Walking away a winner: Ritter’s single caps rally as Blue Devils split twinbill with Silver Streaks

QUINCY — Mason Ritter’s water bottle shower was well earned.

With two outs, the bases loaded and the score tied in the bottom of the seventh inning in the nightcap of Saturday’s western Big 6 Conference doubleheader, the Quincy High School baseball team’s sophomore catcher fouled off back-to-back pitches deep in the count to keep hope alive.

Then, on the seventh pitch of the at-bat, Ritter drove a ground ball through the left side of the infield for a walk-off single, driving in Tykell Hammers with the winning run in a 5-4 victory over Galesburg at the QHS field.

The Silver Streaks won the opener 4-0 behind a complete game from Tyree Taylor.

Quincy (7-6, 3-1 WB6) and Galesburg (8-6, 3-1 WB6) are tied for second place in WB6 standings behind Moline (5-6, 3-0 WB6). The Maroons come to Quincy next Saturday for a doubleheader.

Ritter’s single capped a three-run rally for the Blue Devils, who had scored in only one of the previous 13 innings against the Silver Streaks. But trailing 4-2 going into the seventh, Quincy had the top of the lineup coming to the plate.

Evan Sohn led off with a single through the right side of the infield, Kyle Taylor was hit by a pitch and Tykell Hammers singled through the left side of the infield to plate Sohn with the first run of the rally. After a groundout moved both runners into scoring position, Jansen Lawson singled to left field to drive in Taylor with the tying run.

The Silver Streaks intentionally walked designated hitter Nate Konrad before Garrett Smith lined out to left field.

That brought Ritter to the plate to complete the rally.

The Blue Devils collected 13 hits overall as Sohn went 4 for 4 with two runs scored, Lawson finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs and Hammers had two hits.

Taylor pitched the first five innings, allowing one earned run and three hits with nine strikeouts and two walks. Cameron Lawson worked the final two innings, allowing one hit and no runs with one strikeout to earn the victory.

In the first game, Quincy right-hander Brady Lowe and Galesburg righty Tyree Taylor engaged in a pitchers’ duel in which Taylor won. He struck out five, walked one and scattered seven hits over seven shutout innings.

Lowe went 5 ⅔ innings, allowing three runs and five hits with seven strikeouts and four walks. The Silver Streaks scored once in the first inning as Taylor and Jameson Dickerson drew back-to-back walks leading off. Taylor scored with two outs on Braley Burford’s single.

In the third inning, Taylor singled, Dickerson doubled and Brandon Bruington singled to plate one run. The second run of the inning came on Colton Allen’s two-out single.

The Blue Devils had seven hits, including doubles by Konrad and Hammers, but they left eight runners on both, including the bases loaded in the third inning.