ROSEMONT, Ill. – The last time Quincy University's softball team was on a field was 345 days ago in Winter Haven, Florida. Today, the Hawks opened their season with a doubleheader split at the Lewis Dome Invitational in Rosemont, Illinois. Quincy got a 3-2 win over Upper Iowa in the first game and were handed a 1-0 defeat to Wisconsin Parkside in a pitcher's duel during game two.
Game 1
The Hawks opened the 2021 season by striking first against the Peacocks of Upper Iowa.
Jayle Jennings drew a leadoff walk and was driven in by
Chelsea Hooker who singled to center. QU led 1-0 after the first.
Upper Iowa evened things up in the top of third after a runner reached on a bunt and was moved over to second base on a sacrifice. After a passed ball, the base runner moved to third with only one out and came home after an error at first base. The score was tied 1-1 after three innings of play.
The Hawks struck again in the bottom of the fifth inning behind three hard-hit balls to take the lead 2-1.
Casey Brennan hit a ball between the third baseman and shortstop with one out, that was followed by a
Jayle Jennings single to left field, and
Ashley Gerber brought in Brennan with a base hit to center.
Upper Iowa tied the game in the next half inning after a well-placed double behind third base led off the top of the sixth. A sacrifice bunt moved the runner over to third base, and the Peacocks executed a squeeze play to tie the game at 2-2 after another bunt.
Quincy had an answer for Upper Iowa with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.
Audrey Hermann delivered a ground rule double and allowed
Courtney Kernich to score the go-ahead run.
In the circle,
Mac Kenzie Collier pitched a 1,2,3 top of the seventh to seal the 3-2 win. Collier finished the game with seven innings pitched while only allowing three hits, with one earned run, and fanned a total of nine Upper Iowa batters.
Game 2
Quincy got right back to it on the heels of their game one win. Game two was limited on offense as both teams combined for just seven hits.
Bailee Highbarger kept the Hawks in the ball game with a solid performance in the circle despite some early trouble. The Rangers got a walk and a single following a strikeout to put two runners on base in the bottom of the first. Another strikeout by Highbarger left two outs in the frame. Another single by the Rangers nearly put QU behind in the first, but
Casey Brennan threw out the runner at home from center field to keep the game scoreless.
The Amboy, Illinois native settled in over the next four innings after allowing just two base runners over that span by scattering a walk and a single. Highbarger also struck out four batters in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th innings.
Offensively, QU had a scoring chance in the top of the first with runners on the corners with two outs, but were unable to scratch one across. In the top of the third, Quincy threatened after
Kari Sarhage and
Ashley Gerber made it to second and third base with one out. The Hawks popped out to second base and flew out to left field to end the scoring chance.
Wisconsin Parkside broke the seal in the bottom of the sixth inning following a leadoff walk. The Rangers laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to second and a ground ball moved that runner to third but with two down in the inning. The next batter singled up the middle to bring in the game's only run and give Parkside a 1-0 lead.
Quincy tried to muster up some late-game magic after starting the last inning almost identically to the Rangers.
Courtney Kernich drew a leadoff walk, and
Katelyn Gratza moved her to scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.
Ashley Poore nearly tied things up with her single to right field, but Kernich was gunned down at the plate leaving two outs in the inning. The next batter grounded out as Quincy was shut out 1-0.
Game 1 Stat Leaders
Mac Kenzie Collier – 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 9 K
Jayle Jennings – 2-2, BB, RS
Audrey Hermann – 1-3, 2B, RBI
Game 2 Stat Leader
Bailee Highbarger – 6 IP. 4H, 1 ER, 6 K
