21 October 2020
Webster’s baseball {team|group} was not going to let Washington University beat them {again|once again}.
2018 was a year on a high for the Webster University Gorloks baseball {team|group}. A year prior, pitcher Josh Fleming {became|ended up being} the {first|very first} Gorlok to be {selected|chosen|picked} in the {Major League|Big league} Baseball draft when Tampa Bay Rays {selected|chose|picked} him in the {fifth|5th} round. After {a regular|a routine} season St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) {championship|champion} and {an appearance|a look} in the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) Regionals in 2017, the Gorloks were {looking to|wanting to|seeking to|aiming to} get some more hardware.
{Going into|Entering into} the {game|video game} on April 4 {against|versus} Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) Bears, pitching was {a priority|a concern|a top priority}. WashU beat Webster in 2017, and Webster’s starter, Matt Mulhearn, had {only|just} pitched 2 2/3 innings in his start {before|prior to} being pulled. WashU was ranked # 16 for {Division|Department} III schools in 2017 while Webster was unranked. In 2018, WashU was the unranked {team|group} {facing|dealing with} the # 25 Gorloks at GCS Ballpark in Sauget.
Mulhearn was on the mound {again|once again} for Webster {seeking|looking for} {revenge|vengeance}, and his {approach|method|technique} {going into|entering into} the Wednesday night start was {different|various} from his 2017 start.
“It was {an opportunity|a chance} to redeem myself a bit as my freshman year {start|begin} {against|versus} them, I wasn’t as sharp,” Mulhearn {said|stated}. “I {definitely|certainly|absolutely} was a more {confident|positive} pitcher in 2018. I was {going in with|sharing} the {mentality|mindset} that I was going to {dominate|control} and {thinking|believing} that I {couldn’t|could not} be beat.”
{Conserving|Saving} pitchers was {a must|a should|a needs to} as Webster {had|had actually} {just|simply} come off {a three|a 3} {game|video game} series, and had another in the following weekend. Webster {needed|required} Mulhearn to go deep into the {game|video game}. And he did {just|simply} that.
Mulhearn was {perfect|ideal|best} through 3 1/3 innings {before|prior to} {giving up|quiting} a single to WashU {first|initially} baseman John Brinkman. Brinkman was {thrown out|tossed out|thrown away} by Webster’s left fielder, senior Ben Dinter, when he {tried|attempted} to {stretch|extend} it into a double. It was {a key|an essential|a crucial} play to keep the {game|video game} scoreless, and Dinter would {come up|turn up|show up} {big|huge} for the Gorloks {again|once again} {later|later on} in the contest.
In the bottom of the {sixth|6th}, with Mulhearn going strong for Webster on the mound, Dinter {came to|concerned|pertained to} bat for his {third|3rd} plate {appearance|look} of the {game|video game}. The Bears {had|had actually} gone to their bullpen, so Dinter was {facing|dealing with} Freshman right-hander Troy Bauer to leadoff the inning. Dinter was 0-for-2 with {two|2} strikeouts in the {game|video game}, {but|however} on a 1-1 count, he cranked a pitch deep into left-center. The ball {went over|reviewed|discussed} the high outfield wall for {a home run|a crowning achievement}. The Gorloks {had|had actually} taken the lead 1-0 and they {wouldn’t|would not} {give|provide|offer} it up.
WashU threatened in the top of the seventh with runners at {{second|2nd} and {third|3rd}|{third|3rd} and {second|2nd}} and {two|2} outs, {but|however} Shane Donovan {came into|entered|entered into} pitch in relief and {got out of|left} it {unscathed|unharmed|untouched}. An RBI groundout in the bottom half by Nate Tholl {gave|provided|offered} Webster {an insurance|an insurance coverage} run, and a sacrifice fly in the {eighth|8th} by {second|2nd} baseman Conner Wardlaw put the {game|video game} away. Donovan {shut down|closed down} the ninth and the Gorloks {walked away with|left with|won} the 3-0 {victory|success|triumph}.
Gorlok {third|3rd} baseman Ben Swords was a freshman that year, and he {said|stated} the win {helped|assisted} Webster {realize|recognize|understand} how {good|great|excellent} of {a team|a group} they were.
“That was a big win,” Swords {said|stated}. “Getting the win over {a team|a group} like [WashU] set the tone [for the {rest of the|remainder of the} season] and it {sparked|stimulated|triggered} the fire for us.”
The Gorloks would win 21 of their next 22, {including|consisting of} {an immaculate|a spotless} 19 {game|video game} winning streak to {finish|complete|end up} out the {regular|routine} season. Webster won their seventh {consecutive|successive} SLIAC regular-season {championship|champion}. In the SLIAC playoffs, they beat the Greenville Panthers in a double-elimination contest at Greenville for their ninth SLIAC {championship|champion}.
The Gorloks’ season would end in the NCAA Regionals with a loss to the University of Texas at Tyler Patriots. Webster baseball was ranked # 7 for {Division|Department} III when their season ended; the {final|last} postseason ranking had them at # 13.
Swords is now a senior, {but|however} he {said|stated} the win his {rookie|novice} year {was instrumental|contributed} for {many|numerous|lots of} {guys|men|people} {during|throughout} their college {careers|professions}, himself {included|consisted of}. His {approach|method|technique} that day {has|has actually} {been a part|belonged} of his {mentality|mindset} {ever since|since}.
“I {had to|needed to} {figure out|determine|find out} how to slow the {game|video game} down as a freshman,” Swords {said|stated}. “My {approach|method|technique} that day was not letting the high-pressure {moments|minutes} {cause|trigger} a panic. I now {embrace|accept|welcome} {having to|needing to} make plays.”
