Lahr takes care of business on mound, at bat as QND snares shutout victory in regional baseball semifinal

QUINCY – Bradi Lahr picked an opportune time for his best pitching performance of the season.

The junior right-hander scattered five hits and struck out 11 in going the distance Wednesday night as Quincy Notre Dame pulled away late for a 7-0 victory over Petersburg PORTA in the semifinals of the Class 2A regional tournament at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield.

Lahr also collected three hits and drove in five runs to help the third-seeded Raiders improve to 19-10 and earn a date against second-seeded Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin in Saturday’s championship game.

No wonder he was all smiles afterward.

“I started the year off not anywhere close to where I wanted to be,” Lahr said after his first shutout and second victory of the season. “Early in the year I couldn’t locate my fastball. I was striping it everywhere. But I knew everyone in this dugout and everyone in the stands believed in me, so the only thing I had to do was believe in myself. I just had to come in here and do my job. I knew all my boys had my back.”

QND coach Rich Polak had nothing but praise for his pitcher.

“He was electric in the zones. He competed his butt off. I was super excited for him,” Polak said. “He was wondering if he was going to get the ball because his last outing or so hasn’t been that great, but I told him two or three days ago that he was definitely getting the ball, and he answered the bell.”

Lahr gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead by lining the first pitch he saw for a single to center after Bluejays’ starter Kendall Davis issued a pair of two-out walks in the bottom of the first inning, but the hosts couldn’t muster any more runs until the fifth.

Meanwhile, PORTA had runners on first and third with two outs in the second after a single and an error and a walk, but Lahr struck out Dillon Stremsterfer to end the threat.

The Bluejays opened the third with back-to-back singles, but first baseman Eli Johnson and shortstop Abram Wiewel turned a Nash Donnan chopper into an impressive 3-6-3 double play. Lahr closed the inning by striking out Levi Hoagland.

“He made some great pitches when he had to,” Polak said. 

Lahr held the Bluejays hitless from there until two were out in the seventh, when they used two infield singles and a hit batsman to load the bases. However, Lahr fanned Drew Marr for the final out.

“He was really locked in, hitting all his spots consistently,” QND catcher Oliver Triplett said of Lahr. “He had a really good bullpen session before the game, so coming into the game, I was feeling really confident. He was due.”

The Raiders used two walks and a hit batter to load the bases with two outs in the third, but Wiewel was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a passed ball.

It was still a 1-0 game entering the bottom of the fifth. Davis retired the first two batters he faced, but he hit Rowan Stegeman. Gavin Doellman then laced a single to left that was mishandled by Kolin Johnson, putting runners at second and third.

Lahr went the other way on a 3-2 pitch, with his single scoring both runners to push the lead to 3-0.

“He had some great at-bats, some great situational hitting,” Polak said. “He saw a breaking ball away and didn’t try to do too much.”

QND added four insurance runs in the sixth against reliever Jett Karrick.

Kaden Marth led off with a single and stole second. He was forced to hold when Johnson’s blooper landed in short left field. After Wiewel was intentionally walked to load the bases, Stegeman drove in two runs with a single up the middle on a 3-2 pitch.

Two batters later, Lahr launched a pitch into the gap in right-center to score the final two runs. He’s now hitting .325 for the season and has driven in 23 runs, second only to Wiewel’s 40.

Six of the Raiders’ seven hits came in the final two innings.

“I’m just happy we won,” Lahr said when asked if he was impressed more with his pitching or his offensive production. “It’s a big win. We’re rolling into the regional championship ready to go, ready to play.”

Sacred-Heart Griffin beat Beardstown 11-1 in a game shortened to five innings in the regional opener. The Cyclones defeated QND 12-4 in the Raiders’ season opener two months ago.

Lahr’s complete game shutout means a fresh Wiewel will get the start in Saturday’s 11 a.m. contest. The bullpen, if needed, will be fully rested.

“We didn’t have to use Triplett on the back end or Abram. We were prepared to do that if we had to just to get to Saturday, because you can’t play if you don’t win, right?” Polak said. “So, it’s huge for us. Abram will be ready, and he’s excited for the challenge. SHG, they’re a really good ballclub. They do a lot of things right and they’re super athletic. But you know, that’s why you play the game.”