QUINCY, Ill. | QU Stadium - McKendree University baseball (14-25, 7-17 GLVC) fell in a hosted road series to the ninth-ranked Quincy Hawks via four-game sweep. The Bearcats are back on the road to finish out the season with a series at Missouri S&T on April 21-23 and then again at Truman State on May 5-7. McKendree sits 11th in the GLVC, looking to make a move into the top-eight for its first-ever GLVC tournament berth.
Game 1 | April 14 (9 inn.)
McKendree looked to make an early splash in the series against the Hawks, but failed to hold-off a potent QU battery early in the game. The Hawks managed seven runs in the first three innings, holding a 7-0 advantage. The Bearcats fought back with a grand slam by infielder
Austin Francis, who sent the long ball beyond the left field wall. The homer scored infielder
Kyle Czarnecki, infielder
Noah Nelson, and outfielder
Katom Parnell.
Quincy put up another seven runs in the fifth and sixth before adding the 10-run rule score in the seventh. Czarnecki pushed over the fifth run in the bottom of the sixth with a single, scoring outfielder
Brandon Roth.
Utility
Joey Kossina took the loss on the mound, giving up ten runs.
Game 2 | April 14 (7 inn.)
Game two was the first of two seven-inning contests for the weekend with few runs being put up between the Bearcats and Hawks. Quincy found two runs in the top of the first before McKendree scored one behind Nelson's solo shot to left. Quincy led 2-1 at the end of the first.
QU scored three more between the second and third while the Bearcats tried to make a last-inning comeback. Infielder
Michael Paule sent another solo homer in the bottom of the seventh, making it a 5-2 game. QU held off the remaining Bearcat battery.
Mac Grant took the loss on the mound.
Game 3 | April 15 (7 inn.)
The first game of day two against the Hawks featured another 7-9 inning game pairing.
Quincy began quickly again with six runs by the end of the third, leading 6-0. McKendree battled with four runs in the fifth behind an array of knocks. Francis doubled to score Nelson and Kossina while Czarnecki followed it up with a triple, scoring Francis. Paule then singled, allowing Czarnecki to make it around to home.
The Hawks then fired-off seven more runs with a 13-4 lead at the end of the seventh. Paule homered in the bottom of the seventh, making it a 13-6 contest. QU held off the remaining Bearcats.
Owen Gross took the mound for McKendree, recording three strikeouts and the loss.
Game 4 | April 15 (9 inn.)
McKendree sought to take the series finale from the Hawks on Saturday afternoon, tying the game at the end of the first. Quincy scored three before the Bearcats put up three of their own with a wild pitch score by Kossina and another extra-base knock by Czarnecki. Czarnecki's doubles pushed both Francis and Nelson home.
The Hawks fired off five more runs in the top of the second, taking an 8-3 lead. McKendree added one more in the second with a Kossina double, pushing outfielder
Chyran Cruse to score.
The ninth-ranked Hawks added seven more to wrap up the game and the series.
Four hurlers took the mound for the Bearcats in the contest.
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