Fulton, Mo. 4/2/2022- The Westminster College baseball team took on conference foe and the nationally-ranked Webster University Gorloks in a Saturday doubleheader. The Blue Jays are coming off a sweep last weekend and are looking to keep the momentum going. The Blue Jays were threatening in game one but could not capitalize on their scoring opportunities, leaving five runners left on base. Webster University would win game one, 5-1. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays in game two, the Gorlok bats got hot, and they ran away with it 11-0.
Box score: Game One
Trent Morrow (Russellville, Mo. / Russellville) got the start in game one, his sixth start of the season. Morrow got off to a strong start in the first inning after giving up a leadoff hit. The runner on first got caught stealing for out number one. Then Morrow induced back-to-back groundouts to end the inning.
The Gorloks would get to Morrow in the top of the second inning with a leadoff single, then a double to left field would score the runner. The Gorloks would hit another single to move the runner-up to third. With runners on first and third and one out, the Gorloks put on the suicide squeeze. They were able to lay down the sacrifice bunt with the runner breaking from third to score the run, going up 2-0. He got the next batter out to end the inning.
Morrow would find himself in a jam in the top of the third, with the bases loaded and no outs. He was able to get a ground ball double play, but unfortunately, a run would also score on the play. He would get the next batter out with another ground ball and did a great job of minimizing the damage, limiting the Gorloks to only one run and keeping the game close at 3-0.
The Gorloks would hit a leadoff triple to start the fourth. The next batter would ground out to short but was able to bring the run-in. Morrow was able to produce two more ground ball outs to end the top of the frame with the Blue Jays down 4-0 as they headed to the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Blue Jays struggled to get in the hit column in the first three innings, but they broke the seal in the bottom of the fourth when Matt Lukins (Clark, MO / Rock Bridge) roped a leadoff double to center field. The Blue Jays could not bring him home and would leave runners on first and second after Quin Adelson (Louisville, KY / North Oldham) reached first after being hit by a pitch.
Morrow settled in and held the Gorloks hitless in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings.
The Blue Jays would get on the board in the bottom of the seventh. Adelson drew a walk to lead off the inning. Hayden Hirschvogel (Jefferson City, Mo. / Jefferson City) kept the line moving with a single to center and moved Adelson up to second. Austin Mayton (Wentzville, Mo. / Fort Zumwalt North) laid down the sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. With runners on second and third, freshman first baseman Zach Wolken (Jefferson City, MO / Helias) came to the plate looking to do damage. Wolken would do his job hitting a ground ball to the right side of the infield. He would be out at first but scored Adelson and moved Hirschvogel to third. That would all be for the Blue Jays, as they would strand Hirschvogel on third after a strikeout to end the inning.
Morrow would start the eighth by hitting the leadoff man. He was then called for a balk, advancing the runner to second. The next batter would smack a double to right field, scoring the runner from second. Matt Trout (Lee's Summit, Mo. / Blue Springs South) would come on in relief, ending the day for Morrow. Morrow would pitch seven innings on ninety-three pitches, giving up nine hits and five earned runs. He would walk one batter. Trout went 2 innings on eight pitches and give up no hits.
The Blue Jays would go hitless in the final two innings and would go down to the Gorloks 5-1.
Lukins led the Jays in the hit column, going two for four with a double. Mayton, Whitehead and Hirschvogel all had one hit and Wolken had the RBI that scored Adelson.
Boxscore: Game Two
Bode Gebbink (St, Joseph, Il. / St. Joeseph-Ogden) got the start on the mound for game two. Gebbink had a ten-strikeout performance in his last outing and was looking to have a repeat showing in game two. The Gorloks had other ideas and got to him early, scoring a run in the first and second inning. Then would score three more runs in the fourth.
The Blue Jays were threatening in the bottom of the second inning with Derek Shikles (New Bloomfield, MO / New Bloomfield) drawing a leadoff walk. Adelson would hit a single to right, then Hirschvogel hit into a fielder's choice with the Gorloks getting the force out at third. Mayton would come to the plate and slap a single to right to load the bases for Wolken. Wolken grounded out into a six-three double play to end the inning and leave two on base.
After Gebbink pitched a one-hit top of the third. The Blue Jays were once again looking to strike in the bottom half after Whitehead blasted a double to right field. Whitehead would move up to third after Lukins grounded out to second. The Blue Jays could not capitalize on the big double and leave Whitehead stranded at third.
The top of the fourth would be disastrous for Gebbink and the Blue Jays. After a fly out to start the inning, the next batter would reach first after an error. Then the Gorloks would hit a single to put runners on first and second. The next batter up would hit a double to left and scored both runners. Gebbink got a line out but would walk the next Gorlok he faced. With two outs and runners on first and third, the Gorloks hit a single to score their third run of the inning and go up on the Blue Jays 5-0.
Grant Higginbotham (Farmington, Mo. / Farmington) would relieve Gebbink to start the sixth inning. Gebbink pitched five innings, giving up five hits and three earned runs. He would walk four batters and recorded one strikeout.
The Gorloks would add on three more runs in the seventh after a leadoff walk, back-to-back doubles to left field, and a single to center.
Jackson Kespohl (Columbia, MO / Hickman) would pitch the eighth and ninth innings to end the game. The Gorloks scored three more runs in the ninth to run away with the win 11-0.
Higginbotham pitched two innings, giving up three hits and two earned runs, walked three batters, and got one strikeout. Kespohl pitched two innings and gave up one hit on three earned runs. Kespohl would give up a three-run home run in the top of the ninth with two outs.
Mayton led the Blue Jays in the hitting column, going two for three. Whitehead went one for three with a double and a walk.
The Blue Jays look to bounce back in game three on Sunday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
