Pitching performances by Dance, Connoyer power Raiders to pair of victories at Beardstown tourney

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — A pair of stout pitching performances has the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team back on track.

Tyler Dance struck out a career-high 13 batters in a 5-2 victory over Illini West on Saturday in the Beardstown Tiger Showcase at Robin Lewis Field, while Alex Connoyer tossed five shutout innings in an 11-0 victory over Jacksonville Routt in the third-place game.

The Raiders (10-2) had lost two of their previous three games, including dropping a 9-6 decision to Beardstown in Thursday’s tournament opener.

Against Illini West, the Raiders scored in each of the first four innings. Dalton Miller delivered an RBI single in the first, Jack Linenfelser scored on an error in the second and Harry Oden tripled in the third and scored on Miller’s single.

After the Chargers plated two runs in the top of the fourth, the Raiders came back with two runs in the bottom of the frame as Linenfelser and Ben Kasparie each scored on passed balls.

Dance allowed one earned run and two hits over 5 ⅓ innings, striking out 13 and walking four. He struck out the first nine batters he faced and didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning. Tucker Tollerton struck out three in 1 ⅔ innings of relief. Miller finished 2 for 3 and Michael Stupavsky doubled for QND.

Colby Robertson and Trayton Anders each doubled for the Chargers’ only hits.

Against Routt, Connoyer allowed only a second-inning single, while striking out 10 and walking none, and he was treated to a nine-run second inning to put the Rockets in a 10-run hole.

QND grabbed the lead in the first inning when Miller doubled with two outs and scored on a dropped popup. The first three hitters in the second inning reached safely, with Jake Schisler scoring on a wild pitch. Kasparie and Tollerton delivered RBI singles and Nolan Robb stole home before Miller walked and Connoyer was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

After Oden was hit by a pitch to force in a run, Schisler, who led off the inning with a single, smacked a bases-clearing double. Brady Kindhart singled and Stupavsky hit into a run-scoring fielder’s choice.

Connoyer added an RBI single in the third inning.

In the fifth-place game, Illini West beat Carrollton 17-4, busting the game open with three runs in both the fourth and fifth innings and seven runs in the sixth. Drew Dooley went 2 for 3 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and five RBIs. Carter Chapin went 2 for 4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. The Chargers took advantage of 11 walks.