Walk it off, walk it off: Allison’s two-run single finishes off Galesburg as QHS wins third straight

QUINCY — Aurora Allison didn’t realize what she had done.

Her single to center field with one out in the sixth inning drove in a pair of runs as the Quincy High School softball team walked off with a 14-4 victory Monday over Galesburg in Western Big 6 Conference play.

Allison, the senior first baseman, ended up at second base as the throw home was behind Avary Hlubek scoring the final run. Immediately, Hlubek and others started waving for Allison to come back to the dugout to join the celebration.

But she stood at second base for just a moment.

“I didn’t know what they wanted,” Allison said. “I didn’t know we had walked them off.”

When reality hit, Allison simply had to smile.

“It was pretty exciting,” she said. “It was pretty awesome.”

The Blue Devils’ third consecutive victory came with another offensive explosion as the streak has featured 59 runs scored. In fact, the Blue Devils have won seven of their last nine games since QHS coach Darrell Henze adjusted his lineup, moving shortstop Ariana Adorno to the No. 2 spot.

“We’ve been able to score runs, and that’s taken pressure off our pitchers,” Henze said.

Adorno produced in a big way yet again, going 2 for 4 with three RBIs. Her first-inning home run set the tone for the sixth straight victory in which the Blue Devils have scored 10 or more runs.

“So important,” Adorno said of getting the offense jumpstarted. “I think it set us up for how the whole game was going to go.”

And she knew she’d belted her team-leading fourth home run of the season immediately.

“I kind of watched it a little bit,” Adorno said with a giggle.

Then everyone watched how she vacuumed up ground balls in the middle of the infield. Adorno had five assists, including picking up a ball deflected by third baseman Ivy Winter and gunning out Galesburg’s J Peterson at first base for the final out of the fifth inning.

The play ended the frame and stranded the bases loaded without giving up a run. It was the second time the Blue Devils got out of a bases-loaded situation unscathed.

“Ari was killing it,” Allison said. “I just know I need to catch the ball when she makes a play, but I know she’s going to get it to me.”

Quincy trailed 4-2 going to the bottom of the third inning, but responded with a five-run frame that featured three bases-loaded walks. The Blue Devils also scored four times in the fourth, highlighted by Winter’s RBI single.

Winter and Allison each had two hits, while Hlubek, Allison, Carlee Gilker and Mia Ellefritz each drove in two runs.

“We started off a little slow, but it was nice to see us finish it out with a run-rule victory,” Allison said.

Kayden Smith struck out four and walked four over 2 ⅔ innings before handing the ball over to Gilker, who struck out two and walked two in 3 ⅓ scoreless innings of relief.

And then Allison sent everyone home happy on Senior Night.

“To have a senior walk it off with a base hit, it was just a nice overall evening,” Henze said.