Blue Devils open WB6 baseball slate with doubleheader sweep of Rocks

QUINCY — Two big swings and two quality pitching performances gave the Quincy High School baseball team a leg up in the first Western Big 6 Conference doubleheader of the spring.

The Blue Devils swept Rock Island on Saturday, winning the opener 6-1 behind Grayson Cook’s fifth-inning grand slam and completing the sweep with a 7-1 victory as Blake Bunch delivered a three-run homer in the first inning.

Quincy improved to 5-4 overall and 2-0 in the WB6.

In the first game, QHS senior right-hander Noah Harbin set the tone by striking out two of the three batters he faced in the top of the first. A two-out rally in the bottom of the frame put the Blue Devils in control for the remainder of the game.

Luke Mettemeyer’s single to right field got the rally going before Grayson Cook was hit by a pitch. Harbin followed with a double that drove in Mettemeyer, and Cook scurried home on an errant throw for the 2-0 advantage.

In the fifth, the Blue Devils’ Logan Eaton led off with a walk, Conner Schwindeler reached on an error and Mettemeyer walked to load the bases. On the first pitch of the next at-bat, Cook blasted a grand slam to left field for a 6-0 advantage.

That was more than enough for Harbin, who worked six scoreless innings to grab the victory. He struck out nine, walked four and allowed two hits. Joe Schroeder pitched the seventh, surrendering a one-out walk and a two-out double to lead to the Rocks’ lone run.

Schwindeler, Mettemeyer and Cook each had two hits.

In the nightcap, the Rocks seized the lead immediately as Dylan Martin jacked a solo home run one out into the first inning. The Blue Devils had no trouble answering.

Eaton walked leading off, Schwindeler singled and Mettemeyer delivered an RBI single. One out later, Harbin had an RBI single, and two batters later, Brady Walker drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Bunch punctuated the six-run outburst with a three-run home run to left field.

QHS added a run in the sixth on Eaton’s RBI double.

Schwindeler, Raulin Zanger and the defense did the rest. Schwindeler worked six innings, allowing one run and two hits with five strikeouts and four walks. Zanger pitched the seventh, giving up a single and no damage, while the Blue Devils were errorless in the field.

Kenny Taylor, Mettemeyer and Harbin had two hits apiece.