QUINCY, Ill. - The Hawks kept the good times rolling with a sweep of their doubleheader against the Bearcats of Southwest Baptist on Saturday (Apr. 20) at QU Stadium. Quincy used a strong pitching performance from
Kobe Essien and a big home run from
Austin Simpson to take game one 4-2 before hanging nine runs in the first three innings of the second contest to ride out a 9-4 winner. In addition, Hawks skipper,
Matt Schissel, collected his 100th career victory in the midst of his third season at the helm of the program.
Game One
The game remained scoreless through the first three innings as Essien held SBU in check for the first nine outs while collecting four strikeouts. The Bearcats broke through into the scoring column in the top of the fourth, touching up Essien for a two-out single tailed by a home run to right field to jump ahead 2-0.
Quincy got on the board in the bottom of the fifth, following up a one-two-three top half of the inning from Essien with a four-run frame. A pair of walks and an error put men on the corners to open the Hawks half of the fifth before a sacrifice fly from Bock Boynton got QU on the board. Two at-bats later following an HBP to put two runners on Simpson drove one out for a three-run homer putting his side ahead 4-2.
QU remained in the drivers seat for the rest of the game as Essien faced the minimum in the sixth before being relieved by
Roman Harrison who worked a clean seventh inning to collect the save and close out a 4-2 win.
Game Two
SBU plated the first runs of the contest just as they did in game one, this time pushing across one in the second inning using a walk, sac bunt, wild pitch and single to mark the first tally of the game.
The Hawks responded in a big way in the bottom half of the frame with 10 of the first 11 hitters of the inning reaching base safely, including the first six in a row. A trio of singles and an infield error from the Bearcats plated the first run before a single from Brock
Boynton put QU ahead 2-1.
David Broughton left the yard in the next at-bat, shooting a ball over the left centerfield wall for a grand slam to bust the game open at 6-1. Following an out, a single and double put two men in scoring position for a two-run double from
JD Ortiz to make it 8-1 after two frames.
Tom Conzemius bounced back from giving up a run to the Bearcats in the second by laying down the side in order in the third to bring QU to the dish to plate its final run which came on a bases loaded walk from
Joe Huffman to press the advantage further to 9-1.
SBU added a run in the fourth and two in the seventh before Logan Miller entered the game on the mound to close out the ball game and collect his first career save as part of a 9-4 win for the Hawks.
Next Up
The Hawks look to sweep the weekend in the final game of the series on Sunday (Apr. 21). First pitch is slated for 12:00 PM from historic QU Stadium.
