KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Quincy faced off against Rockhurst University in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon (Mar. 22). QU struggled to get the offense going throughout both games, only mustering together eight runs in total, as they lost both games with scores of 6-4.
GAME ONE
Quincy jumped on the board first in the second inning after scoring on an error and a sacrifice fly from
Jack Haggard.
Kobe Essien held Rockhurst in check through the first two innings, putting up a couple of zeroes. RU scored its first run with a two-out RBI single to cut the QU lead in half.
Rockhurst snatched the lead for the first time in the fourth inning after a two-run big fly to right center field. Quincy answered with a run of their own in the fifth, tying the game up at three a piece courtesy of an RBI double from
David Broughton.
The Hawks of Rockhurst separated themselves in the sixth inning, scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Their second home run of the game gave them a 4-3 lead, and two more runs came in to score after an RBI single and a passed ball.
With the Hawks down to their final three outs in the seventh, they were able to push across a fourth run via a sacrifice fly from
Isaiah Fudge. Quincy was then gifted a walk and an error to bring the go-ahead run to the plate, but a grounder to the RU shortstop ended the Quincy threat, taking game two of the series.
Quincy was only able to rattle off seven hits in game one and left seven runners on base.
Ben Dahlof and
JD Ortiz both had a multi-hit game with two apiece. Essien was solid on the bump, tossing 4.2 innings, where he gave up three runs on five hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts.
GAME TWO
In game two, Quincy snagged the lead in the second inning once again after a sacrifice fly from
Evan Davis. The game sat at 1-0 in favor of Quincy for four innings because
Kyle Manship was dealing through the first four innings, giving up just two hits and one walk.
QU got a second run on the board in the top half of the fifth after Ortiz scored on a throwing error from the RU catcher trying to throw out Broughton at second base. Despite Manship being great through four innings, the command of the QU pitching staff became an issue in the fifth. RU scored four runs on just one hit in the inning, with the one hit being an RBI single. Three walks and three hit-by-pitches pushed across another three runs in the inning to give Rockhurst a 4-2 lead after five innings of play.
Rockhurst added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth inning with a two-run single through the left side of the infield. Once again, Quincy, down to their final three outs, put pressure on RU. Back-to-back walks put the Hawks in business offensively, but a 3-6-3 double play put up a quick two outs. A third walk extended the inning and gave
Matt Mateo a chance to hit, and he delivered with a double to center field to score two runs and make it 6-4.
After a pitching change,
Joe Huffman extended the inning with a single, and for the second straight game, Quincy brought the go-ahead run to the plate. However, a fly out to right field on a 1-2 count put the comeback bid to sleep, and RU earned a doubleheader sweep of Quincy.
The Hawks outhit Rockhurst 8-5 in game two, but the four-run inning from RU was enough to push through for their third straight victory, moving to 15-6 on the season. For Quincy, this loss extends the skid to seven games and an overall record of 10-15.
Quincy will look to avoid the series sweep tomorrow afternoon with the series finale against Rockhurst. The first pitch will be thrown at 12:00 PM from Loyola Park Baseball Field.
