JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Hawks earned a series sweep over the Blue Tigers on Friday (Apr. 18), extending their win streak to four games. It was a mix of the home run ball and great pitching to earn wins with scores of 5-4 and 11-1.

GAME ONE

For the third consecutive game, the Hawks scored before the Blue Tigers even had a chance with the bats, scoring two runs in the top of the first courtesy of a bases-loaded walk from Byron Blaise and an RBI groundout from Isaiah Fudge. Quincy starter Roman Harrison put up a zero to keep the lead at 2-0 after one inning of play.

After two straight scoreless frames from both sides, the Hawks rallied for three runs in the fourth inning to extend their lead to five. The Hawks were gifted a run on an error which was followed by back-to-back two-out run-scoring doubles from David Broughton and Harry Fandre. Harrison continued to dominate the Lincoln lineup, holding them scoreless through five innings. 

It was the sixth inning when the Blue Tigers finally had an answer at the plate, driving in two with a home run. Those were the only two runs Harrison would give up, who finished six innings for the third time in his last four starts. 

The Hawks offense was held scoreless for a third straight inning, heading to the bottom of the seventh with a 5-2 lead. Seth West came in to close the door, but Lincoln would not go down quietly. The Hawks right-hander failed to record an out, and QU had to go to the bullpen, bringing in David Kelliher with the bases loaded and nobody out.

This was a familiar sight for Kelliher, as he has been one of the Hawk's high-leverage relievers, who has seen a bases-loaded nobody-out situation multiple times this season. Lincoln was able to scratch across two runs to make it a one-run game, but Kelliher and the Hawks slammed the door to take game three with a final of 5-4. It was not the prettiest of outings for Kelliher, as he hit two batters, but he managed to secure his second save of the season and a third straight win for the Hawks.

GAME TWO

For the first time in the series, the Blue Tigers put up a zero to open up the game and snagged the lead with a solo home run off the Hawks starter Kade Ruffner in the home half. However, that lead failed to make it past the top of the second, as Jake Vitale blasted a two-run shot to give the Hawks the lead after two innings of play.

Moving into the third, Joe Huffman hit his ninth home run of the season with a solo shot, and for the third consecutive inning, a Hawk batter left the yard. This time, it was Ben Dahlof hitting the third homer of the season, driving in Matt Mateo to make it 5-1 after four.

Ruffner settled in after giving up the home run in the fourth, tossing four straight scoreless frames to finish his outing and set himself up for the win. Kade only allowed two hits, surrendered one run, walked one, and punched out a career-high nine batters.

The QU offense was held scoreless in the fifth and sixth but woke back up in the seventh inning, putting up six runs. Huffman hit his second home run of the game and the Hawks' fourth overall, this time driving in one of his teammates, Cole Erickson. Mateo earned his 47th RBI the painful way with a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch, which was followed up with a two-run double from Dahlof to drive in runs number nine and ten of the game for QU. The big inning was capped off with a sacrifice fly from Broughton, extending his RBI count to a team-best 49.

The bullpen was fantastic for the Hawks in relief of Ruffner. Chase Golden was the first man to get the call, and in his fifth appearance of the season, he punched out the side in order after surrendering a single and a walk. Logan Mueller was the man on the mound in the seventh. After a walk and a pair of outs, Matt Schissel went to the grad student in Brett Panick to record the final out. Panick walked the first man he saw, but a strikeout put an exclamation point on a series sweep of Lincoln. 

The four wins for the Hawks put them at an overall record of 20-22, 13-11 in the GLVC. The Hawks currently sit tied for sixth place in the GLVC standing, which would have them in the GLVC tournament if the season ended today.

Quincy will be at home for the final time this season as they take on the Saints of Maryville University for a four-game series. The Saints have an overall record of 25-16 and sit in the third-place spot with a 17-7 record in the GLVC. Maryville is one of, if not the hottest team in the GLVC, winning 12 of its last 13 games, with sweeps over Rockhurst and Southwest Baptist. The Saints will have a midweek matchup against William Jewell before traveling to Quincy for game one, which will take place on Friday (Apr. 25), with the first pitch expected to be tossed from QU Stadium at 3:00 PM CDT.