MARION, Ill. – Quincy's season came to a dramatic end on Wednesday afternoon as the Hawks fell 6-5 in 10 innings to Maryville, with the Saints walking it off on a wild pitch in the GLVC Tournament elimination game.
Quincy struck first in the second inning when
Joe Huffman launched a solo home run down the left field line, his eighth of the season, giving the Hawks an early 1-0 lead. The Hawks threatened for more, but stranded two runners to keep it a one-run game.
The Hawks added to their lead in the fourth, capitalizing on a leadoff walk as
Isaiah Fudge came around to score on a sacrifice fly from
Patrick Mendiola to make it 2-0.
Maryville answered in a big way in the bottom half, scoring four runs on three hits along with a walk and hit by pitch to take a 4-2 lead and chase starter
Roman Harrison from the game.
From there, Quincy's bullpen kept the Hawks within striking distance.
Logan Mueller delivered three strong innings of scoreless relief, working around traffic and keeping the deficit at two.
Matt Miscik followed with three more scoreless innings, highlighted by escaping a bases-loaded jam in the seventh to give Quincy a chance late.
The Hawks chipped away in the eighth as Fudge led off with a double and later scored on a throwing error to cut the deficit to 4-3. Quincy then found its biggest moment in the ninth, down to its final out, when
Harry Fandre crushed a game-tying home run to right field, his sixth of the season, sending the game to extra innings.
In the 10th, Quincy took the lead after putting two runners on.
Byron Blaise delivered with a clutch RBI single up the middle to score Fudge and give the Hawks a 5-4 advantage, but Quincy was unable to add on, leaving two runners stranded.
Maryville answered in the bottom half, drawing a pair of walks before an RBI single tied the game. After a flyout advanced the go-ahead runner to third, the Saints completed the comeback on a walk-off wild pitch to seal the 6-5 victory.
Quincy finished with 14 hits on the afternoon, led by a four-hit performance from
Isaiah Fudge, while Fandre and Blaise each added two hits. Huffman and Fandre provided the power with solo home runs that kept the Hawks within striking distance throughout.
Despite a masterful effort from the bullpen through nine innings, the Hawks' season comes to a close in heartbreaking fashion. Quincy finishes the year 31-20 overall and 19-13 in GLVC play, making its 15th consecutive GLVC Tournament appearance, but will fall short of a conference championship once again.
