Gorloks Defend Title, Claim 2019 Baseball Championship
Webster University defended their St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament title by winning the 2019 trophy with a 10-5 win over Spalding University in the championship game. Webster and Spalding tied for the regular season title, marking the first co-championship in SLIAC history, and became the first #1 seeds to meet in the SLIAC Championship game since divisions were instituted in 2015.
An offense that reached double figures just nine times in 39 regular season games plated 10 or more runs twice in their three tournament games this weekend including 10 in the decisive game. The Gorloks opened the game with two runs in the 1st inning on an RBI triple from Ben Swords and an RBI ground out from A.J. Smith.
The score remained unchanged until the 3rd inning although Spalding threatened in their half of the 2nd. Quenton Brownlee singled to start the inning and was followed by a Mitchell Langley walk. But Gorlok starting pitcher Dakota Borman escaped the inning, forcing a fly ball for the first out and then relying on his defense to pick up the second out when they got the lead runner at third base on a bunt attempt. Borman finished off the escape with a strikeout for the 3rd out of the inning.
Webster plated a run in both the 3rd and 4th innings to extend their lead to 4-0. Spalding cut the Gorlok lead in half with two runs in the bottom of the 5th. Zane Baker started a two-out rally for the Golden Eagles with a single to right. Garrett Wilson followed with a single of his own to right and both would come in to score when Evan Trentman sent a ball to the left-center field gap. An error put the tying run on base but Adrian Santiago entered from the Gorlok pen and promptly recorded a strikeout to end the inning and threat.
Webster quickly answered, getting both runs back in the top of the 6th and more. A.J. Smith doubled in Swords and Aaron Hopp while Joe Swanson, Matt Staker, and Danny Strohm put together three straight at-bats with an RBI. Webster tacked on another run in the 7th to push their lead to 10-2.
Spalding mounted one last rally, scoring three runs in the 8th inning. Mitchell Langley drove in a run with a single through the left side. Brownlee crossed the plate on a wild pitch and Langley would come around on an RBI groundout by Dillon Sievert that made the score 10-5. The Golden Eagles would wind up leaving two runners on base in the inning and were then set down in order in the 9th inning.
Santiago worked 3 innings in relief, recording five strikeouts. Matt Mulhearn, who started game one of the tournament for Webster came back on just one day of rest and worked 1 1/3 perfect innings on Sunday to close out the championship win.
- #SLIACtion -
