Spalding University Golden Eagles win SLIAC baseball championship to go to NCAA tournament

The Spalding University baseball team won their second consecutive St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship Saturday, earning an automatic bid in the Division III NCAA tournament.

Spalding University Rats! Spalding University's 51st Running of the Rodents

The Golden Eagles pulled out a 7-5 win over Webster University at CarShield Field in O'Fallon, Missouri, during their sixth consecutive meeting in the conference finals, improving to a 30-12 record for the season .

In Saturday's game, Spalding got a quick lead over Webster, with a lead-off double and RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. The Gorloks attempted to rally, but Spalding had a three-run lead, 7-4 headed into the sixth inning. In 2023, Spalding beat Webster in the championship game 4-3.

The 2024 Division III NCAA Championship starts with a selection show at noon on Monday, and bracket games will take place from May 31-June 6 at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio, according to the NCAA.

Eight teams will advance to Eastlake and will be re-seeded prior to the double-elimination championship games.

In the 2023 NCAA Division III Tournament, Spalding lost 3-4 to Baldwin Wallace and 0-7 to Denison, according to the Spalding University baseball record from last year's season.

This story will update.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Spalding University Golden Eagles win SLIAC baseball championship to go to NCAA tournament