Kazmierski Slam Keys Gorlok Comeback in NCAA First Round
MOLINE, Ill. - The 12th ranked Webster University baseball team
opened up NCAA play with a 7-6 win over Ripon College at the
Augustana Regional in Moline, Ill., on May 15. Down 4-0 in the
third, Alex Kazmierski keyed a Gorlok six-run rally with a grand
slam home run to give Webster the lead and Jason Gray shut the door
on the Red Hawks in the eighth and ninth innings.
Webster's offense revved it up in the third as the Gorloks had six
straight hits to open the frame. Ryan Hall and Cody Stevenson
singled to start the inning. Corey Lasky singled in Hall, and
Taylor Stoulp singled in Stevenson to make it 4-2. After Mike
Rainbolt had a bunt single to load the bases,
Kazmierski cleared the left field wall with his shot to make it 6-4
Webster.
The Gorloks would load the bases again in the third, as Mitchell
Bonds singled, Ian Foege walked, and Hall had his second hit of the
inning...but would score no more. Webster picked up another run
after three straight hits by Stoulp, Rainbolt, and Kazmierski, to
open the fourth, with Kazmierski picking up his fifth RBI on the
afternoon.
Ripon grabbed a 2-0 lead on a single, triple, and double to start
the second inning. A two-out single made it 3-0 and the Red Hawks
would add another run in third off Webster starter Isaac Behme, who
would earn the win. Behme toughed it out till he was relieved by
Ryan Martinez in the seventh, allowing five runs on seven hits and
a walk, and striking out six in six innings of work. He improved to
9-3 on the season and tied Steven Dooley for the team lead in
wins.
The Red Hawks made it exciting, scoring a run in the seventh and
adding another in the eighth before Gray doused the fire for the
Gorloks. Ripon had two batters reach on Webster errors to start the
eighth, plating a run, and had runners at first and second with one
out, when Gray was summoned to
replace Martinez. Gray promptly picked off the runner at first and
got the next batter to ground out to second.
In the ninth, Gray retired the first two batters but a walk and hit
batsman put two aboard for Ripon before Gray coaxed a fly out to
right field to end the game. For Gray, it was his fifth save and
lowered his microscopic earned run average to 0.36. He has allowed
only one earned run in 24 2/3 innings
pitched in 20 appearances in 2013.
Kazmierski wound up two for four, with a HR and five RBIs, and a
walk. Stoulp was two for five, with two runs scored and an RBI and
Lasky was two for four with a run scored, stolen base, and an
RBI.
Webster is 33-9 on the season while Ripon falls to 24-15. The
Gorloks will meet the winner of the Concordia-Chicago/Augustana
game at 3:30 p.m. on May 16.
Courtesy Webster University sports information
