Stupavsky, Raiders get charge out of opening season with first-inning outburst

QUINCY — As much as he felt like he barreled the ball and put a legitimate charge into it, Michael Stupavsky could tell where it was headed.

Foul territory.

“After I hit that one, I wanted that back,” the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s senior catcher said of the ball he hit in the first inning Tuesday against Illini West that had home run distance but carried wide of the left-field foul pole.

Opportunity struck the very next pitch.

Stupavsky jumped on another fastball from Chargers left-hander Nick Bruns and drove it deep to left field for a three-run home run, highlighting a seven-run first inning that carried the Raiders to an 8-3 victory in the season opener at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield.

“It felt amazing,” Stupavsky said.

So did getting the season started the right way. The Raiders had two games scheduled for last Saturday canceled due to cold weather, and the forecast has put Wednesday’s game at Payson Seymour in jeopardy. So when a window of opportunity arose to play Illini West, they snared it.

“We all definitely had a few nerves coming into today, but a good win to get the season going will have us prepared for the next few games,” said senior left fielder Jake Schisler, who led off the bottom of the first inning with a single and went 3 for 3. “Pitchers, hitters, everyone settled in.”

Facing a one-run deficit following the top of the first inning grabbed everyone’s attention.

The Chargers sandwiched Colby Robertson’s double between two walks to load the bases against Raiders starter Evan Kenning. Following a strikeout, Reece Shoup was hit by a pitch to force in a run before Kenning struck out the next batters to wriggle out of the jam.

The Raiders wasted no time getting the offense going. Schisler singled and Tucker Tollerton was hit by a pitch ahead of Dalton MIller’s two-run double to left-center field. A walk and an error got another run home, and one out later, Stupavsky homered.

Colin Kurk’s two-out walk and stolen base allowed him to score the final run of the frame on Schisler’s single to center field.

“We had some good at-bats in there,” said QND coach Rich Polak, who earned his first victory as the Raiders’ skipper. “It was a good response. I would have like to have seen us score a few more runs after that, but I still thought we had good at-bats.”

More importantly, they came up and down the lineup.

Jack Linenfelser went 2 for 3 with two doubles and a run scored hitting in the sixth spot, while Stupavsky went 2 for 3 with four RBIs in the seventh spot. Kurk added a single at the bottom of the order.

“That goes to show that we can score runs without everyone up and down the lineup having a day,” Polak said. “I told them that’s going to happen. There are enough guys in this lineup that you don’t have to worry about one or two or maybe three guys carrying you. You have dudes up and down the lineup. There are guys on the bench who didn’t play today who can swing it too.”

There’s depth to the pitching staff as well.

Kenning lasted 2 ⅓ innings, allowing two runs and four hits with five strikeouts and four walks. Sophomore right-hander Abram Wiewel made his varsity debut in relief, allowing one run and six hits over 3 ⅔ innings with five strikeouts and one walk to earn the victory.

“We threw him to fire and he handled it well,” Polak said of Wiewel. “He’ll get more chances.”