FULTON, Mo. - Webster University used the long ball here Thursday to remain undefeated in the 2021 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament as the No. 2 seeded Gorloks defeated No. 3 seeded Spalding 6-1 in a semifinal round game at Blue Jay Field on the campus of Westminster College. 

With Thursday's win, Webster improves to 18-10 overall on the season and advances to a 12:30 p.m. winner's bracket game on Friday, May 7, against top-seeded and SLIAC regular season champion Fontbonne University. Spalding fell to 13-12 and will meet No. 5 seeded Iowa Wesleyan on 10:30 a.m. Friday morning in an elimination game. 

Prior to beginning of Webster's game on Thursday, the league announced that the rest of the 2021 SLIAC Tournament games will be played on Friday as Saturday's championship round games are now scheduled to be played at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, with the if necessary game of the double elimination tournament to follow at 6:30 p.m., due to forecasted inclement weather. There could be a possibility of five games played on Friday at Blue Jay Field. The winner of the SLIAC Tournament earns the league's automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament. 

Webster's home runs came in the fifth inning as junior leftfielder Taylor Jackson (Calgary, Alberta/Bishop Grandin) led off the frame with her first homer of the season over the left field fence to give Webster a 4-1 lead and then senior rightfielder Breelyn Craig (Victorville, Calif./Trinidad State) hit her first career collegiate home run over the left field fence in the sixth inning to give the Gorloks a 6-1 advantage. Craig's homer was a 2-run shot off of Spalding's Olivia Carter. 

The Gorloks finished Thursday's game with nine hits, including Craig going 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and 2 RBI, while Jackson and freshman catcher Jaelin Holdaway (West Valley, Utah/Cyprus) each had two hits in the win over the Golden Eagles. 

Spalding, who fell to 1-1 in the tournament, opened the scoring in the top of the third inning as they used an error on a dropped fly ball in center with two out by fifth-year senior centerfielder Abby Burroughs (Edwardsville, Ill./Triad) to score an unearned run off of senior pitcher Kirbie Mendenhall (Robinson, Ill./Parkland College), who got the start in the circle on Thursday.

Webster, though, would plate two runs in the bottom of the third thanks to a 2-run single to right off the bat of Holdaway. Holdaway's single allowed both Craig and Jackson to score to give Webster a 2-1 lead. Craig opened the inning with a double to right center and Jackson reached on a one out walk. 

The Gorloks lead grew to 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth as junior third baseman Sheyla Iniguez (Riverside, Calif./Bloomington) brought home a run on her sacrifice fly to center that allowed senior first baseman Alyssa McWilliams (Windsor, Colo./CSU-Pueblo) to score from third. McWilliams walked to open the inning, before moving to second on a bunt and reaching third on a single by Craig. 

Jackson's lead off homer in the fifth gave the Gorloks a 4-1 lead.

Spalding had another scoring chance in the sixth inning as Grace Sweat led off with a walk and then reached third on a two-out double to center by Jayda Garrison. Mendenhall, though, would get out of the jam by forcing pinch hitter Bailey Melton to ground out to first unassisted. 

Craig would make it 6-1 in the bottom of the sixth on her home run over the left field fence. 

Senior Morgan Parrish (Lawrenceville, Ill./Parkland College) would relieve Mendenhall in the top of the seventh and retire the Golden Eagles in order to seal Webster's win. 

Mendenhall (9-2) earned the win in the circle as she tossed six innings and allowed three hits and one unearned run, while walking three and striking out two. 

Carter (7-6) took the loss for Spalding as she tossed 5.1 innings and allowed eight hits and six runs, while walking four and striking out one. 

Three Golden Eagles recorded a hit in the loss. 

The teams combined to leave 12 runners on base as Spalding stranded seven and Webster left five on base. 

Here is the the schedule for the 2021 SLIAC Softball Tournament as all the remaining games of the double elimination tournament will be played on Friday.

Wednesday, May 5 - Quarterfinals (Single Elimination)
Game 1: at #1 Fontbonne 6, #8 Blackburn, 0
Game 2: at #2 Webster 4, #7 Eureka, 0
Game 3: at #3 Spalding, 1, #6 Greenville 0
Game 4: #5 Iowa Wesleyan 6, at #4 Westminster 0
Thursday, May 6 - Semifinals (Double Elimination)
Game 5: #1 Fontbonne 2, vs. #5 Iowa Wesleyan 1
Game 6: #2 Webster 6, vs. #3 Spalding 1
Friday, May 7 - Semifinals
Game 7: #5 Iowa Wesleyan vs. #3 Spalding, 10:30 a.m.
Game 8: #1 Fontbonne vs. #2 Webster, 12:30 p.m.
Game 9: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser, 2:30 p.m.
Friday, May 7 - Championship Round
Game 10: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9, 4:30 p.m.
Game 11: If Necessary Game, 6:30 p.m.