QUINCY, Ill. - The Quincy University baseball team secured a series victory on opening weekend of GLVC play with an 11-7 win over the Peacocks of Upper Iowa on Sunday afternoon (Mar. 9) at QU Stadium to move to 3-1 in league play and 10-8 on the season.
UIU got to Quincy starter,
Ben Draeger early, utilizing a pair of hits, sac fly and error to put two runs on the board in the top half of the opening frame.
QU was unable to record a hit through the first two innings as Draeger worked around a triple in the second before the Peacocks got back into the scoring column in the third. A one out walk set the stage for a two-run blast a couple batters down the line to make it 4-0 UIU heading to the bottom of the third.
The Hawks lineup found it's groove in the bottom half of the inning, using a
Byron Blaise leadoff triple, tailed by a pair of walks to load the bases with none down.
Isaiah Fudge drove in a run on a fielders choice in the next AB before a
David Broughton double plated two more runs to make it 4-3. Next was a walk to put two ducks on the pond for a three-run shot off the bat of
Joe Huffman to push QU ahead 6-4 after three.
Quincy tallied another run in the next half inning after another scoreless frame from Draeger, using a leadoff walk, stolen base and Fudge single to extended the advantage to 7-4.
Draeger was able to work around a leadoff single and walk in his last inning of work in the fifth, keeping UIU off the scoreboard and putting himself in line for his third win of the season.
A
JD Ortiz homer in the Hawk half of the fifth pushed the score to 8-4, before the Peacocks answered back with a run of their own in the sixth, tagging
Kyle Manship for one on a walk, single and rbi fielders choice to make it 8-5.
All was quiet until the bottom of the seventh, where a leadoff walk set the table for a two-run triple from
Matt Mateo, driving the ball off the center field wall and coming all the way home thanks to a Peacocks throwing error to push ahead 10-5 after seven innings.
A pair of walks by
Chase Golden chased the Hawks reliever after two batters for
Adyn Collins, who recorded a pair of outs in exchange for the two runs on base, before being lifted for
David Kelliher, who recorded the final out of the top of the eighth to bring the Hawks to bat up 10-7.
Jake Vitale opened the home eighth with a round-trippper over the right field wall to make it 11-7 and round out the scoring in the contest, as Kelliher worked around a walk and HBP in the ninth to collect his first save of the season and secure an 11-7 winner.
Next Up
The Hawks take a quick break from their conference slate next weekend, hosting No. 4 Central Missouri for a twinbill on Friday (Mar. 14) before welcoming the Panthers of Davenport for another doubleheader on Sunday (Mar. 16).
