QUINCY —
Brock Boynton's grand slam over the wall in right field in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the Quincy University baseball team a 12-8 victory over Drury University in the first game of a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader at QU Stadium.
The Hawks (34-9, 21-5 in th4 GLVC) trailed 8-7 entering the bottom of the seventh, but
Luke Napleton led off the inning with a historic blast. The senior from LaGrange, Ill., clubbed a home run to right center — his second homer of the game — that not only tied the score, but it was Napleton's' 24th home run this season.
That homer broke the single-season home run mark set in 2016 by All-American Ryan Snyder, who hit 23. Napleton also has the third-highest single-season total in school history with 20 home runs in 2022.
The Hawks weren't done after Napleton's blast.
Reliever Tyler Bastunas allowed Napleton's record-breaking homer, but he retired
Lance Logsdon and
Nolan Wosman on fly balls.
Austin Simpson and
Zach Parks then both drew walks, and pinch-hitter
JD Ortiz walked on a 3-2 pitch to bring Boynton to the plate for his heroics.
Quincy grabbed a 6-0 after two innings. Napleton homered and Simpson doubled in a pair of runs in the first inning. Napleton doubled in two runs in the second, and Logsdon added a run with an RBI groundout.
Starter
Griffin Kirn pitched well through five innings, allowing a two-run homer to Bastunas but striking out eight. An RBI double by Parks down the left-field line put the Hawks ahead 7-2.
However, Kirn ran out of gas in the sixth. A walk, a single, a double and a homer by Max Elmer got Drury within 7-6.
Cruz Meier came on in relief, and he gave up a one-out homer to Cooper Munro that tied the score. Meier then walked a batter and hit two to load the bases, and Kellen Williamson singled in the go-ahead run.
Napleton had three of Quincy's nine hits, and Simpson added two.
Stat Leaders:
Luke Napleton: 3-4, 2 Runs, 4 RBIs, 2 HRs
Brock Boynton: 1-3, 2 Runs, 4 RBIs, HR
Austin Simpson: 2-3, Run, 2 RBIs, Walk
Zach Parks: 1-3, Run, RBI, Walk
GAME TWO
A 10-run fourth inning helped make for smooth sailing for the Quincy University baseball team, which won 17-0 in the second game to sweep a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at QU Stadium.
The victory is the fifth in a row for the Hawks (35-9, 22-5 in the GLVC), ranked No. 9 in the NCAA Division II Collegiate Baseball national poll. QU is one game ahead of the University of Illinois-Springfield (21-6) in the GLVC standings with one game to play Sunday and four games each to play next weekend.
A four-run first inning was highlighted by a two-run homer from
Nolan Wosman, and
Gino D'Alessio hit a two-run homer in the second inning.
The 10-run outburst in the fourth inning was sparked by a two-run double from Wosman and a three-run homer from D'Alessio.
Kobe Essien (5-1) earned the victory, striking out four, walking three and allowing four hits in 4 2/3 before
Nolan Roseman and
Joe Byers finished up.
D'Alessio and Wosman both had three hits each. Logsdon, Napleton,
Connor Simons and Dustin Dupoint all had two hits for the Hawks, who collected 17 hits in the game.
Stat Leaders:
Gino D'Alessio: 3-3, 4 Runs, 5 RBIs, 2 HRs, Walk
Nolan Wosman: 3-3, 2 Runs, 4 RBIs, HR
Dustin Dupont: 2-3, 3 Runs, 2 RBIs, Walk
Lance Logsdon: 2-3, 2 Runs, 2 RBIs, Walk
Kobe Essien: 4.2 IP, 0 Runs, 4 Ks
