Box Score OMAHA, Neb. -- Western Illinois rallied late, edging the Omaha baseball team 3-2 Saturday afternoon at the Ballpark at Boys Town. The Mavericks are now 15-12 (6-2 Summit League) on the season, while the Leathernecks improve to 7-17 (5-3 Summit League).

Junior left-hander Sam Murphy had a standout effort on the mound, throwing a career-long 7.0 shutout innings with two hits, two walks and a career-high 11 strikeouts in his start. It was the most strikeouts in a game since Tyler Fox had 13 against Fort Wayne on April 24, 2015.

The win went to WIU starter Joe Mortillaro (2-3), who threw 7.1 innings with two hits, two runs, six walks and four strikeouts. Sophomore right-hander David Flattery (0-2) took the loss, allowing three runs on two hits and four walks with five strikeouts. Nate Westfahl earned his fourth save for the Leathernecks, throwing a hitless, scoreless ninth inning with no walks while striking out two.

Senior Cole Gruber finished 1-for-2 with two walks, a run scored and an RBI, along with three stolen bases.

Omaha and Western Illinois were scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when the Mavericks put up their first run on their first two hits. With two outs, freshman Josh Scribner walked and senior Alex Schultz singled to right to put runners on the corners. A Gruber check swing resulted in an infield single, scoring Scribner for a 1-0 advantage.

UNO's lead held until the eighth, when CJ Schaeffer and Steve McShane worked back-to-back walks with one out. After a strikeout, Roman Visintine singled to left to drive in Schaeffer, putting the game in a 1-1 lock. Colton Pogue then doubled to right center to score McShane and Visintine, pushing Western Illinois ahead 3-1.

Omaha tallied a run in the eighth to make it a one-run ballgame again. With one out, Gruber walked and stole second before senior Clayton Taylor was hit by a pitch to put two on. A double steal moved both runners into scoring position, and sophomore Adam Caniglia's sacrifice fly to right then scored Gruber for a 3-2 score. WIU made quick work of the bottom of the ninth inning, retiring the side with two strikeouts and a flyout to end the game.

Omaha and Western Illinois cap their weekend series on Sunday, April 3, with first pitch at 1 p.m. at the Ballpark at Boys Town. Links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com.