O'FALLON, Mo. – The Webster University baseball team was back in action over the weekend when they competed in the SLIAC Baseball Tournament at CarShield Field in O'Fallon, Missouri. The Gorloks went 1-2 in three games on the weekend including an 11-10 (11 inn.) loss to top seeded Spalding (Ky.) University, an 8-7 (10 inn.) win over # Westminster (Mo.) College, and an 8-5 loss to Spalding (Ky.) University.
 
The Gorloks got off to a great start their first game of the weekend against Spalding as they scored two runs in the top of the first to take an early lead. The Golden Eagles would answer with seven runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 7-2 lead, but four unanswered runs from Webster over the next few innings would cut the lead to 7-6 in the seventh. Spalding would score four runs in the bottom of the seventh, but five runs over the next two innings tied the score at 11 in the ninth. Spalding would break the tie in the bottom of the 11^th and the Golden Eagles would advance to the SLIAC Championship.
 
Kevin Corcoran got the start in this one as he allowed three hits and six earned runs while not recording an out. Jeremy Yanow, Cullen McBride, and Michael Ellis pitched the next 8.0 innings for the Gorloks as the three combined to allow 13 hits and five earned runs while striking out four. Joel Arsenault (2-3) pitched the final 2.1 innings for Webster as he allowed three hits and one earned run while striking out two.
 
The Gorloks rallied for 14 hits in the game. Karl Peters and James Theodore led the way for Webster as Peters went 3-for-6 with four runs scored while Theodore went 5-for-6 with four runs scored and three RBI. Evan Evola and Nathaniel Martinez also recorded multi-hit games as Evola went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI while Martinez went 2-for-5 with three RBI. Lastly, R.J. LaRocco went 1-for-5 with two RBI while Parker Murrow and Nick Schumacher each added an RBI.
 
In their second game of the weekend, Webster found themselves trailing 6-0 in the top of the fifth. They were able to get their bats going in the bottom half of the inning as they rallied for three runs in the frame to cut the lead in half. The Blue Jays would extend their lead back to 7-3 in the top of the seventh, but four runs from Webster over the next two innings tied the game at seven late in the contest. The game would remain tied in the 10^th inning until Parker Murrow hit a bunt single to score Ben Stedman and keep the Gorloks season alive.
 
Adam Hill got the start in this one as he allowed seven hits and five earned runs while striking out two in 4.1 innings. Cade Gebhard and Eli Rompala-Matthews (3-0) pitched in relief as the two combined to allow seven hits and one earned run while striking out seven in the final 5.2 innings of the game.
 
Webster rallied for 11 hits in the game. Karl Peters, James Theodore, Nathaniel Martinez, and R.J. LaRocco each recorded multi-hit games in this one as Peters went 2-for-5 with a two-run homerun (11), Theodore went 2-for-5 with two RBI, Martinez went 3-for-5 with two RBI, and LaRocco went 2-for-5 with a run scored. In addition, Parker Murrow went 1-for-5 with an RBI while Ben Stedman went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
 
In their third game of the weekend, Webster and Spalding found themselves tied at two heading into the bottom of the third. Spalding broke the tie in the bottom of the third with two runs in the inning, but two runs from Webster in the top of the fifth tied the score at four. The Golden Eagles would score three runs to break the tie in the bottom of the fifth, but another run from Webster in the top of the seventh cut the lead to 7-5 late in the game. Spalding would add one more run in the bottom of the eighth and held off the Gorloks in the top of the ninth to solidify their second straight SLIAC Tournament Title.
 
Ryan Greifelt (4-4) was the starting pitcher for Webster in this one as he allowed three hits and three earned runs while striking out two in 2.1 innings. Jordan Smevoll, Joel Arsenault, and Jacob Maza pitched in relief as the three combined to allow 11 hits and four earned runs while striking out eight in the final 5.2 innings of the game.
 
Webster recorded 10 hits in the game. Evan Evola, Parker Murrow, and R.J. LaRocco each recorded multi-hit games as Evola went 2-for-5 with a run scored, Murrow went 2-for-5 with a solo homerun (6) and two RBI, and LaRocco went 2-for-5. In addition, Karl Peters went 1-for-5 with a solo homerun (12), Nathaniel Martinez went 1-for-3 with an RBI, and Zach Goodman went 1-for-5 with an RBI to round out the top performers for the Gorloks.
 
This marks the end of the 2024 baseball season. The Gorloks finished the year with a 24-19 overall record and a 12-6 mark in conference play. They will return to the diamond next spring.