the doubleheader. 

In the top of the first inning in the opener, junior third baseman Sheyla Iniguez (Riverside, Calif./Bloomington) led off with a double to left and after moving to third on a bunt by freshman shortstop Sidney Holtz (Taylorsville, Utah/Murray) and fifth-year senior centerfielder Abby Burroughs (Edwardsville, Ill./Triad) reaching on an error by Westminster pitcher Katie Price, freshman catcher Paige Thomas (Emporia, Kan./Emporia) hit an RBI single to center that plated Iniguez with the first run of the game. 

The Blue Jays, though, would come right back and score two runs on two hits in the bottom of the second on a 2-run homer by Brooke Laidley off of senior pitcher Kirbie Mendenhall (Robinson, Ill./Parkland College). 

Webster would add three more runs in the top of the second to push its lead to 4-2. The big hit in the inning was a 2-run double to left by Burroughs, who went 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and 3 RBI. 

The Gorloks lead grew to 7-2 in the top of the third inning as they scored a run on an RBI groundout by freshman first baseman Jaelin Holdaway (West Valley, Utah/Cyprus) and a 2-run homer by Iniguez, who went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and 2 RBI. 

In the fifth inning, Holdaway recorded a solo home run with one out to give the Gorloks an 8-2 lead and would complete the scoring with two runs in the top of the sixth as Burroughs led off the inning with her fourth home run of the season and later in the inning, senior leftfielder Chloe Johnson (Hazelwod, Mo./STLCC). 

Mendenhall would then retire the Blue Jays in order in the bottom of the sixth to seal Webster's run-ruled win,

For the game, Mendenhall (7-1) pitched all six innings and allowed two runs and two earned runs, while walking one and striking out two. 

Price (6-7) took the loss in the circle for Westminster as she tossed six innings and allowed 12 hits and 10 runs (nine earned runs), while walking one and striking out none. 

In addition to the combined five hits and five RBI from Burroughs and Iniguez, Thomas and freshman second baseman Kaelyn Kearney (Draper, Utah/Corner Canyon) each had two hits, while Kearney and Holdaway each scored two runs in the first game win. 

Six different Blue Jays hitters recorded a hit in the opener. 

Meanwhile, in the nightcap, Webster would jump in front 2-0 in the top of the first as they used three walks, a hit batsman and two hits to plate two runs, including scoring a run on a RBI single by senior third baseman Alyssa McWilliams (Windsor, Colo./CSU-Pueblo). 

The Gorloks lead grew to 6-0 in the top of the second as they scored runs on one hit in the inning and took advantage of two bases loaded walks issued to McWilliams and freshman pitcher Reese Waggoner (Centennial, Colo./Eaglecrest). 

Westminster would drop Webster's lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth as they used four hits to plate two runs on RBI singles by Kasey Ginder and Brooklyn Bledsoe. 

Webster got one of those runs back in the top of the sixth inning as they used a walk and singles by Waggoner and sophomore first baseman Ashlee Seltzer (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Rock Canyon) to push its lead to 7-2. 

The Blue Jays would begin its late game rally as they used three hits and a Webster error to plate three runs off a 3-run homer by Mackenzie Myers in the bottom of the sixth to pull within 7-5. 

Westminster would make things interesting in the bottom of the seventh as they used a double by Bledsoe and an RBI single by Emily Esquivel to pull within a run at 7-6 with one out. Waggoner, though, would prevent further damage as she retired two of the final three hitters she faced with the base runner she didn't retire reaching on an error by McWilliams at third base, 

Waggoner (4-2) pitched all seven innings and allowed nine hits and six runs, while walking none and striking out two. 

Myers (1-2) took the loss for Westminster as she pitched 1.1 innings and allowed two hits and six runs, while walking seven and striking out none. Bledsoe would pitch the final 5.2 innings and allowed seven hits and one run, while walking three and striking out two.

In the second game, Webster drew seven walks, including Iniguez walking three times, while McWilliams and Waggoner each walked twice. 

Seltzer went 3-for-3 with 3 RBI in the nightcap, while Burroughs added two hits to push her season batting average of .423. Holtz and Holdaway each scored two runs in the second game. 

Bledsoe and Esquivel each had two hits for the Blue Jays as they recorded nine hits in the second game. 

The Gorloks will look to make it four straight wins as they are scheduled to return to action on Saturday, April 24 with a 1 p.m. single game in Clayton, Mo., against Washington University in St. Louis. The Gorloks picked up a 4-1 win over the Bears on March 24.