Left stranded: Unable to come up with clutch hits, Hawks leave 16 runners on base in tourney loss

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — From the onset, first-year Quincy University baseball coach Matt Schissel wanted the Hawks to incorporate some small-ball mentality into the attack.

So he stressed taking a “get ’em on, get ’em over, get ’em in” approach when needed.

Saturday, it was needed, but the Hawks didn’t follow through.

Nineteen of the 27 outs Quincy committed in a 6-4 loss to Lewis in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament were flyouts or popouts, and the Hawks stranded the bases loaded three times, including in both the eighth and ninth innings.

Overall, QU left 16 runners on base and must regroup quickly to keep the tourney title hopes alive. The Hawks (32-21) will face Lewis again in an elimination game at 9 a.m. Sunday at the Lou Brock Sports Complex with the winner playing Illinois-Springfield in the championship game.

“The frustrating thing is the things we didn’t do today are the things we worked on all spring,” Schissel said. “Productive outs, moving baserunners, driving guys in, the little things. That is what we based every practice around.”

It’s what the Hawks will have to do to survive Sunday. Left-hander Tyler Carpenter will get the start against Lewis.

“If we can get to a Game 2, you’ve got a couple guys we can start and a fresh bullpen after that,” Schissel said.

The outcome of Sunday’s efforts could have significant NCAA Tournament impact. The Hawks went into the tournament ranked fourth in the NCAA Division II Midwest Region, but two of the three teams ahead of them have been eliminated from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.

Davenport, which was the No. 1 team in the rankings, lost its opener in the GLIAC tourney and must win twice Sunday to win the tournament title.

It opens the door for the Hawks to move up in the rankings. The 56-team NCAA tournament field will be released Sunday night. A live selection show will take place on NCAA.com beginning at 9 p.m.

To be dangerous in the national tournament, the Hawks have to be clutch in clutch situations.

The issues began in the third inning. After the first seven hitters in QU’s lineup were retired in order, Joe Roscetti walked and Brock Boynton singled. However, Luke Napleton grounded into a fielder’s choice and Dayson Croes flied out to right field to end the threat.

Gino D’Alessio led off the fourth by reaching on an error, and Nolan Wosman’s one-out single out runners at the corners. A flyout and a groundout ended that threat.

The Hawks loaded the bases in the fifth, but Lance Logsdon popped out to the shortstop on the first pitch after D’Alessio walked. Wosman’s leadoff double in the sixth was wasted, and two more runners were left on base in the seventh.

“It was like a bad nightmare,” Schissel said.

Despite that, the Hawks found themselves trailing 6-2 after D’Alessio hit a two-out home run with one out in the seventh on a ball that looked like another flyout.

“The ball keeps floating and floating and floating and it goes out,” Schissel said. “That was a spark for us.”

The three batters that followed all reached base with Sebastian Martinez plating another run with an RBI single.

In the eighth, the Hawks loaded the bases with two outs, but Logsdon struck out swinging after fouling three pitches off. In the ninth, a single by Wosman, a walk to Zach Parks and an error loaded the bases. Boynton was hit by a pitch to force in one run, but Napleton struck out and Croes flied out to end the game.

“It was deja vu all over again,” Schissel said.

It made a six-run inning enough for Lewis to hold the lead. After QU starter Griffin Kirn retired the Flyers in order over the first three innings, they rattled him with six consecutive hits, including four doubles, to open the fourth inning. Lewis greeted reliever Cruz Meier with another double.

Meier kept the Flyers in check after that, allowing no runs and no walks over five innings. He struck out three and gave up only four hits.