The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
The Quincy University Hawk baseball team split a conference doubleheader with the Knights of Bellarmine University Saturday afternoon at QU Stadium, winning game one 10-4, then losing game two by a score of 9-3.
The split moves the 26th-ranked Hawks to 18-10 on the season, 10-4 in the GLVC.
Quincy was led on offense in game one by sophomore centerfielder Kevin Reynolds, St. Peters, Mo., DeSmet, who was a perfect 3-3 at the plate with a triple, two RBIs, and a run scored. Reynolds' triple in the bottom of the 2nd inning with one out led to a two-run inning for the Hawks, giving QU a 2-0 lead. Reynolds then drove in a run with a single in the bottom of the third inning to give the Hawks a 6-0 advantage after senior second baseman Kevin Sewell, Round Lake, Northern Illinois Univ., drove in his 51st and 52nd RBIs of the season with a bases-loaded single to rightfield. Sewell finished the game 2-4 with the two RBIs and two runs scored. In the same inning, junior catcher Eric Cabe, Prairie Du Rocher, SWIC, blasted a two-run home run to left center to cap the six-run inning and give QU an 8-0 lead. Cabe finished the game 2-3 with three runs batted in and the run scored.
Senior righthander Matt Rodeffer, Stronghurst, Southern, threw all seven innings for the Hawks, allowing 11 hits, four runs- three earned, walking none and fanning five batters. With the complete game, his third of the season, Rodeffer improved to 5-0.
The Hawks had a 3-2 advantage after the bottom of the 4th inning in game two, but surrendered five runs in the top of the 5th to give Bellarmine a 7-3 edge. The Hawks would never get closer than four runs from the lead the remainder of the ballgame.
Reynolds was 1-3 in game two with an RBI and a run scored. Sophomore third baseman Jarrod Rahn, St. Louis, Mo., CBC, also had one of Quincy's four hits, adding a run batted in over three at-bats.
Junior righthander Ervin Bridgewater, Hammond, Louisiana, John Wood, C.C., picked up the loss, as he allowed seven runs- five earned over 4.1 innings of work, with two walks and two strikeouts. Bridgewater moves to 1-1 on the season.
The Quincy University Hawk baseball team crept into the national poll, released March 22nd by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. The Hawks (16-8) are tied for 26th in the NCAA Division II poll with Bryant College (12-4).
March 22nd ranking for the Hawks marked the first time since the March 25th poll in 2002 that QU has been nationally ranked. Quincy was ranked 30th in that poll. The Hawks recently swept traditional power Missouri-St. Louis this past week by scores of 6-5 and 9-1, and split a four-game series with Wisconsin-Parkside this past weekend.
The highest national ranking the program has ever enjoyed was back in 1999 when the QU Hawks were ranked 3rd in the May 3rd poll. This year marks the 8th season that Quincy has appeared in the national rankings, also appearing in 1995 for three weeks, 1996 for six weeks, 1997 for seven weeks, 1999 for 10 weeks, 2000 for 16 weeks, 2001 for five weeks, and 2002 for the one week.
Quincy was the only Great Lakes Valley Conference team to appear in last week's poll, and only the second team in the region to appear.
Tuesday, The Hawks beat non-conference Truman University 21-1, with five home runs.
The Hawks will return to conference action Saturday and Sunday April 3-4 in Indianapolis, Ind. for two doubleheaders which begin at noon each day with the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds.