Hawks able to salvage split with Screaming Eagles as Pribyl, Stephens overpower hitters

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Alex Pribyl is settling nicely into his new role as a starting pitcher, and Sam Stephens appears to have his footing at the backend of the bullpen.

That’s exactly what the Quincy University baseball team needs.

The Hawks salvaged a split of Saturday’s Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader with Southern Indiana as the senior hurlers bookended the 5-3 victory in the nightcap with overpowering performances. It came on the heels of a 5-1 loss in the opener when the Screaming Eagles scored four times in the second inning.

Pribyl, a senior right-hander, navigated a rough bottom of the first inning when he surrendered an RBI double and a bases-loaded walk, but he left the bases loaded by getting a strikeout to end the inning. He left the bases loaded again in the second, striking out the final two batters of the inning on six straight pitches.

Pribyl retired eight of the final nine batters he faced, allowing two runs and five hits with 10 strikeouts over four innings.

Carter Endisch worked 1 ⅔ innings of scoreless relief before turning the game over to Stephens, as the left-hander struck out three of the four batters he faced in the seventh inning to pick up his second consecutive save.

The Hawks scored five runs despite just four hits, getting a two-run single from Dayson Croes in the first inning and an RBI double from Kade Burns in the third inning.

In the opener, left-handed starter Tyler Carpenter didn’t survive a rough second inning as he was tagged for five runs and six innings before being lifted. Cruz Meier worked the final four innings, allowing just one hit with four strikeouts.

The Hawks’ offense never got started as they were limited to five hits with Croes going 2 for 3.

Senior right-hander Jay Hammel is expected to get the start Sunday as Quincy (14-11, 5-2 GLVc) looks to win its second straight GLVC series.