DECATUR, Ill. - Webster University Baseball opened up play here Thursday in the NCAA Division III Decatur Regional by posting a 4-1 victory over No. 5 seeded Transylvania University at the Workman Family Baseball Field on the campus of Millikin University. 
 

With the victory, the No. 2 seeded Gorloks extend its win streak to 11 consecutive games and improve its record to 36-6 on the season, while Transylvania falls to 31-11. The win was also Webster's 29th all-time in the NCAA Tournament. 

Webster, who advanced to the Division III World Series for the fourth time in school history in 2019, advances to a winner's bracket game on Friday, May 28 at 4 p.m. against third-seeded Denison, who picked up a 4-0 win over fourth-seeded Millikin in Thursday's final first round game.
 

Thursday's win was keyed by another strong starting pitching performance from fifth-year senior All-American Matt Mulhearn (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic) as the 6-foot-3 righthander tossed his sixth complete game of the season as he allowed just four hits and one unearned run, while walking one and striking out 11. The 11 strikeouts marked the eighth time this season Mulhearn has recorded double-digit strikeouts and pushed his career total to 364. The 364 career strikeouts are just 14 shy of Fontbonne's Luke Summers' St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference record of 379 career strikeouts. 

In the game, Mulhearn would record at least one strikeout in seven of the nine innings, including striking out the side in the first inning on nine pitches and allowed only five baserunners for the game. 
 

While Mulhearn was tossing a complete game, the Gorloks offense gave him all the run support he would need in the bottom of the first inning and then added insurance runs in the sixth and eighth innings. 

In the game, Webster's offense recorded seven hits, including two hits each from fourth-year junior All-American shortstop Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) and second-year freshman leftfielder Landon Vahle (Lees' Summit, Mo./St. Michael Archangel). 

The Gorloks got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first as they used an RBI single by Swordsand wild pitch from Transylvania pitcher Jake Schmidt to plate two runs and take a 2-0 lead in the game. Swords' single brought home fourth-year junior right fielder Adam Lovell (Lafayette, Ind./Saint Joseph's College), who had reached on an error to open the inning and freshman designated hitter R.J. LaRocco (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma), who reached on an infield single, would score on Schmidt's wild pitch.

Transylvania, who is coached by former Webster assistant coach Zach Getsee, would put two runners on base against Mulhearn in the fourth inning as Hudson Chastain reached on a two-out single to left and Riley Wilburn followed with another single to put runners on first and third. Mulhearn, though, would get out of the jam by striking out Michael Blair to keep the score 2-0 in Webster's favor.

In the sixth, Swords reached on a one-out single to left, stole second and scored on an RBI single by fifth-year senior second baseman A.J. Smith (DuQuoin, Ill./DuQuoin) to give the Gorloks a 3-0 lead. 

The Gorloks would add another run in the bottom of the eighth without a hit as LaRocco walked to open the inning, moved to second on a ground out by fifth-year senior All-American first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro) and then after Swords was intentionally walked, LaRocco and Swords each moved up a base on a ground out by Smith and then LaRocco would score on another wild pitch by Schmidt. 

Transylvania, who entered the game averaging 9.7 runs and hitting .346 on the year, would break up Mulhearn's bid for a shutout in the ninth as Trent Youngblood opened the frame with a single up the middle and then Wade Lopiccolo hit a ground ball to Swords at short, but on the play, Smith committed an fielding error to put runners on first and second. The next hitter, Hudson, flied out to right to allowed Youngblood to move to third and then Wilburn brought home Youngblood with his RBI single to right. Mulhearn, though, would retire the next two Pioneer hitters in order to seal Webster win and also seal his sixth consecutive win on the year.

Wilbur had two of Transylvania's four hits in just its third ever NCAA Tournament game and first since 2008. 

While Mulhearn tossed a complete game, so too, did Schmidt for the Pioneers as he tossed eight innings and allowed seven hits and four runs (three earned), while walking three and striking out five to lose his first game of the season and drop his record to 8-1. 

The teams left a combined 11 runners on base as Webster stranded six and Transylvania left five. 

Webster recorded five stolen bases in the game, including Lovell swiping his 18th stolen base this season.