Raiders walk off with victory as all three runs in seventh-inning rally score on bases-loaded walks

QUINCY — Patience is a virtue the Quincy Notre Dame baseball players took to heart Monday.

Trailing Rushville-Industry by two runs going to the bottom of the seventh inning at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield, the Raiders put themselves in position to rally by loading the bases with one out.

Abram Wiewel reached on an error, Evan Kenning was hit by a pitch and Nolan Robb singled. Ethan Rose walked on four consecutive pitches, forcing in a run that cut the deficit in half. Samuel Klauser fell behind in the count but patiently took three consecutive balls to draw a walk and force in the tying run.

Cale Linenfleser followed by watching three straight pitches miss the zone after a 1-1 count as his walk forced in Robb with the winning run in a 5-4 victory.

Logan Sutton, who led off the bottom of the first inning with a walk, scored on a wild pitch with one out in the frame to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead. They made it 2-0 in the fourth when Rose led off with a double, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Linenfelser’s sacrifice.

The Rockets rallied, scoring twice in the fifth on an RBI triple and a run-scoring sacrifice fly. In the sixth, Rushville took the lead with an RBI double and a wild pitch that allowed a run to score.

But Rushville’s struggles finding the strike zone negated that rally. Three Rocket pitchers combined to walk eight, hit a batter, uncork three wild pitches and allow seven hits. Wiewel led QND’s attack by going 3 for 4 with a double.

Kenning pitched the first five innings, allowing four runs on five hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Robb pitched the final two innings, allowing one hit with four strikeouts to earn the victory as the Raiders improved to 5-8.