MARION, Ill. - The Quincy University baseball team kept the good times rolling in second round GLVC Tournament action taking down the tourneys top seed in the Greyhounds of Indianapolis in an extra inning thriller.
Roman Harrison tossed up three and two thirds innings of no-run ball in the late innings allowing a run-scoring single from
Connor Simons in the 11th to be the difference in a 5-4 win.
After a scoreless first frame from
Kobe Essien on the bump that included two of his 10 strikeouts on the day, Quincy plated the games first run in the top of the second on a lead off solo shot to right from
JD Ortiz.
The Hounds used a pair of singles and a sacrifice to push across the equalizer in the bottom half of the second before QU answered right back in the next half inning with two doubles sandwiching a walk, the second of which off the bat of
Austin Simpson to drive in a pair and make it 3-1 Quincy.
Indianapolis worked its way back into the ballgame in the fourth, using a trio of singles, another sacrifice and a wild pitch to bring around two runs to knot the score once more.
After getting roughed up in the fourth, Essien struck out the side in the fifth while also facing the minimum in the sixth before retiring two more in the seventh to conclude his start at 6.2 innings.
UIndy took a late advantage in the bottom of the eighth; using a walk, another sac bunt and a passed ball to advance a runner to third before scoring on a fielders choice in the next at-bat to lead 4-3 heading to the ninth.
A lead off walk from Simpson tailed by a single from Ortiz put two men on before a sac bunt from
Jake Vitale advanced the runners.
Connor Simons hit a weak ground ball to the right side of the infield in the next AB to drive home Simpson and even the tally at 4-4.
Both sides pushed the go-ahead or winning run to third base in both the ninth and 10th innings without being able to cash in until Quincy finally found an opening in the 11th.
A one-out single from Vitale with a runner on first put two men on for Simons, who delivered just as he did in the ninth, this time poking a base hit through a hole on the infield to drive in the runner from second.
In the most extended appearance in the career of
Roman Harrison as a Quincy Hawk, he saved his best for last. The big lefty struck out the side in the 11th to slam the door on a 5-4 winner and collect his second win of the year.
Now the Hawks await the winner of the Drury vs William Jewell elimination game tomorrow (May 11) morning. Quincy will square off with either the Panthers or Cardinals at 4:00 PM at Mtn. Dew Park.
