Gorloks Fall in Regional Championship Game
The Webster University baseball team was back in action this afternoon when they took on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers in the championship series of the 2023 Stevens Point Regional. The Gorloks won the first game of the day by a final score of 10-4 to force a winner-take-all game against the Pointers. Webster was unable to complete the two-game sweep as they fell in the second game by a final score of 11-5. With the split, the Gorloks season comes to an end with a 33-16 overall record.
In the first game of the day, Webster got off to a great start as they rallied for three runs in the top of the first to take a 3-0 lead. The Pointers scored a run in the bottom of the third and a run in the bottom of the fourth, but a two-run homerun from R.J. LaRocco (9) in the top of the fifth extended Webster's lead to 5-2. Ben Swords would push the lead to 6-3 in the top of the sixth after hitting his second home run of the season, and then a three-run homerun from Nathaniel Martinez (11) in the top of the seventh would extend the Gorloks lead to 9-2 late in the game. Webster added one more run in the top of the eighth and held off the Pointers down the stretch to force the if necessary game.
Ben Kowalski (6-3) pitched his second great game of the regional as he allowed just five hits and two earned runs while striking out six in 6.2 innings. Caleb Zbrozek pitched in relief as he allowed just three hits and two earned runs while striking out one in the final 2.1 innings of the game.
Webster rallied for 12 hits in the contest. Nathaniel Martinez led the way for the Gorloks as he went 2-for-5 with a three-run homerun and four RBI. In addition, Evan Evola went 2-for-3 with an RBI, R.J. LaRocco went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, and Ben Swords went 1-for-5 with two RBI.
In their second game of the day, the Gorloks got off to a slow start as they found themselves trailing 5-0 heading into the bottom of the third. Webster would get on the board in the bottom of the third as Parker Wielt hit a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 5-1. The Pointers would extend their lead to 7-1 in the top of the fourth, but two runs from the Gorloks in the bottom of the frame made the score 7-4 heading into the fifth. Stevens Point would score two more runs in the top of the sixth, but an RBI single from Evan Evola in the bottom of the frame cut the lead to four. The Pointers would add two more runs in the final three innings and close out the Gorloks to solidify their spot in the Super Regional.
J.T. Miller (1-1) got the start in this one as he allowed two hits and four earned runs while striking out one in 1.1 innings. Deven Shulstad, Jordan Smevoll, and Scott Detweiler pitched in relief as the three combined to allow eight hits and seven earned runs while striking out six in the final 7.2 innings of the game.
Webster finished with eight hits in the game. Malik Wirges led the way as he went 2-for-4 with two RBI. In addition, Evan Evola went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Parker Wielt went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
This marks the end of the 2023 Webster University baseball season. They ended the year with a 33-16 overall record and an 18-3 mark in conference play. They captured their 16th straight SLIAC Regular Season Title and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Baseball National Tournament. The team will return to the field next spring.
STORY COURTESY OF WEBSTER UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
