QUINCY, Ill. – Quincy split Saturday's doubleheader with Southwest Baptist at QU Stadium, taking game two 11-3 before falling 5-4 in game three. The split moved the Hawks to 25-15 overall as they prepared for Senior Day and the series finale on Sunday.
Game 2: Quincy 11, Southwest Baptist 3
Quincy opened the day with its fifth straight victory, using a six-run third inning and a dominant outing from
Kade Ruffner to take game two. After both teams were scoreless through the first two innings, the Hawks broke the game open in the bottom of the third.
David Broughton walked to start the inning before
Jace Figuereo singled and stole second.
Ben Dahlof walked to load the bases, and
Isaiah Fudge lined a two-run single to right center.
Joe Huffman followed two batters later with a three-run homer to left field, his fourth of the season, giving Quincy a 5-0 lead.
Carson Moreno later added a sacrifice fly to make it 6-0.
The Hawks added another run in the fourth when Figuereo singled and eventually scored on a Huffman sacrifice fly. Southwest Baptist got on the board with two runs in the fifth, but Quincy answered with four more in the bottom half.
Harry Fandre singled and Moreno walked before
Patrick Mendiola reached on a fielder's choice. Figuereo added an RBI single, and Dahlof followed with a bases-clearing double to left center to push the lead to 11-2. Southwest Baptist added one more run in the seventh, but Quincy cruised to the 11-3 win.
Ruffner was excellent on the mound, tossing six innings and allowing just two runs, one earned, on five hits while striking out eight. Figuereo posted his seventh game of the season with at least three hits, finishing 3-for-4 with three runs scored, an RBI, and a stolen base. Dahlof went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, while Huffman drove in four runs with his homer and sacrifice fly.
Game 3: Southwest Baptist 5, Quincy 4
Game three looked like it would be another Quincy win early on. The Hawks scored twice in the first inning when Huffman and
Harry Fandre delivered RBI singles, then added two more in the second.
Quinn Schultz singled and
Byron Blaise walked before Figuereo singled to load the bases. Dahlof came through with a two-run single to extend the lead to 4-1.
Logan Mueller kept Southwest Baptist in check through the first four innings, allowing just one run during that stretch. The Bearcats slowly chipped away, however, scoring once in the fifth and once more in the sixth to cut the lead to 4-3. Quincy had opportunities to add insurance but stranded runners in both the third and fourth innings and was held scoreless over the final five innings.
Southwest Baptist completed the comeback in the seventh inning. A throwing error allowed the leadoff batter to reach before a single and sacrifice fly tied the game. Another RBI single later in the inning gave the Bearcats a 5-4 lead, and Quincy went down in order in the bottom half.
Dahlof had one of his best games of the season in the loss, going 4-for-4 with two RBIs and two stolen bases for his second four-hit game of the year. Fandre added two hits and an RBI, while Huffman and Schultz each had two hits. Mueller worked 4.2 innings, allowing just two runs on four hits before the bullpen took over.
The Hawks will look to win their sixth series of the season tomorrow on Senior Day with first pitch scheduled for 11:00 AM and the senior ceremony beginning at 10:00 AM.
