Griffins Rally Attempt In Games One And Two Falls Short Against Webster

SAUGET, Ill.—The Fontbonne University baseball team rallied in both games one and two against Webster, but the Gorloks fended off the Griffins for the sweep.

Game One

Score: Webster 3, Fontbonne 2

Location: GCS Ballpark

Records: Webster (25-8; 15-3 SLIAC), Fontbonne (23-10; 10-7 SLIAC)

How It Happened

The scoring got started in the bottom of the first with A.J. Smith hitting an RBI double to score Nate Tholl, who reached base on an error earlier in the inning. Kyler Kent followed with a sacrifice-fly to extend the lead out to 2-0.

In the second, the Gorloks pushed its lead out to 3-0. Jake Knoebel led off with a single and moved up to second on a sacrifice-bunt. Danny Strohm plated Knoebel with an RBI single up the middle.

In the seventh, Jonathan Hoevelmann led off with a single and he touched home on Gus Purschke's two-run shot to left, his third on the year, to trim the deficit down to 3-2.

Jackson Penrod hit a single and Braeden Dobbs walked to put the tying run on second. However, Matt Mulhearn was able to get out of the jam and secure the one-run win.

Fontbonne Notables

• Alex Phillips fell to 5-3 on the year after allowing one earned run and striking out six in 6.0 innings pitched.
• Hoevelmann ended the contest 2-for-3 with a run scored.
• Purschke led with two RBI and tied Penrod with one hit.

Webster Notables

• Mulhearn improved to 9-1 after allowing two runs on four hits and striking out seven.
• Smith led at the plate going 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Game Two

Score: Webster 5, Fontbonne 4

Location: Sauget, Ill.

Records: Webster (26-8; 16-3 SLIAC), Fontbonne (23-11, 10-8 SLIAC)

How It Happened

In the third, the Griffins grabbed a 1-0 lead on Matt Manint's third homer on the season. However, the lead was short-lived as the Gorloks tied it in the bottom half on an RBI single to right by Aron Hopp.

In the fifth, the Gorloks gained some breathing room at 3-1 as Ben Swords plated two on his single to right. Fontbonne, though kept battling and got one of those runs back in the seventh on Lance Chapman's solo homer, his fourth on the year, to trim the deficit down to 3-2.

Webster went on to score two more in the bottom of the eighth to own a 5-2 lead going into the top of the ninth.

Jackson Penrod led off with a single and raced over to third on Braeden Dobbs' double to left. Then, Michael Puckett, Jr., stepped in and singled up the middle to score the duo and put Fontbonne down one.

Adrian Santiago, though was maintain the lead for Webster as he recorded the final three outs for his sixth save on the year.

Fontbonne Notables

• John Hughes took the tough loss after going 5.0 innings, allowing one earned run one two hits and striking out four.
• Dobbs led in the hit department going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Six other Griffins had at least one hit.
• Puckett, Jr., totaled two RBI, while Chapman and Manint had one each.

Webster Notables

• Sean Beaver moved to 5-3 on the season as he allowed two runs on five hits and struck out seven in 7.0 innings of work.
• Hopp, Swords, and Knoebel had a hit and an RBI each.

Up Next

• The two teams will close out its weekend series tomorrow at Shaw Park. First-pitch at 1 p.m.

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