SAUGET, Ill. - Webster University scored six runs in the first three innings and then held off a late game rally by eighth-seeded Thomas More to post a 6-4 victory here Thursday afternoon over the Saints in the first round of the NCAA Division III Central Regional Baseball Tournament at GSC Credit Union Ballpark.

With the victory, the top-seeded and seventh-ranked Gorloks improve to 37-8 and advances to Friday's winners bracket game at 4:30 p.m. against No. 4 seeded Rhodes, who earned its spot in the winner's bracket with a 4-2 win over fifth-seeded and 13th-ranked Franklin (Ind.) College. Thomas More falls to 24-19 with the loss and will face Franklin in an elimination game at 10 a.m. 

The 37 wins ties Webster's single season record for victories as the 2013 and 2014 Gorlok squads also won 37 games in a single season. 

In the win over Thomas More, Webster's offense collected 11 hits, including rapping out nine base hits and scoring six runs in the first three innings to jump in front 6-0.

Senior leftfielder Mike Wick (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett), sophomore first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro) and senior centerfielder Conner Wardlaw (Arnold, Mo./Jefferson College) each had two hits and senior designated hitter Ben Dinter (Gurnee, Ill./College of Lake County), who was named the MVP at last weekend's St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, had two RBI in the win. 

The Gorloks, who are making their second straight and 12th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, got going early as they used three hits and scored one run in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead over the Saints, who earned the automatic bid from the Presidents' Athletic Conference. In the inning, Wick led off with a double off of Saints starting pitcher Jayson Essell, moved to third on a bunt by sophomore rightfielder Adam Lovell (Lafayette, Ind./Saint Joseph's) and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Dinter. 

Webster's lead grew to 5-0 in the second inning as they used four hits and two errors to plate four runs, including two unearned runs. Wardlaw opened the frame with a single up the middle, moved to second on a passed ball and then reached third on a groundout by junior second baseman Danny Strohm (St. Louis, Mo./Greenville University). The next batter, freshman shortstop Matt Staker (El Cajon, Calif./Saint Augustine), dropped down a bunt and on the play, Essell committed a throwing error that allowed Staker to reach base safely and allowed Wardlaw to score. Wick would then move Staker to third on his double to left center and Lovell then followed with an RBI single to center to plate Staker with the second run of the inning. After Lovell stole second, Dinter would deliver an RBI single to left center to score the third run of the frame and later in the inning, Lovell would score on a fielding error by Thomas More second baseman Ben Laumann. 

The Gorloks plated its sixth run in the bottom of the third off of TMC reliever Noah Frantz, who replaced Essell to open the inning.   The run came thanks to back-to-back doubles by sophomore catcher Joe Swanson (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine West) and Wardlaw to give Webster a 6-0 lead. 

Those six runs gave Webster sophomore hurler Matt Mulhearn (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic) some cushion on the mound as was cruising through the first five innings as he allowed just two hits and no runs, before running into trouble in the sixth inning.

In the sixth, TMC sent eight batters to the plate and recording five hits and scored three runs to drop Webster's lead to 6-3. All three of the runs came with two outs as Sean Lawrence began the scoring with a 2-run single to center and after a passed ball put Lawrence on second, Tyler Smith delivered a run scoring single to center to chase Mulhearn from the game. With the tying run at the plate, Webster head coach Bill Kurich turned the game over to his ace reliever, sophomore Shane Donovan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) and the righthander would prevent further damage in the sixth as he forced Jacob Whitford to line out to right to end the inning. 

In the eighth, Donovan would run into some trouble as he walked Sam Hauer to lead off the inning and then Lawrence hit a single through the right side to put runners on first and second with no outs. A bunt by Smith moved the runners up 90 feet and a sacrifice fly by Joshua Boeckmann brought home Hauer with the Saints' fourth run of the game. Donovan, though, would get out of the inning by forcing Whitford to fly out to end the frame and keep Webster's lead to two runs. 

Donovan would pitch around a hit in the ninth and sealed the win by forcing Brady Reynolds to ground out to Staker at short to end the game seal his school record eighth save. 

Mulhearn (10-2) picked up the win for the Gorloks as he pitched 5.2 innings and allowed seven hits and three runs, while walking none and striking out five. The 10 wins are tied for the most in a single season in school history as Isaac Behme and Steven Dooley also won 10 games for the Gorloks in 2013. For Mulhearn, it marked the fifth start this season that Mulhearn did not walk a hitter as he has walked just 14 hitters in a team-best 84.1 innings of work. 

Donovan pitched 3.1 innings and allowed three hits and one run, while walking one and fanning one. The eight saves bettered the old mark of seven set by Steven Dooley in 2012. 

TMC finished with 10 hits as Lawrence went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI, while Ben Laumann added two hits in the loss. 

Essell (7-3) took the loss on the mound for the Saints as he pitched just two innings and allowed seven hits and five runs (three earned), while walking and striking out none. Frantz would pitch the final six innings and allow just four hits and one run, while walking two and fanning one. Frantz entered the game with an ERA of 9.77 but lowered his season ERA to 6.18 with his outing against the Gorloks.