BOLIVAR, MO. – The Quincy University baseball team had to wait an extra 24 hours or so to get their weekend series with the Southwest Baptist Bearcats underway. Six different Hawks had more than one hit, and Riley Martin fanned eleven batters again in a 5-4 road win. 

Jacob Kalusniak, Michael Nielsen, Gino D'Alessio, Cole Evans and Brock Boynton each had two hits while Dayson Croes went 2-2 with three of the team's five RBI. Nielsen and D'Alessio drove in the other two for the Hawks. 

Nielsen's RBI single up the middle in the first inning got the Hawks on the board early as Kalusniak came home. QU kept it rolling when Cole Evans and Brock Boynton laced back-to-back singles, then they were moved over by Jacob Kalusniak on a grounder to the shortstop. With runners in scoring position, Quincy's top bat brought them home after Dayson Croes sent one to right field. The ball got down but Croes was thrown out at second base to end the inning. Quincy led 3-0. 

SBU got a run across in the bottom of the frame on Hawk starter Riley Martin to make it 3-1. The Bearcats scored on a first and third situation where the play went to first base. 

QU countered that with a run in the top of the third after shortstop Gino D'Alessio singled through the left side to bring home Nolan Wosman. Martin fanned two out of the three batters he faced in the third as the Hawks led 4-1. 

In the fourth inning, the Hawks scored their final run when Croes hit a sacrifice fly that was deep enough to score Cole Evans from third. 

Southwest Baptist quickly shifted gears when they led off the bottom half with a lead off homer to left and made it 5-2. 

In the sixth, the Bearcats were on the hunt for runs again as the first two batters walked which was followed by a steal of third base. That runner scored on a fly to center as the Hawk lead was cut to two runs. When the veteran left-hander needed to bear down the most, he went strikeout, wild pitch, strikeout, steal at second, strikeout, to end the threat. 

Quincy went to their bullpen in the seventh and brought in Jack Widhalm. SBU got a RBI single through the left side which made it 5-4. Widhalm left it there and the tandem of Sam Stephens and Dalton Overstreet were called in for the eighth and ninth. 

Both pitchers worked clean innings after allowing no hits with just two baserunners to seal the series opener. 

Stat Leaders
Dayson Croes – 2-2, 3 RBI, 2B, 2 BB
Riley Martin – 6 IP, 11 K, 3 R, 3 BB
Michael Nielsen – 2-5, 2B, RBI

Next
Both teams will get right back to it with a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon starting at noon.