Harbin’s solid start propels Gems to road victory after losing completion of suspended game

BURLINGTON, Iowa — Noah Harbin didn’t allow the way the Quincy Gems’ night began to affect the way it ended.

That was back in the win column.

The Gems finished a suspended game prior to Monday’s regularly scheduled contest with the Burlington Bees at Community Field, losing 5-4 in 10 innings as the Bees scored with one out in the bottom of the extra frame. It was the Gems’ third loss in their last four games.

The right-handed Harbin, a Quincy High School graduate, made that a quick memory as he worked five solid innings, allowing two earned runs and four hits in picking up his third victory of the summer with an 8-3 triumph.

Harbin worked around a one-out walk in the first inning and wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam with one out in the second as he got a strikeout and a flyball to left field. After allowing two runs in the third, Harbin walked the leadoff hitting in the fourth, but retired the next three batters in sequence. 

In the fifth, a two-out single and an error put two runners on base, but Harbin ended the threat with a groundout. He struck out three and walked four in a 91-pitch effort.

The Gems backed him with quality run support. Jaison Andujar had a two-out, two-run single in the first inning and added an RBI sacrifice fly in the third. In the fourth, a pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt put two runners in scoring position with one out. Jordan Scott and Jimmy Koza followed with back-to-back RBI singles.

Kyle Hvidsten then roped a two-run single to center field to make it 7-2. Lucas Loos added an RBI double in the sixth.

Scott, Koza, Hvidsten, Loos and Andujar each had two hits as part of a 14-hit attack.

Stefan Stockwell pitched the final two innings, allowing one earned run while striking out one and walking one.

In the resumption of the suspended game, which was halted in the top of the 10th inning tied at 4 when lightning led to rain, the Gems were unable to score despite getting runners to second and third base as Bees reliever Jake Jakubowski struck out three in the frame.

In the bottom of the 10th, starting with a runner on second base per extra-inning rules, the Bees used a groundout to push the runner to third. A pair of intentional walks loaded the bases before Caleb Wulf singled to left field to drive in the winning run.

Quincy is now 8-7 in the second half of the Prospect League season and sits in second place in the Great River Division, a half-game ahead of Burlington (7-7). The Gems are at home Wednesday against the Clinton LumberKings before going on a four-game road trip.