MARION, Ill. – The Hawks offense was shut out in game two of the GLVC Championship Tournament against the Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars Friday morning (May 9). Quincy only mustered together four hits against the UIS starter in an 8-0 loss.

After both teams went down scoreless in the first frame, the Prairie Stars struck first with an RBI double in the right-center gap to score the first run of the ballgame. The Quincy offense went down 1-2-3 in the home half of the second, as it was 1-0 UIS through two innings. 

Both teams went down in order in the third inning, but the Prairie Stars added another run in the top of the fourth. Hawks starter Roman Harrison loaded the bases with one out after a single and two walks. The second run of the game came into score courtesy of a sacrifice fly to shallow center field. Harrison was able to limit the damage and hold the Prairie Stars to one run with a flyout to right to end the inning.

The Quincy offense continued to struggle heading into the home half of the fourth, going down 1-2-3 for the fourth consecutive inning. UIS continued to put pressure on Harrison with tough at-bats, but Roman continued to work out of jams, putting up a zero in the top of the fifth despite the first two batters on the inning reaching base.

Despite being over 100 pitches, Harrison trotted out for the sixth inning with the Hawks trailing 2-0. He gave up a leadoff single and got the next man to ground out softly to third, which concluded the day for Harrison, as he finished with 5.1 innings on 116 pitches, giving up two runs on five hits, four walks, and five strikeouts. 

David Kelliher was the first man out of the bullpen for the Hawks, entering the game with a runner on second and one out. Kelliher walked the first man he saw and allowed the runner at second to advance to third on a wild pitch. With runners on the corners and one out, Kelliher worked his way out of another jam for the Hawks, getting an unconventional 5-3 double play to end the top half with no runs scored.

QU was able to get a pair of baserunners on in the home half of the sixth but could not get the big hit to get things going. Moving into the seventh, the Prairie Stars blew the game open with a six spot. Kelliher struggled to find the strike zone, walking four batters and hitting one before coming out of the game.

Seth West entered the game with the bases load and one out, and the Hawks trailing 4-0. A sacrifice fly and a pair of doubles made it 8-0 before Quincy could stop the bleeding.

West sat down the next six batters he faced sending the game to the bottom of the ninth, where the Hawks got two baserunners on, but failed to cross the plate, as a lineout to center field ended the game. 

QU will now move into a win-or-go-home situation this afternoon, taking on the Miners of Missouri S&T for the first time this season at 4:00 PM CDT. A win will push the Hawks to a Saturday rematch against the Prairie Stars, but a loss will wrap up the 2025 season as they look to regroup and wake up the bats this afternoon.