Against the wind: Gusty conditions cannot deter Raiders from powering up against Blue Devils

Quincy Notre Dame pitcher Jake Schisler, right, covers first base on the backend of a double play as Quincy High School's Joe Schroeder is forced out in the first inning of Tuesday's game at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — The strength of the wind blowing in from center field Tuesday afternoon had every hitter in the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s lineup thinking singles over home runs. “I was just focusing on hitting liners up the middle,” QND right fielder Colin Kurk said.  It seemed like the right approach. “That overall makes…

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Welcome back: Raiders’ energetic, clean effort coincides with first home game in three weeks

Quincy Notre Dame designated hitter Alex Connoyer connects for a three-run home that finished off the Raiders' 12-0, five-inning victory over Central on Friday at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — There aren’t many places that make Tyler Dance feel as comfortable and confident as he does pitching at Ferd Niemann Jr. Ballfield. “That mound is one of my favorites,” the Quincy Notre Dame senior right-hander said. He hadn’t pitched from that mound since the QND baseball team beat Hannibal on April 5. Five…

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‘I had a job to do’: Miller focuses on taming Hannibal’s hitters, not missed opportunity while pushing QND to one-run victory

Quincy Notre Dame right-handed reliever Dalton Miller delivers a pitch during Wednesday's game against Hannibal at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Bob Seger sang it a half-century ago, but the words remain meaningful today. In fact, Dalton Miller carried their theme to the mound with him in the top of the seventh inning Wednesday. Turn the page. Leading Hannibal by a run in the bottom of the sixth inning at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial…

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Photo gallery: QND baseball team muscles up in windy conditions to dispatch Jacksonville

Quincy Notre Dame's Nolan Robb gets out of the way of a wild pitch during Saturday's game against Jacksonville at The Ferd. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Blustery conditions at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield didn’t alter the Quincy Notre Dame baseball players’ approach at the bat. The Raiders simply keep on swinging. QND collected 17 hits, including five for extra bases, in a 19-0 whitewashing of Jacksonville on Saturday. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the action for…

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‘I knew I had to prove myself’: Kenning owns strike zone, Raiders bounce back with complete effort

Quincy Notre Dame junior right-hander Evan Kenning delivers a pitch during Tuesday's 10-2 victory over Palmyra at The Ferd. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Taking the mound one night after four pitchers combined to walk seven batters and uncork five wild pitches in the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s first loss of the season, Evan Kenning knew what he was up against. “The pressure was kind of on to throw strikes,” he said. “I knew I had…

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Photo gallery: QND baseball team bounces back with victory over Palmyra at The Ferd

Quincy Notre Dame's Brady Kindhart slides safely into second base with one of the Raiders' eight stolen bases in Tuesday's 10-2 victory over Palmyra at The Ferd. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Humbled by Monday’s loss to Hersey, the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team responded with Evan Kenning striking out 10 batters over five innings and Brady Kindhart and Alex Connoyer each hitting a home run in Tuesday’s 10-2 victory over Palmyra at The Ferd. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman put together this photo…

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

Quincy Notre Dame catcher Michael Stupavsky, center, heads back to the dugout to celebrate his three-run home run in the first inning of Tuesday's victory over Illini West at The Ferd. | Matt Schuckman photo

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…

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Delivering big blows: Connoyer’s home run helps shift momentum in QND’s favor in regional title game against Beardstown

The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team celebrates its Class 2A regional championship after beating Beardstown 6-2 on Monday at the Ferd. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — The old bully on the postseason playground threatened to derail the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s title quest yet again. That was until a tag and swing knocked Beardstown to its knees. A legendary coaching career went down with it. The Raiders escaped danger in the first inning, tagging out the Tigers’ William…

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Grand entrance: Raiders embark on state title quest with Connoyer’s slam providing boost

Quincy Notre Dame catcher Michael Stupavsky, right, gives starting pitcher Tyler Dance a pat on the back following the first inning Wednesday during the Class 2A QND Regional semifinal against Athens at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Dead red is all Ryan Oden said. It’s all Alex Connoyer needed to hear. After Athens right-hander Davis Ishmael loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning Tuesday by sandwiching a hit batter between two walks, the Quincy Notre Dame baseball coach told his junior shortstop to look for nothing but…

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Raiders stroll their way to 19th consecutive victory by showing patience at plate

Quincy Notre Dame's Tucker Tollerton had two hits, including a single during a three-run first inning, as the Raiders won their 19th consecutive game Wednesday. Matt Schuckman file photo

QUINCY — Patience is a piece of the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s arsenal that often gets overlooked. The ability to not get jumpy at the plate paid major dividends Wednesday. The Raiders capitalized on four walks from Gateway Legacy Christian Academy starter Isaac Rosario in the first inning to score three times and set…

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Sixth-inning rally enables QND baseball team to run winning streak to 18 straight games

Quincy Notre Dame's Jack Linenfelser slides headfirst across home plate to score on a wild pitch with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday against Macomb at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — After Brady Kindhart led off the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday with a double to deep center field, Jack Linenfelser stepped to the plate with one thing in mind. “Put the ball in play,” he said. The Quincy Notre Dame middle infielder did a little more than that. Linenfelser traded places with…

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Dancing in the dark: Raiders showcase energy, enthusiasm and bling while sweeping season series from Blue Devils

Quincy Notre Dame's Denver Bryan slides safely into second base with a stolen base in the second inning of Monday's game against Quincy High School at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Mason Winking’s part-time job at Farm & Home Supply afforded him the opportunity last weekend to pick up some new home run bling for the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team. Little did the Raiders know how significant the upgrade would be. Winking purchased — he used his employee discount, an important fact for…

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Sweet 16: Connoyer’s blast jolts Raiders to life as they sweep pair in running win streak to 16 straight

Quincy Notre Dame's Harry Oden slides safely across home plate on Brady Kindhart's two-run double in the fifth inning of Saturday's 6-0 victory over Hannibal at the Ferd. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — It hasn’t happened often when the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team goes three consecutive innings without scoring. When it happened Saturday against Hannibal, no one fretted. “This year, we’re more mature,” Raiders junior Alex Connoyer said. “We know we can put up six in an inning. We know we can do it like…

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Kindhart stays in ball-meets-barrel groove as QND baseball team keeps piling up victories

Quincy Notre Dame third baseman Brady Kindhart, right, gets a first bump from QND coach Ryan Oden after safely reaching third base during Friday's 13-1 victory over Marceline (Mo.) in the QND/Palmyra Spring Slam at the Ferd. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — With each swing he took, Brady Kindhart sensed he was inching closer to where ball and barrel would meet in harmony. Once that happened, the Quincy Notre Dame junior third baseman has done nothing but string hits together. Friday, he bookended the Raiders’ 14th consecutive victory with sweet-spot connections. Kindhart delivered a run-scoring…

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Raiders continue offensive onslaught as winning streak reaches 13 straight games

Quincy Notre Dame junior Alex Connoyer allowed one hit over five innings in Thursday's 11-0 victory over West Hancock at the Ferd. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — If rain cannot slow the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s offense, what can? Opposing pitchers are asking the same thing. Thursday at the Ferd, the Raiders scored in double digits for the fourth straight game and the 13th time this season while beating West Hancock 11-0. QND has outscored its opponents 49-3 in…

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‘We had a great mood today’: Raiders relish opportunity to play, shut out Panthers

Quincy Notre Dame senior center fielder Ben Kasparie reacts to hitting a two-run home run in the second inning of Friday's game against Central at The Ferd. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Ben Kasparie went to the plate with two outs in the top of the fifth inning Friday needing a triple to complete the cycle. He didn’t allow that to change his approach. Everything stayed simple. “Think about nothing, honestly,” the Quincy Notre Dame senior center fielder said. “A clear mind. Just seeing the…

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Schisler shuts out Blue Devils as Raiders run win streak to seven straight with victory at The Ferd

Quincy Notre Dame shortstop Alex Connoyer, left, checks Quincy High School's Grayson Cook, who was leading off second base during Saturday's game at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — The circumstances which led to the Quincy Notre Dame and Quincy High School baseball teams scrambling to find replacements for Saturday’s scheduled matchups were unfortunate. The final outcome was something both programs can appreciate — another well-pitched, well-played chapter in the city rivalry. Raiders junior right-hander Jake Schisler outdueled Blue Devils senior Noah…

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Photo gallery: Quincy Notre Dame, Quincy High School square off in baseball at The Ferd

Quincy High School's Joe Schroeder watches a pitch during Saturday's game against Quincy Notre Dame at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Because of scheduling conflicts with their scheduled opponents, the Quincy Notre Dame and Quincy High School baseball teams both were searching for an opponent for Saturday. So they played each other at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the action and here’s a gallery of his images:

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QND exacts revenge for loss to Beardstown as Dance shuts down Tigers’ offense

Quincy Notre Dame's Dalton Miller slides safely headfirst into second base on a passed ball in the fifth inning of Thursday's game against Beardstown at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Dalton Miller knew there’d never be a snowball effect. Still, responding quickly and succinctly to last week’s three-run loss at Beardstown was vitally important for the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team to ensure such sour taste would be swished away for good. Winning four games in six days and capping it with a…

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Raiders strike first knowing potential regional rematch with Saukees looms

Quincy Notre Dame coach Ryan Oden waves home Tucker Tollerton with the only run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning Monday against Pittsfield. Tollerton scored on on a two-out single to left off the bat of Harry Oden. David Adam photo

QUINCY — The gamesmanship is officially underway. There’s a good chance Quincy Notre Dame and Pittsfield could meet again in the Class 2A baseball postseason. That’s what made Monday’s matchup between the longtime rivals that much more interesting. QND pulled out a 1-0 victory on a crisp April afternoon at wind-swept Ferd Niemann Memorial Ballfield,…

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