SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Quincy University baseball team pulled out a win in an elimination game that saw six lead changes. The Hawks defeated Drury University 11-8 to move on and face Bellarmine tonight (May 11) at 8:30 p.m. 

Play by Play
The Hawks were the visitors and batted first in their elimination match up with the Panthers. 

Joe Roscetti led off the top of the first with a walk. A strike out in the next at-bat left one out in the inning. Quincy's next batter grounded into a fielder's choice at second base to leave a man on first with two outs. 

The top half of the inning was ended with a ground ball out at the second basemen. 

Left-hander Aaron Stone got the start for Quincy in the third game of the conference tournament. Stone surrendered a lead off base hit, but he got the next three batters to end his first inning of work. 

Cody Birdsong led of the second inning with a liner to left field. A pitch got past Drury's catcher and allowed Birdsong to advance to second base. 

Lance Logsdon was hit by a pitch to put men on first and second base with no outs. Carter Naughton put down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. 

After the bunt, TJ Tamaccio drove in the first run with a ground ball to the shortstop. On the play, Logsdon tried to move from second to third, but was thrown out by the first basemen following the play at first. QU led 1-0. 

Drury led off the bottom of the second with a walk. Stone got the next batter to pop up for the first out. In the next at-bat, a fielder's choice at second base left two outs. The inning was ended with a backhand play down the third base line by TJ Tamaccio. 

Both teams were kept off the board in the third inning as the score remained 1-0 QU. 

Jeff Hightower led off the fourth inning with base hit for Quincy. Michael Nielsen followed with a deep drive over the center field wall. The two-run homer gave QU a 3-0 lead. It was Nielsen's fourth of the season. 

Cody Birdsong nearly went back-to-back, but the ball hit the top of the left center field wall for a no-out double. 

The next three QU batters were retired to end the inning. 

Drury answered in the home half of the fourth. The Panthers scored two runs on a pair of RBI singles to make the score 3-2 QU. 

With runners on second and third, a two-out triple scored both runners and gave Drury a 4-3 lead. 

The inning continued after a single allowed another run to score giving Drury a 5-3 lead. On the play, the ball got past QU's right fielder and allowed the Panther's hitter to get to third with two outs. 

A walk put men on first and third as Quincy went to the bullpen. Jay Hammel came into get the final out of the inning as DU led 5-3. 

Sloppy defense allowed Quincy to answer back in the top of the fifth. An error on a throw by the shortstop let the lead-off man reach base for QU. Joe Roscetti singled to put runners on first and second. 

Chandler Purcell laid down a sacrifice bunt but reached base on a throwing error by the pitcher. Nolan Snyder came in to score on the play from second base to make the score 5-4 DU. 

With two men on, Jeff Hightower gave the Hawks the lead back with a towering home run to left center. Quincy led 7-5 going to the bottom of the fifth inning. 

Hammel tossed a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth to bring the Hawks back to bat with the 7-5 lead. 

After a quiet inning from the Hawks in the top of the sixth, Drury regained the lead. A three-run homer made the score 8-7 after six innings of play. 

Neither team got a run across in the seventh inning. 

Cody Birdsong led off the eighth with a bang. The senior second basemen belted a solo homer to center field to tie the game at 8-8. The score remained tied as the game moved to the bottom of the eighth. 

In the top of the ninth, Quincy got the lead-off man on after a hit by pitch. Jeff Hightower followed with a single to put two runners on base. 

Michael Nielsen plated the go-ahead run with a sharp single to right center. Quincy led 9-8. 

Following a Drury pitching change, Cody Birdsong was walked to load the bases. 

In the next at-bat, a ground ball towards the middle looked to be a double play, but after the force out at second, an overthrow by the shortstop allowed two runs to come home. Quincy led 11-8 going to the bottom of there ninth. 

Sam Stephens shut the door by recording the final three outs. Quincy won the game 11-8 and advanced to play Bellarmine tonight at 8:30

Stat Leaders
Jeff Hightower - 3-5, HR (13), 3 RBI, 3 RS
Cody Birdsong - 3-4, HR (13), 2B, RBI, 2 RS

Sam Stephens - 2.2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 K

QU's Record
32-17