WAVERLY, Iowa - Webster University Softball played its first game in the NCAA Division III Tournament since 2009 here Friday afternoon as the fifth-seeded Gorloks fell 5-1 to No. 2 seeded and 20th-ranked University of St. Thomas (Minn.) in first round action of the Waverly Regional held at Lynes Field on the Wartburg College campus.

The loss snapped Webster's five game win streak and dropped its record to 20-11 overall, while St. Thomas improved to 29-8 overall on the season. The Gorloks now fall into an elimination game later tonight against sixth-seeded Wisconsin-Superior, who opened play on Friday with an 11-3 run-ruled loss to top-seeded and 24th-ranked St. Olaf. 

In Friday's game, the Gorloks were held to five hits and scored its lone run in the top of the fourth inning on an RBI double by senior first baseman Alyssa McWilliams (Windsor, Colo./CSU-Pueblo). McWilliams' double scored freshman shortstop Sidney Holtz (Taylorsville, Utah/Murray), who had reached on a single to open the inning and moved to second on bunt by senior rightfielder Breelyn Craig (Victorville, Calif./Trinidad State).

Holtz's hit was the second of the game for the Gorloks as junior third baseman Sheyla Iniguez (Riverside, Calif./Bloomington) broke up a no-hit bid by Tommies pitcher Kierstin Anderson-Glass in the top of the third with her 2-out single up the middle.



St. Thomas, who is playing in the NCAA Tournament for the 17th consecutive season this year and advanced to the Division III Softball World Series in 2019, got the runs it would need in the bottom of the first inning as the Tommies used three hits and a hit by pitch to plate two runs off of senior Morgan Parrish (Lawrenceville, Ill./Parkland College), who earned the start in the circle for the Gorloks, who are making just its eighth all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament this season. 

The Tommies added a run in the second to push its lead to 3-0. 

UST would cap the scoring in the bottom of the fifth as they recorded five hits and scored two runs off of freshman Reese Waggoner (Centennial, Colo./Eaglecrest), who relieved Parrish with one-out in the first, to push its lead to 5-1. The Tommies, though, would leave the bases loaded in the inning as senior Kirbie Mendenhall (Robinson, Ill./Parkland College) forced Megan Baniecke to fly out to center to end the inning.

The Tommies would put two more runners on base in the bottom of the sixth on a double and walk, but those runners would be stranded by Mendenhall.

Webster put its leadoff hitter on base to open the seventh as junior leftfielder Taylor Jackson (Calgary, Alberta/Bishop Grandin) reached on a single to right center. That lead off runner would be erased on a fielder's choice and later in the inning, freshman Paige Thomas (Emporia, Kan./Emporia) recorded a pinch hit single to put runners on first and second with two outs. Iniguez would pop up to Anderson-Glass to end the game and seal the Tommies' win. 

The Tommies finished with 13 hits as six St. Thomas players had two hits each, while Katie Goelz added two runs to go with her two hits. 

Anderson-Glass (15-3) picked up the win for St. Thomas as she tossed all seven innings and allowed five hits and one run, while striking out seven and wallking none. 

Parrish (4-4) pitched faced four hitters and tossed 0.1 innings and allowed three hits and two runs. Waggoner and Mendenhall combined to pitch 5.2 innings and allow 10 hits, three runs, while walking three and striking out none.

The Tommies left 12 runners on base, while Webster stranded five.

St. Thomas will face No. 4 seeded Coe in a winner's bracket game on Saturday at 12 p.m. as Coe defeated fourth-seeded MSOE, 1-0 in Friday's final first round game.