QUINCY, Ill. — Davenport University baseball (3-8) faced a tough doubleheader against Quincy (11-5), suffering narrow defeats of 4-3 and 9-8 at QU Stadium on Saturday. In both games, Davenport's offense showcased resilience, especially in the later innings, but ultimately fell short against consistent scoring from the Hawks.
Game 1
Davenport fell to Quincy in a tightly contested matchup. The Hawks struck first in the fourth inning, scoring twice. A single by Joe Huffman led to Isaiah Fudge tripling to right center, bringing Huffman home. Fudge later scored on a passed ball, giving Quincy a 2-0 lead through four innings.
Davenport responded in the fifth when
Garrett Swan walked and stole second.
Julian Contreras then singled through the right side, allowing Swan to score and narrowing the gap to 2-1. Quincy extended their lead with a run in the bottom of the fifth, ending the inning 3-1.
In the seventh, Davenport rallied as
Dylan Pawenski walked and was replaced by pinch runner
Carson Lindau.
Travis Liford hit a two-run homer down the left-field line, tying the game at 3-3. However, Quincy regained the lead with a run in their half of the inning, securing the final score of Quincy 4, Davenport 3.
Colton Blankstrom pitched five innings, allowing six hits and three runs (two earned), striking out three.
Brandon Skorupski pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and one earned run while striking out two. Liford led offensively with two RBI and a home run, while Contreras and
Wyatt Epple each contributed two hits.
Sam Clay made a notable defensive impact with four assists.
Game 2
In the second game of the doubleheader, Davenport endured a heart-wrenching 9-8 loss. Quincy started strong, scoring three runs in the first inning, including one on a passed ball, leading 3-0 early on.
Davenport's offense found its rhythm in the second inning with a solo home run by Pawenski, closing the gap to 3-1. The third inning saw
Cody Hultink hit a two-run homer, tying the game at 3-3. Davenport took the lead in the fifth after Hultink was hit by a pitch, scoring on
Justin Johnson's double and then a groundout by Pawenski made it 5-3.
In the seventh, Davenport extended its lead to 8-3 after a series of errors and a hit by pitch led to three runs. However, Quincy responded in the bottom half, scoring three runs to narrow the deficit to 8-6. The Hawks continued their comeback with an RBI double in the eighth, making it 8-7, and tied the game in the ninth with a two-out single by Harry Fandre, sending it into extra innings.
In the tenth inning, Quincy sealed the victory with a walk-off single by Fudge, resulting in a final score of Quincy 9, Davenport 8.
Jeff Agar pitched three innings, allowing three runs on three hits with four strikeouts in the start.
Joe Chrapliwy followed with three scoreless innings, striking out three. Hultink led Davenport's offense with three runs, two hits, and two RBI, including a home run and a double. Epple added two runs and two hits, while Pawenski also drove in three runs with two hits. Johnson contributed with two runs, one hit (a double), and a walk.
Looking ahead, Davenport will travel to face Missouri-St. Louis on Wednesday, March 4, set for 3 p.m. in St. Louis, Missouri.
