QUINCY, Ill. – The Hawks had a doubleheader against #3 University of Central Missouri on a windy Friday afternoon (Mar. 14). The Mules offense combined for 24 runs and 28 hits over the two games, as they took down the Hawks in both games, 15-12 and 9-6.
GAME ONE
In game one, the Mules jumped on the Hawks in the top of the first, scoring two quick runs with an RBI double down the left field line and an RBI single to center field. Quincy wasted no time responding, as
Matt Mateo poked his third home run of the season with a line shot over the left field wall to even the score up at two after one inning.
UCM regained their two-run lead in the top of the second with a pair of RBI singles from the heart of the Mules lineup. The Hawks were held scoreless through the second and third innings, leaving four runners on base.
Hawks starter
Kade Ruffner recorded the first two outs of the fourth inning, but the Mules leadoff man extended their lead to 5-2 after an opposite-field home run. Quincy answered once again in the home half after a leadoff double from
David Broughton, followed by a run-scoring single from
Isaiah Fudge, cut the deficit to 5-3.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Hawks took their first lead of the game with a crooked five spot, scoring all their runs with two outs. Fudge earned his second RBI the painful way, wearing a pitch with the bases loaded. Central Missouri went to the bullpen for the second time in the inning, and Broughton welcomed the new arm with a first-pitch grand slam to give the Hawks an 8-5 lead after five innings of play.
The game was far from over as the teams continued to trade punches in the sixth inning. The Mules retook the lead after a four spot in the top half. Quincy's arms struggled to find the zone, loading up the bases with a pair of walks and a hit batter. Two runs came into score after back-to-back weak ground balls managed to result in a hit and a fielder's choice. The inning was capped off with a two-run double that split the left-center gap, making it 9-8 Mules.
The UCM lead lasted four batters after
Jake Vitale launched an inside pitch down the right-field line for a two-run blast. Vitale's fourth home run of the season gave QU a 10-9 lead heading to the late innings.
A wild pitch tied up the game in the top of the seventh for the Mules, and a few batters later, UCM found themselves with a two-run lead once again after a two-run homer from the Mules left fielder. The Hawks went down 1-2-3 in the seventh, and the Mules added an insurance run with an RBI fielder's choice in the eighth.
The Mules extended their lead to 15-10 courtesy of an RBI single and a sacrifice fly in the final frame. With the Hawks down to their final out, Fudge drove one over the left-center wall to give QU life in the bottom of the ninth. However, Quincy did not have enough offense left in the tank, as a flyout to left field concluded game one with a final score of 15-12.
GAME TWO
Game two started the same way game one did, with the Mules leading 2-0 before the Hawks touched the bat rack. UCM left fielder, who took the Hawk pitching staff deep in game one, did the same thing in game two, this time to right field. Quincy answered with a run of their own in the home half after aggressive baserunning from
Ben Dahlof on a ground ball that stayed on the infield, but the Mules trying to turn two allowed him to score from second.
The Mules struck again in the top of the second with three runs via a sacrifice fly, an error on the Hawks's defense, and a run-scoring single to make it 5-1 in favor of UCM. But once again, the Hawks had a response with a two-RBI single from Dahlof.
UCM scored for the third consecutive inning after a groundout to second base, bringing in the sixth run for the Mules. Quincy struck back once again but in louder fashion, as
Joe Huffman hit his team-leading fifth home run of the season to cut the Mules lead back down to one at 6-5.
The Central Missouri offense kept rolling as they found the scorers column in the fourth inning as well with an RBI single through the 5-6 hole. Both pitching staffs threw up zeros in innings five and six. The Mules added insurance with another RBI groundout in the seventh to extend the lead to 8-5.
The Hawks matched the Mule's run in the seventh inning after
Harry Fandre hit his first career home run of the season with an opposite-field shot to left center.
UCM regained its three-run lead at 9-6 with a smart baserunning play, scoring on a grounder in the 3-4 hole. The Quincy offense went down quietly in the ninth, going 1-2-3 to end game two of the doubleheader.
Quincy will have a day off to prepare for another doubleheader on Sunday (Mar. 16), as they square off with #18 Davenport University, with the first pitch scheduled for 12:00 PM.
