River Dragons’ walk-off grand slam ends Gems’ season two outs shy of spot in championship series

ALTON, Ill. — The beauty and cruelty of baseball can happen simultaneously, much the way they did Tuesday night.

Although a once six-run lead had been chiseled to three heading to the bottom of the ninth inning, the Quincy Gems were two outs away from advancing to the Prospect League’s best-of-3 championship series.

One swing changed everything.

With one out and a runner on second base, Gems reliever Donovan Prost hit an Alton River Dragons batter and walked the next to load the bases. The right-hander got ahead of designated hitter Erik Broekemeier, throwing strikes on the first two pitches.

But on a third straight fastball from Prost, Broekemeier connected, crushing a grand slam to left-center field as the River Dragons walked off with an 8-7 victory in the Western Conference title game at Lloyd Hopkins Field.

In the Prospect League playoffs for the first time since 2016, the Gems saw their season end with a 32-30 record. The River Dragons (34-28) advance to face the Eastern Conference champion Chillicothe Paints in the championship series beginning Wednesday.

Through six innings, it didn’t appear things would play out in that manner.

The Gems went up 2-0 as catcher Jonathan Latham hit a solo home run in the second inning and left fielder Luke Napleton smacked an RBI triple in the third. After the River Dragons got a run back in the bottom of the third, a three-run fifth inning gave the Gems control.

Napleton, a Quincy University product, singled to drive in the first run and scored on Lucas Loos’ two-run home run to left field. It was the team-leading 11th home run of the summer for Loos, the Payson and John Wood Community College product who is headed to Oakland University.

Alex Harbin, a Quincy High School product playing at Culver-Stockton College, capped the inning with an RBI sacrifice fly.

In the seventh, Harbin’s RBI single gave the Gems a 7-1 lead.

The River Dragons cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the seventh when Eddie King Jr. smacked a three-run home run off Gems reliever Stefan Stockwell.

After stranding two Alton runners in the eighth inning, Stockwell walked the lead off hitter in the ninth and was pulled after a flyout to left field for the only out of the inning. Prost hit King and walked Marcus Huesohn on four straight pitches before allowing the grand slam.

Napleton and Loos each had two hits, while former Quincy University second baseman Dayson Croes went 1 for 4 and ended the season on a 19-game hitting streak.