FULTON, Mo. - For the first time since 2009 and fifth time in school history, Webster University took home the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament title here Friday evening as the Gorloks collected a 12-2 run-ruled win over No. 3 seeded Spalding University in the championship game of the 2021 SLIAC Softball Tournament at Blue Jay Field on the campus of Westminster College.

Webster, who entered Friday night's SLIAC Tournament champion game as the only undefeated team in the double elimination tournament, made sure they didn't need to play the if necessary game as its offense scored in all four innings they batted against the Golden Eagles as they finished the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record and extended its win streak to five consecutive games heading to the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament. The NCAA will unveil its 2021 48-team tournament field on Monday, May 17 with the regional tournaments scheduled to be played on May 21-23 with the national finals set for May 27-June 1 at Moyer Park in Salem, Va. 

"I am proud of these student-athletes and their dedication to this game and each other," Webster third-year head coach Katie Griffith said. "Over the last year they trained with intensity as though every practice was a game day and that dedication paid off tonight."

What makes this year's championship so special for the No. 2 seeded Gorloks is to remember where they came from as just two seasons ago, Webster went just 10-24 in Griffith's first season and then they played just 14 games and tallied a 6-8 record during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, before winning 20 games so far this season and posting a 20-10 record. The 20 wins are the most for the program since the 2017 squad won 28 games and posted a 28-15 record. 

"In 2019, my first year, we only won 10 game and in 2020, we only played 14 games and here we are in 2021 headed to (NCAA) regionals," said Griffith, who was named the SLIAC Coach of the Year earlier in the day on Friday. "Last year, we decided as a group we wanted to be conference champions and get to regionals. After that, every decision we made was with that in mind. Everyone from our fifth-year seniors, to our graduate transfers, our freshman class, and every player between bought it and made it happen."
 

Friday's championship game, which the Gorloks advanced to after picking up a 6-4 win over top-seeded and regular season champion Fontbonne in a winner's bracket game earlier on Friday, was all but over after the second inning as the Gorloks scored two runs in the first and then exploded for six runs in the second inning, including scoring five of those runs thanks to a 2-run home run from fifth-year senior centerfielder Abby Burroughs (Edwardsville, Ill./Triad), who was named the SLIAC Player of the Year earlier in the day on Friday and a three-run home run by senior first baseman Alyssa McWilliams (Windsor, Colo./CSU-Pueblo). 

The Gorloks rolled to its championship this season as they outscored their four tournament opponents 28-7, which tied the tournament record for run scored with Fontbonne, who also scored 28 runs during its 2013 title run. In addition, the 12 runs scored in the championship game were the most in the title game since Westminster scored 12 runs in a 12-2 win over MacMurray College in the 1992 SLIAC Tournament final.

Webster got things started in the championship game by plating two runs on one hit and one Spalding error in the bottom of the first inning to jump in front 2-0. In the inning, Burroughs walked to open the frame and she would score two batters later when senior rightfielder Breelyn Craig (Victorville, Calif./Trinidad State) reached on a bunt single and on the play, Spalding third baseman Bella Velez would throw the ball away that resulted in Burroughs scoring from first and Craig reaching third base. Craig would then score an unearned run when the next batter, McWilliams, grounded out to second. 

Spalding, who needed to win games on Friday against both Iowa Wesleyan (10-5) and Fontbonne (7-3) to reach the title game, put a runner on third with one out in the top of the second against senior Morgan Parrish (Lawrenceville, Ill./Parkland College) thanks to a walk and back-to-back passed balls by freshman catcher Jaelin Holdaway (West Valley, Utah/Cyprus), but Parrish would leave that runner stranded as she retired the next two Golden Eagles in order. 

Leading 2-0 heading to the bottom of the second inning, Webster would record six of his nine hits for the game in the inning and score runs to take an 8-0 lead against Erica McMann, who started in the circle for Spalding. In the inning, freshman second baseman Kaelyn Kearney (Draper, Utah/Corner Canyon) reached on a one-out single to left, moved to second on a bunt from senior designated player Kirbie Mendenhall (Robinson, Ill./Parkland College) and then junior third baseman Sheyla Iniguez (Riverside, Calif./Bloomington) stepped to the plate and drilled a McMann pitch to left center for an RBI double for WU's third run of the game. Burroughs, who hit leadoff in the championship game, would follow with her sixth home run of the season that went over the fence in center and landed in the middle of the parking lot to give the Gorloks a 5-0 lead. Following Burroughs' homer, freshman second baseman Sidney Holtz (Taylorsville, Utah/Murray) and Craig recorded back-to-back singles, before McWilliams would drill a McMann pitch over the fence in left for a three-run homer to make it 8-0 in Webster's favor. The homer was the first of the season for McWilliams. 

The Golden Eagles, who finished the season with a 15-13 record, would get two of those runs back in the top of third inning thanks to RBI singles by Jennifer Peffley and Olivia Carter to drop Webster's lead to 8-2.

Webster, though, would get those two runs back in the bottom of the third as they used just one hit to score two runs with the lone hit being a 2-run triple from Burroughs that landed just inside the right field line to give Webster a 10-2 lead. The triple was the second of the season for Burroughs and the four RBI in the game tied her career high. 

Parrrish would then sit down Spalding in order in the fourth for her third hitless inning of the game, before the Gorloks offense added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth as they took advantage of a hit-by-pitch and two walks with freshman pinch hitter Jaleesa Smith (Harrison, Tenn./Chattanooga Central) drawing a bases loaded walk and then Mendenhall drove in a run on a groundout to give Webster a 12-2 lead. 

In the fifth, Parrish (4-3) would allow a double and single to put runners on second and third with one out, before she got Peffley to foul out to third and she sealed the run-ruled win by striking out Olivia Carter to set off a wild celebration for the Gorloks. 

Parrish tossed five innings and allowed four hits and two runs, while walking two and striking out four. 

Burroughs and Craig each had two hits in the title game, while five other Gorloks had a hit in the game. 

Craig, who hit .778 in four tournament games, was named the SLIAC Tournament MVP and became the third Gorlok to earn Tournament MVP honors joining Jenn Brandenberger in 2007 and Dana Vahey in 2009. In addition to Craig, Burroughs, McWilliams and freshman pitcher Reese Waggoner (Centennial, Colo./Eaglecrest) were the other Gorloks named to the All-Tournament Team. 

In the tournament, the Gorloks hit .389 in four games and along with Craig's .778 batting average, Burroughs hit .545 with 8 RBI, while McWilliams hit .500 with four hits, including two doubles and recording 4 RBI and Waggoner went 2-0 with an 0.53 ERA in the tournament. For Burroughs, it was the second time in her career she was named to the All-Tournament Team as she was named an All-Tournament selection as a freshman in 2017. 

McMann (7-4) took the loss for Spalding as she allowed seven hits and eight runs (six earned), while walking one and striking out one in two innings of work. Velez would pitch two innings and allowed two hits and four runs, while walking three and striking out one. 

Other members of the SLIAC All-Tournament Team included Spalding's Carter, Peffley and Grace Sweat, Fontbonne's Lexi Becker and Grace Paez and Iowa Wesleyan's Alex Eyman. 

The tournament title is the fourth of the spring for Webster as along with the softball team, the men's soccer team, the women's tennis team and men's golf team have all captured SLIAC postseason titles this school year.