QUINCY, Ill. - Gutsy is the only way to describe the performance from the Hawks starter, Griffin Kirn, against Lewis in game one of a four-game GLVC showdown with the Flyers. The lefty acted as the only Hawk pitcher to toe the rubber in the first contest of the series, going the distance for a complete game of two-run ball setting up a dramatic homer in the bottom of the last by JD Ortiz to lift Quincy over the Flyers in walk-off fashion 4-2. 

The Hawks plated the first run of the contest in the bottom of the first, following up a clean sheet from Kirn in the top half with a RBI sacrifice fly from Cole Erickson, pushing across David Broughton, who singled to leadoff the game for Quincy, putting QU at the forefront up 1-0 after one. 

After a quiet second inning of play, Lewis entered the scoring column in the top of the third. LU tagged Kirn for a run on a long ball to right field to even the tally at 1-1. The Flyers threatened again in the fifth, putting two men on to open the frame before advancing them into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Kirn buckled down, collecting a strikeout and popup to second to end the threat. 

Lewis scored its final run of the ballgame in the sixth inning, using a leadoff single followed by a ground ball to the right side and balk to move the runner to third. The next hitter poked a single up the middle to give the Flyers a 2-1 edge at the conclusion of the half inning. 

Nothing was doing for either side for the next two innings as the Hawks were unable to get a man on base during the stretch and Lewis was unable to solve the puzzles a still very sharp Kirn was delivering its way. Scoreless frames in the seventh, eighth and ninth from the Quincy native gave his ball club a chance for romance in the bottom of the ninth, an opportunity they didn't squander. 

A one-out single from Erickson started the Hawks rally in the ninth as he was lifted upon reaching first base in favor of the speedy Ben Dahlof. Dahlof advanced to second in the next at-bat putting the tying run in scoring position before Joe Huffman reached on an error in the next plate appearance to keep the line moving and advance the tying run to third. Ortiz stepped to the dish with two on and two down before taking a two-strike off-speed pitch for a ride to right, tucking it around the foul poll to give his side the 4-2 win via walk-off thanks to the three-run blast. 

Next Up

Quincy is back in action tomorrow, playing a twin bill at the friendly confines of QU Stadium. First pitch for game one of the doubleheader against the Flyers is slated for 12:00 PM.