Two homers from Batts not enough as Gems’ pitching continues to get battered

QUINCY, Ill. — The Quincy Gems solved their offensive woes for one night, but the pitching problems persist.

The Gems’ pitching staff gave up double-digit runs for the fifth time in 12 games in a 14-10 loss to the Normal Cornbelters on Sunday night in a Prospect League game at QU Stadium.

The Gems (5-7), whose 7.84 team earned run average is second-worst in the 16-team league (West Virginia is worst at 7.89), have lost four straight games. They are in third place in the Great River Division, three games behind Normal and a half-game out of last place.

Quincy scored two runs in the first inning to take a 2-1 lead. Matthew Batts had an RBI single, and Dylan Wipperman scored on a wild pitch.

Normal took the lead for good with two runs in the third, then added three runs in the fourth. The Gems got within 6-4 when Tye Wood scored on Nolan Wosman’s fielder’s choice, and when the Cornbelters threw the ball away on an attempted double play, Andrew Fay also scored.

The Cornbelters pushed the lead back to 8-4 with two runs in the sixth, but Batts clubbed a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to get the Gems back within two runs again.

Normal put the game out of reach with five runs in the seventh against reliever Jax Howard. The Gems scored four more runs in the eighth. Batts hit his second homer of the game for two of those runs. Gabe Swansen, Otto Jones and Drew Townsend hit back-to-back-to-back doubles to bring in two more runs.

Starter Ryan Ryerson took the loss, allowing six runs in 3 1/2 innings. 

Batts finished with three hits and five runs batted in. Townsend and Jones both had two hits.

The game featured 24 runs, 24 hits, 18 walks and five hit batters.