Regional Championship Sends Gorloks to Second Straight Series

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Winning the Augustana/Central Regional, the Webster University baseball team is heading to the NCAA III World Series for a second straight year after defeating Concordia University Chicago, 7-3, at Moline, IL, on May 18.  Alex Kazmierski (SR, Triton College, IL), named the Regional Most Valuable Player, tripled home the go ahead runs in the Gorloks' four-run eighth inning.

The Gorloks, 12th ranked in the most recent D3baseball.com and ABCA national polls, entered the regional as the #1 seed but had to win three straight games after losing a second round contest.  Webster defeated Concordia, 9-2, the previous day, and after the Cougars beat host Augustana to reach the final, the Gorloks defeated them a second time for the title, finishing 4-1 at Moline.

Webster won the Millington Regional (TN) in 2012, advancing to the World Series for the first time in program history.   The Gorloks, the only NCAA III team in Missouri to ever make the World Series, will be in Appleton, WI, on May 24 to appear in their second straight.

The eighth inning rally propelled Webster to the win.  The game was tied heading into the bottom of the eighth after the Cougars had rallied for two runs in the seventh to make it 3-3.  Taylor Stoulp (JR, St. Mary's HS, MO) was hit by a pitch leading off and landed at third after a stolen base and error.  Mike Rainbolt (SR, Kankakee CC, IL) walked and after a Cougar pitching change, Kazmierski tripled into the right field gap, scoring Stoulp and Rainbolt.

Charlie Gandolfi (SO, Mundelein HS, IL), who entered the game as a pinch runner when Jared Turner (JR, Chatham Glenwood HS, IL) was hit on the elbow by a pitch in the sixth, followed with a single to score Kazmierski.  Reaching third after a groundout and wild pitch, Gandolfi came home on an Ian Foege (JR, Eureka HS, MO) squeeze bunt to make it 7-3, Gorloks.

Steven Dooley (SR, Oran HS, MO), who relieved starter Isaac Behme (SO, Harrisburg HS, IL) in the sixth, threw the last two and 2/3 innings, allowing no runs and two hits, while striking out two.  Dooley earned his 10th win, setting a Webster single season record.  He is 10-2 on the year.  Behme went six and 1/3 innings, allowing six hits, three runs, and walking one.

Foege, who wound up as the All-Tournament Team catcher, figured in three of Webster's four scoring innings.  He scored Webster's first run in the third, hit a solo homer in the 5th, and squeezed home Gandolfi for the Gorloks' final run.  Foege was two for three, with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Joining Foege on the All-Tournament Team was Ryan Hall (JR, Central Arkansas, MO) at short, Cody Stevenson (SR, Centralia HS, IL) in the OF, Corey Lasky (JR, College of Lake County, IL) in the OF, and Kazmierski at DH.

Kazmierski was seven for 17 in the regional, with a double, triple, two home runs and nine RBIs.  He batted .412 and had a .941 slugging percentage in earning the Most Valuable Player honors.

Hall batted .500, going eight for 16, with five runs scored, a double and two RBIs.  Stevenson batted .435 and was 10 for 23 with five doubles, five runs, and two RBIs.  Lasky hit .400, finishing eight for 1, with four RBIs and four stolen bases.

As a team, Webster had four home runs for the regional and batted .343 as a team.

The Gorloks are now 36-10 overall, with the 36 wins tying the school record set in 2012.