Posts Tagged ‘Prep baseball’
Against the wind: Gusty conditions cannot deter Raiders from powering up against Blue Devils
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…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND baseball team hits three homers in crosstown battle with QHS
QUINCY — The first of two meetings between the Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame baseball teams in a seven-day span featured surprising power, incredible patience and lopsided outcome rarely seen in this series. The Raiders hit three home runs, capitalized on seven walks and rolled to a 16-1, four-inning victory Tuesday at Ferd…
Read MoreA Wink and a knock: Raiders celebrate Senior Day with enjoyable effort in shutout of Hornets
QUINCY — With the way their class schedule works, a majority of the seniors on the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team typically hit the field for practice shortly after 1:30 p.m., giving them the opportunity to squeeze every ounce of enjoyment from every day together. “This is their time,” QND coach Rich Polak said. So…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND baseball team celebrates Senior Day with all 10 seniors in lineup
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team did more than recognize its 10 seniors prior to Monday’s game against Brown County at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. The Raiders saw those seniors and their moms dance. The senior moms choreographed a dance, which they did on the turf infield following the introduction of the…
Read MoreHammers time: QHS sophomore hits walk-off grand slam, drives in nine runs in WB6 sweep
QUINCY — Trailing by 10 runs heading to the bottom of the third inning Saturday, the Quincy High School baseball team systematically started a comeback. The rally ended in grand fashion. The Blue Devils scored six runs in the third inning, twice more in the sixth and two more times in the seventh to send…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QHS baseball team scores 30 runs in sweeping Sterling in WB6 doubleheader
QUINCY — The Quincy High School baseball team ended the first half of Saturday’s Western Big 6 Conference doubleheader with Sterling in four innings. The Blue Devils made up for it in the nightcap, needing nine innings to walk off with a 14-10 victory and the sweep. Photographer Samantha Carmean captured these images from the…
Read MoreWelcome back: Raiders’ energetic, clean effort coincides with first home game in three weeks
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…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND baseball team returns home to face Central in WCC diamond duel
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team returned to Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield on Friday after being on the road for 10 games over 20 days. The Raiders won all 10 of those games, and Friday, they scored a 12-0, five-inning victory over Camp Point Central to push their winning streak to 17…
Read MoreRaiders ready to come home after winning 10 consecutive road games
KAHOKA, Mo. — The long road home is finally over, and the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team has no blemishes to show from its travels. The Raiders capped a string of 10 consecutive road games with Tuesday’s 12-1 victory over Clark County in which they put together a pair of five-run innings and received another…
Read MoreRaiders rally to take kick out of upstart Mustangs and run winning streak to 15 straight
MENDON, Ill. — The Unity baseball team put Quincy Notre Dame in an unfamiliar spot. The Raiders trailed by two runs through three innings Monday. An offense that has pushed QND into this week’s Prep Baseball Report top 25 state poll wouldn’t let the deficit linger. The Raiders scored three times in the fourth inning,…
Read MoreBaker’s dozen: QND baseball team runs win streak to 13 straight with WCC victory at Payson
PAYSON, Ill. — It’s not only the top of the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s lineup that can inflict pain on opposing defenses. The bottom half of the order is feisty as well. Saturday, in a West Central Conference matchup, the final five batters combined for eight hits, three doubles and nine RBIs in a…
Read MoreHighs and Lowe: Blue Devils finish week on four-game win streak, climb back to .500 mark
QUINCY — The reality of where the week began made Blake Bunch sigh. “Monday,” he said, “we were four games under .500.” It’s not how the Quincy High School baseball team’s week ended. The Blue Devils went on the road and scored midweek victories at New Berlin and Macomb and finished off a perfect five-day…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QHS baseball team sweeps WB6 doubleheader from Alleman
QUINCY — An aggressive approach on the base paths and the willingness to be patient at the plate enabled the Quincy High School baseball team to sweep a Western Big 6 Conference doubleheader from Rock Island Alleman on Friday, winning 14-4 and 10-0 at QU Stadium. The Blue Devils have won four consecutive games to…
Read MorePatience at plate allows Raiders to keep good times rolling offensively
CARTHAGE, Ill. — As potent as the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s lineup is, the Raiders must also show a little bit of patience. Friday, with the wind gusting in from center field and taking away the opportunity to drive the ball deep, the Raiders relied on their ability to work counts, move runners and…
Read MoreDance hurls one-hit shutout as Raiders blast another potential postseason foe
BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team delivered a strong message to a potential regional opponent Thursday afternoon. The Raiders are ready to Dance. Behind a one-hit shutout by right-hander Tyler Dance and a dominant effort from the top of the batting order, the Raiders rolled to a 13-0, five-inning victory over Beardstown…
Read MoreRaiders, Chargers open Tiger Showcase with victories, will go head-to-head Saturday
BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team didn’t record a hit until the fifth batter of the first inning Friday against Carrollton in the opening game of the Beardstown Tiger Showcase and had only two hits in the inning thereafter. The Raiders still scored 12 runs in the frame. Capitalizing on walks, hit…
Read MorePirates outlast Blue Devils as Hoskins drives in winning run in bottom of 10th inning
HANNIBAL, Mo. — No one wanted to go home, not until every last opportunity to score had been exhausted. That explains why the Hannibal baseball team’s 15-14 victory over Quincy High School at Veterans Field on Wednesday took 10 innings and 3 hours, 45 minutes to complete. Ultimately, a ground ball by Pirates freshman Tre…
Read MoreRaiders rack up hits in six-inning victory over Saukees
PITTSFIELD, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team just keeps hitting. The Raiders collected 12 hits, scored in four of the six innings played Wednesday and rolled to a 14-4 victory over Pittsfield. The Raiders have scored 10 or more runs in eight of their 12 games this season and have collected 10 or…
Read MoreMaroons continue WB6 diamond dominance, beat Blue Devils to remain unbeaten in league play
QUINCY — Craig Schimmel is no physician, but his diagnosis was spot on. “We had about a five-minute stretch that was uncharacteristic for us,” the Moline baseball coach said. “We looked like we were brain dead out there.” Yes, the bottom of the third inning proved to be a bit testy for the Maroons, but…
Read MoreKurk’s first career home run is grandiose as Raiders open lengthy road trip with shutout
RUSHVILLE, Ill. — Colin Kurk’s home-run trot got interrupted. The No. 9 hitter in the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s lineup, Kurk cracked what everyone believed to be a grand slam to left-center field in the top of the fifth inning Monday against Rushville-Industry. However, he pulled up rounding second as one umpire called it…
Read MoreSaukees capitalize on new life in seventh, score three times to upend Blue Devils
QUINCY — An overturned call gave the Pittsfield baseball team new life, and the Saukees took advantage of it. With the game tied and two outs in the top of the seventh inning, Pittsfield’s Justin Pennock was called out at first base after hitting a ground ball to Quincy High School shortstop Blake Bunch. However,…
Read MorePower-packed punch: Tollerton’s opposite-field home run ignites Raiders’ response to early deficit in victory over Titans
QUINCY — No one associated with the Quincy Notre Dame baseball program realized the left-handed hitting Tucker Tollerton had enough pop in his bat to drive a ball over Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield’s high fence in left field. Not even Tollerton himself. “I didn’t think I had that much power the opposite way,” he…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND exacts measure of revenge with victory over Chatham Glenwood
QUINCY — A six-run loss to Chatham Glenwood last April was one of only three setbacks the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team suffered last season. That didn’t sit well with the Raiders. Saturday, a five-run first inning propelled the Raiders to a 9-5 victory over the Titans at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. “We had…
Read More‘I had a job to do’: Miller focuses on taming Hannibal’s hitters, not missed opportunity while pushing QND to one-run victory
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…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND, Hannibal baseball teams square off in one-run game
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s 4-3 victory over Hannibal on Wednesday at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield proved neither is going to be an easy out in the postseason, not when solid pitching and opportunistic play offensively are at the core. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the action from Wednesday’s…
Read MoreSixth-inning rally, seventh-inning drama ends in victory for QHS baseball team
QUINCY — A seven-run outburst in the sixth inning allowed the Quincy High School baseball team to survive a tumultuous seventh inning and earn an 11-8 victory over Granite CIty on Wednesday at the QHS field. The Blue Devils (4-3) have won three of their last four games to climb above the .500 mark. Quincy…
Read MoreJWCC Prairie State Profile: Eagles’ Deege plays vital role in helping younger teammates grow
LIBERTY, Ill. — Landon Deege understands the reality the Liberty baseball team is facing. “We’re young, but we’re growing,” the senior said. With that comes the ups and downs of inexperience. The Eagles have won one game to date — a 1-0 victory over Illini West in which Jackson Sims struck out eight over five…
Read MoreRaiders find success can be blowing in the wind with another offensive outburst
QUINCY — Put on a pitch limit Saturday, Quincy Notre Dame right-hander Tyler Dance knew he needed to be efficient and aggressive. Being backed by a born-to-hit lineup made that easy. Dance threw three scoreless innings, his teammates collected 17 hits and the QND baseball team capped a run-filled week with a 19-0, four-inning victory…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND baseball team muscles up in windy conditions to dispatch Jacksonville
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…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QHS baseball, softball teams play side-by-side with home games
QUINCY — The Quincy High School baseball team finally got the chance to play at home Thursday, while the QHS softball team dove into Western Big 6 Conference play in its own backyard. The baseball team improved to 2-2 with a 15-0 victory over Palmyra featuring Evan Sohn and Joe Schroeder setting the stage at…
Read More‘I knew I had to prove myself’: Kenning owns strike zone, Raiders bounce back with complete effort
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…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND baseball team bounces back with victory over Palmyra at The Ferd
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…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QHS baseball team suffers loss at Belleville West
BELLEVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy High School baseball team made strides. One week after suffering a 9-0 loss to Belleville West, the Blue Devils squared off with the Maroons again Wednesday afternoon and suffered a 5-2 loss after allowing four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Quincy led 2-1 going to the bottom…
Read MoreStupavsky, 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…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND baseball team opens season with victory over Illini West
QUINCY — A seven-run outburst in the bottom of the first inning, three-plus innings of relief from a sophomore right-hander making his varsity debut and the first victory for new Quincy Notre Dame baseball coach Rich Polak made Tuesday’s game against Illini West complete. The Raiders won 8-3 at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield, and…
Read MoreChampionship aspirations: Depth, talent, know-how give QND baseball players confidence they can chase state title
QUINCY — Dalton Miller admits the luxury of experience and camaraderie enjoyed by the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team can get taken for granted. “We’ve been playing together for so long it’s a security I’ve become numb to almost,” the senior first baseman said. “Sometimes I can’t say I appreciate the security of my teammates…
Read MoreTough start defensively as QHS baseball team falls in season opener on road
BELLEVILLE, Ill. — Struggles defensively put the Quincy High School baseball team in a precarious position Wednesday. The Blue Devils committed eight errors, leading to nine unearned runs, as they dropped their season opener 9-0 to Belleville West. The Maroons managed just five hits, but three came in the pivotal fourth inning when two errors…
Read MoreWith baseball in his blood, Polak brings passion to new role as QND’s skipper
QUINCy — Rich Polak was where you’d expect him to be on a wintry Thursday night. Throwing pitches and teaching swing mechanics. “Baseball is my life,” he said. It’s his livelihood and his passion, too. So for the owner of Complete Game Training Academy, coaching the game comes naturally. His fit as the new Quincy…
Read More‘You don’t get that time back’: Oden resigns as QND baseball coach to put family first
QUINCY — Before Ryan Oden left his house Thursday morning for a meeting with the Quincy Notre Dame baseball players, his wife, Deb, wanted to know he was comfortable with his decision to resign as the Raiders head coach. “She asked, ‘Are you sure?’” Oden said. “And I told her I am.” With his son…
Read MoreSchuckman: Return of prep all-star game showcases everything great about baseball
HANNIBAL, Mo. — It started with a selfie and ended with a shower. Everything happening in between helped ensure Saturday night’s eighth installment of the Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game — the first since 2019 — became a full-tilt celebration of high school baseball. From bunts to bad hops, knee-bending curveballs to wild throws, and…
Read MorePhoto gallery: Missouri beats Illinois 7-4 in all-star baseball game at Clemens Field
HANNIBAL, Mo. — Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent Saturday night at Clemens Field as the eighth Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star baseball game unfolded. Here is a gallery of the images he collected both on the field and in the stands:
Read MoreReturn of Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game comes with bevy of talent from both sides of Mississippi
HANNIBAL, Mo. — Like nearly every other big event during the summer of 2020, the Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star baseball game fell victim to a global pandemic. But Kevin and Aaron Peters, the Monroe City father-son duo who are the braintrust and the legs behind this event, never lost faith the game could return in…
Read MoreHornets’ Blakeley, Raiders’ Miller pick up all-state accolades from IHSBCA
QUINCY — It’s only fitting the final two area baseball teams left standing in the Land of Lincoln were honored with spots on the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association all-state teams. Brown County senior center fielder/pitcher Gabe Blakeley and Quincy Notre Dame junior first baseman/pitcher Dalton Miller were named to the Class 1A and…
Read MoreCrim: Hornets’ season to remember caps school year filled with success from start to finish
It was nearly the perfect ending to a magical high school sports season. Brown County was the sixth team in the Muddy River Sports area to play for a state championship during the 2021-22 school year when it took the field Saturday against Louisville North Clay in the Illinois Class 1A baseball state finals in…
Read More‘We hit them right at ’em’: Hornets see state title aspirations snuffed out by Cardinals’ defense
PEORIA, Ill. — These weren’t Texas leaguers, nubbers or Punch-and-Judy pokes coming off the bats of the Brown County baseball players. “There weren’t a lot of balls hit soft,” first baseman Mason Henry said. “Every ball was hit on the screws.” Too often, though, they were within the reach of the Louisville North Clay outfielders.…
Read MoreSchuckman: Support of Brown County community helps Hornets see journey and legacy matter more than final outcome
PEORIA, Ill. — Disappointment lingered, but only for so long. By the time the Brown County baseball players cleaned up their dugout and made their way to the grassy berm in the right-field corner, the green-clad wave of Hornets fans who had invaded Dozer Park on Saturday were ready to fete their conquering heroes. The…
Read MorePhoto gallery: Brown County baseball team takes second at Class 1A state tournament
PEORIA, Ill. — The traffic along Highway 24 between Peoria and Mount Sterling was steady late Saturday afternoon. After all, most of Mount Sterling made the trek to River City in order to watch the Brown County baseball team play for the Class 1A state championship. Although the Hornets lost 12-4 to Louisville North Clay…
Read MoreSchuck on a Truck: Brown County baseball team celebrates memorable season
MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — The Brown County baseball team reached historic heights during the 2022 season. The Hornets went 28-5, setting the program’s single-season record for victories. They won the first sectional title in program history and became the first team in any sport at Brown County to reach a state final four. After finishing…
Read MoreChampionship dreams: Hornets wriggle out of seventh-inning jam, win state semifinal
PEORIA, Ill. — The tension gripping the Brown County baseball team’s dugout and its legion of fans in the stands apparently wasn’t being felt by those on the field. “I was calm the entire time,” shortstop Colby Wort said. “I had my whole belief in our pitchers and our fielders.” Hornets center fielder Gabe Blakeley’s…
Read MoreHornets finish off Blakeley’s record-setting victory with faith, belief in each other
PEORIA, Ill. — After a bunt single loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh inning, Ottawa Marquette freshman center fielder Julian Alexander thought the Crusaders had put Brown County in a precarious spot. He even told Hornets shortstop Colby Wort so. “I thought it was pretty funny,” Wort said. “He’s…
Read MorePhoto gallery: Brown County beats Ottawa Marquette in Class 1A baseball state semifinals
PEORIA, Ill. — The Brown County baseball team snared the lead in the first inning, extended it in the third inning and never relinquished it in beating Ottawa Marquette 2-1 in the Class 1A state semifinals Friday at Dozer Park. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the atmosphere and action on and off the…
Read MoreSchuck on a Truck: Brown County baseball coach Jared Hoots talks historic postseason run
MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — The Brown County baseball team will be making the program’s first appearance in the state final four Friday when it faces Ottawa Marquette at 10 a.m. at Peoria’s Dozer Park in the Class 1A state semifinals. Hornets coach Jared Hoots sat down with Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman for an…
Read MoreBrown County pours heart and soul into supporting its state-bound baseball team
MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — A slow drive down Main Street on Wednesday night — the way the posted speed limit intends it — allowed onlookers and gawkers to witness what community spirit truly is. Outside Hagel 1891, a modern American cuisine restaurant located next to Dorothy’s Market in the historic Hagel building, had green and…
Read MoreNo interfering with history: Hornets snuff out Hawks’ seventh-inning threat to reach state finals for first time ever
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Everyone in the Brown County baseball team’s dugout and those on the field could see Carrollton’s Grant Pohlman looming in the on-deck circle and casting a rather sizable shadow over the Claude Kracik Field grass. “We knew he was coming up and we knew what he had done to us,” Hornets catcher…
Read MoreBrown County pitcher’s bulldogged nature guides Hornets to program’s biggest victory ever
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Brown County baseball coach Jared Hoots struggled a little to come up with an apt description for Colby Wort’s effort. “He is a competitive animal,” Hoot said. “Whatever adjective you want to use, go for it. The slang would be a dog. Some people say a competitive fire. I don’t know what…
Read MorePhoto gallery: Brown County beats Carrollton in Class 1A baseball super-sectional
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Brown County baseball team made history Monday, beating Carrollton 4-3 in the Class 1A Springfield Super-Sectional at Lincoln Land Community College’s Claude Kracik Field to advance to the state final four for the first time ever. The Hornets are guaranteed to bring home the first state trophy in school history. Muddy…
Read MoreStandalone: Brown County’s Hoots and Wort celebrate super-sectional victory
Left-handed hurler ruins QND baseball team’s win streak, championship dreams
PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — With his Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s season on the line Saturday afternoon, Raiders coach Ryan Oden knew all hope wasn’t lost. The Raiders trailed Maroa-Forsyth by five runs going into the bottom of the seventh inning of a Class 2A sectional championship game at Reiser Field. “I knew we had…
Read MoreEdwardsville’s powerful lineup knocks QHS baseball team out in regional championship game
ALTON, Ill. — Powered by the top three hitters in its lineup, the Edwardsville baseball team outmuscled Quincy High School in Saturday’s Class 4A Alton Regional championship. Grant Huebner, Spencer Stearns and Riley Iffrig went a combined 8 for 11 with two home runs, three doubles and six RBIs to send the top-seeded Tigers to…
Read MoreBlue Devils’ Schroeder doesn’t wait until seventh to deliver game-winning RBI single
ALTON, Mo. — Walk-off Joe didn’t get the opportunity to end the Quincy High School baseball team’s regional victory in heroic fashion So junior second baseman Joe Schroeder settled for a game-winning hit an inning earlier. Following Noah Harbin’s two-out triple in the sixth inning of Thursday’s Class 4A Alton Regional semifinal at Lloyd Hopkins…
Read MoreBlakeley, Hornets move step closer to championship dreams with sectional semifinal victory
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Gabe Blakeley merely said out loud what the rest of the Brown County players were thinking to themselves. When the time arrives for the Hornets to leave the baseball field for the final time this spring, they want to be carrying one thing with them. “The state championship trophy,” Blakeley said. Thanks…
Read MoreSuccess on pitch, baseball diamond leads to All-WB6 honors for Blue Devils
QUINCY — To the winner go the spoils. So it’s only fitting the Quincy High School girls soccer team landed the most players of any program on the All-Western Big 6 Conference teams. The Blue Devils placed three on the first team, two on the second team and five on honorable mention after they went…
Read MoreSchuckman: QND baseball fans indulge in ‘Bacon’ to keep winning ways alive
PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — Everybody likes bacon, right? That’s undoubtedly true of the Quincy Notre Dame baseball players’ parents, grandparents and fans. But if you’re thinking it’s the sizzle-in-the-frying-pan kind of pork product they are so enamored with, you’d be sorely mistaken. In this case, “Bacon” is their good luck charm, a 4-inch crocheted, stuffed…
Read MoreRiding the storm out: QND baseball team beats rain, Shelbyville to earn spot in sectional championship game
PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — The darkening clouds rolling in from the northeast mimicked the situation the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team faced. Ominous, very ominous. “I kept looking over my shoulder and seeing those clouds coming closer and closer to the point you see the line of rain at the right-field fence,” said Jack Linenfelser,…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND baseball team vs. Shelbyville in Class 2A sectional semifinals
PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team ran its winning streak to 23 consecutive games and improved to 32-2 — the second-most single-season victories in program history — with Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over Shelbyville in the Class 2A sectional semifinals at Reiser Field. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the Raiders’…
Read MoreDelivering big blows: Connoyer’s home run helps shift momentum in QND’s favor in regional title game against Beardstown
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…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND baseball team beats Beardstown for Class 2A regional championship
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team kept the good times rolling, winning its 22nd consecutive game with a 6-2 victory over Beardstown in the Class 2A regional championship at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. Took a look at how Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the action through his camera lens:
Read MoreRegional championship gives Henry, Brown County’s seniors perfect sendoff
MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — Mason Henry’s last day as a high school senior received the perfect punctuation. Moments after exiting Brown County High School for the last time as a student, the left-hander pitched the Hornets baseball team to a Class 1A regional championship — on his home field, no less. Henry was in complete…
Read MoreScoreboard for Wednesday, May 18
Prep baseball At Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield, Quincy Class 2A QND Regional Quincy Notre Dame 13, Athens 3. Click here for the story and photo gallery. At Maroa, Ill. Class 2A Maroa-Forsyth Regional Williamsville 6, Pittsfield 4: A five-run third inning by the Bullets put the Saukees in a bind, and they couldn’t complete…
Read MoreTallman delivers on mound and at plate to guide Palmyra to district baseball championship
SHELBINA, Mo. — It didn’t take long for the Palmyra baseball team to take control. The challenge was to keep it. Ethan Tallman and a stout bullpen made sure that was never a worry. Tallman worked the first five innings of Wednesday’s Class 3 District 6 championship game, surrendering one unearned run while striking seven.…
Read MoreGrand entrance: Raiders embark on state title quest with Connoyer’s slam providing boost
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…
Read MoreRaiders’ Oden discovers passion for baseball while growing up around the game
QUINCY — It might not have seemed out of the ordinary to any of the Quincy Gems players to have the 9-year-old son of their pitching coach running around the outfield with them shagging baseballs. Those moments, though, turned out to be priceless. Nearly a decade later, everyone sees why. Quincy Notre Dame left fielder…
Read MoreScoreboard for Tuesday, May 17
Girls soccer At Advance Physical Therapy Field, Quincy Class 1A QND Sectional Quincy Notre Dame 6, Piasa Southwestern 0. Click here for the story. At Kahok Stadium, Collinsville, Ill. Class 3A Collinsville Regional Edwardsville 1, Quincy High School 0. Click here for the story. At St. Peters, Mo. Class 3 District 4 Duchesne 3, Hannibal…
Read MoreScoreboard for Monday, May 16
Prep baseball At Wentzville, Mo. Class 5 District 4 Hannibal 6, North Point 1: Pirates right-hander Aaris Stolte fashioned a five-hitter, allowing just one unearned run as fourth-seeded Hannibal advanced to the district semifinals. The Pirates (19-11) will face top-seeded Fort Zumwalt East at 1 p.m. Tuesday. Stolte struck out three and walked three. He…
Read MoreRaiders play home run derby in final regular season game, run win streak to 20 straight
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Just in case anyone in the Class 2A Pleasant Plains Sectional showed up Saturday at Jacksonville Routt to get a peek at what the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team is capable of doing, the Raiders provided plenty of food for thought. Namely, the Raiders made them ask: How do you stop this…
Read MoreScoreboard for Wednesday, May 11
Prep baseball At Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield, Quincy Quincy Notre Dame 12, Gateway Legacy Christian Academy 2. Click here for the story. At QHS field, Quincy Quincy High School 9, Unity 0: Junior right-hander Joe Schroeder fashioned a one-hitter, while striking out nine and walking one. The Mustangs loaded the bases in the second…
Read MoreRaiders stroll their way to 19th consecutive victory by showing patience at plate
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…
Read MoreDancing in the dark: Raiders showcase energy, enthusiasm and bling while sweeping season series from Blue Devils
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…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND, QHS baseball teams meet for third time this season in crosstown showdown
QUINCY — A barrage of hits and runs in the first two innings of Monday night’s crossdown showdown between the Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame baseball teams ended, and the game became a battle of zeroes until the lights went out with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. Sports Editor…
Read MoreScoreboard for Saturday, May 7
Girls soccer At Jefferson City, Mo. Quincy High School 5, Jefferson City Helias 0: Sophomore forward Taylor Routh and freshman midfielder Sydney Welsh each scored two goals as the Blue Devils closed the regular season with a victory. Mariah Crist also scored a goal for QHS, which is 12-6-1 overall heading into the Class 3A…
Read MoreSchroeder’s seventh-inning heroics allow Blue Devils to split WB6 doubleheader
QUINCY — Joe Schroeder played the hero in the first game of Saturday’s Western Big 6 Conference doubleheader. The Quincy High School baseball team needed another one in the nightcap. The Blue Devils took the opener against Geneseo 2-1 as Schroeder delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning. In the nightcap,…
Read MoreSweet 16: Connoyer’s blast jolts Raiders to life as they sweep pair in running win streak to 16 straight
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…
Read MoreKindhart stays in ball-meets-barrel groove as QND baseball team keeps piling up victories
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…
Read MoreJWCC Show-Me Spotlight: Scott’s presence looms large behind plate for Pirates
HANNIBAL, Mo. — Keaton Scott knows his frame doesn’t fit the prototype for a catcher, especially not one planning to play at the NCAA Division II level. Experience has taught him being 5-foot-7 doesn’t matter. “It’s all about how hard you work,” the Hannibal catcher said. His work ethic is unmatched. Scott is one of…
Read MoreRaiders continue offensive onslaught as winning streak reaches 13 straight games
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…
Read MoreScoreboard for Tuesday, May 3
Girls soccer At Rock Island, Ill. Quincy High School 4, Rock Island 1: The Blue Devils snared the lead on Rian Moore’s goal with 11 minutes remaining in the first half and built a four-goal advantage in the second half to finish the Western Big 6 Conference season with a 7-0 record. Taylor Routh, who…
Read MoreScoreboard for Monday, May 2
Girls soccer At Springfield, Ill. Quincy Notre Dame 1, Springfield 0: The Raiders rebounded from a pair of losses in a tournament in Burlington, Iowa, last Saturday with a stingy defensive effort against the Senators. QND grabbed the lead with less than eight minutes remaining in the first half as freshman Makalya Patton ran onto…
Read More20/20 vision: Raiders win 11th straight game to reach 20-victory plateau
MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — The ability to produce in every spot in the order is what has made the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team a 20-win season. A never-say-die attitude has done the same for Brown County. Monday, glimpses of both were evident. The Raiders sent 11 batters to the plate in the second inning,…
Read MoreBlue Devils rally to gain split of WB6 doubleheader with Pioneers
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The momentum a game-tying, seventh-inning run should have produced could have been lost when Rock Island Alleman walked off in the bottom of the inning with a 5-4 victory in the first game on Monday’s Western Big 6 Conference doubleheader. The Quincy High School baseball team refused to let that be…
Read More‘We had a great mood today’: Raiders relish opportunity to play, shut out Panthers
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…
Read MoreHarbin, Cook shut down Golden Warriors as Blue Devils earn WB6 doubleheader sweep
STERLING, Ill. — A pair of shutdown pitching performances kept the Quincy High School baseball team in the thick of the Western Big 6 Conference race. Noah Harbin authored a one-hit shutout as the Blue Devils opened Friday’s WB6 doubleheader with an 11-0 victory over Sterling. Grayson Cook followed with a three-hitter as the Blue…
Read MoreScoreboard for Thursday, April 28
Girls soccer At Burlington, Iowa Quincy High School 1, Olathe (Kan.) North 1: Blue Devils goalkeeper Taylor Fohey saved a penalty kick in the first half to help QHS forge a tie in the first of three games in the tournament. Bri Lannerd scored off a Rian Moore assist for the Blue Devils’ goal. Quincy…
Read MorePrep baseball scoreboard for Monday, April 25
Prep baseball At Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield, Quincy Quincy Notre Dame 4, Unity 0: Ben Kasparie tossed five shutout innings, and Tucker Tollerton followed with two scoreless frames as the Raiders ran their winning streak to eight straight games. Kasparie allowed two hits while striking out four and walking none. Tollerton allowed three hits…
Read MorePrep scoreboard for Saturday, April 23
Prep baseball At Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield, Quincy Quincy Notre Dame 7, Quincy High School 0. Click here for the story. At Dozer Park, Peoria, Ill. Brown County 3, Streator Woodland 1: Sam Carr allowed one unearned run and two hits as the Hornets made an early lead last. Will Groesch had an RBI…
Read MoreSchisler shuts out Blue Devils as Raiders run win streak to seven straight with victory at The Ferd
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…
Read MorePhoto gallery: Quincy Notre Dame, Quincy High School square off in baseball at The Ferd
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:
Read MoreScoreboard for Thursday, April 21
Girls soccer At Jacksonville, Ill. Chatham Glenwood 3, Quincy High School 0: The Titans scored three second-half goals to win the non-conference game at Illinois College. A ball bouncing off the far post ricocheted directly to Glenwood attacker, leading to the first goal with 25 minutes remaining. The Titans scored all three goals in a…
Read MoreQND exacts revenge for loss to Beardstown as Dance shuts down Tigers’ offense
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…
Read MorePrep scoreboard for Tuesday, April 19
Girls soccer At Flinn Stadium, Quincy Quincy High School 2, Geneseo 1. Click here for the story and photo gallery. At Canton, Mo. Canton 5, Keokuk 3: Macie Fisher and Emilee Gorrell each scored twice and Kielyn Ott added the other goal for the Tigers. Prep baseball At Concord, Ill. Brown County 14, Triopia 4:…
Read MoreScoreboard for Monday, April 18
Prep baseball At Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield, Quincy Quincy Notre Dame 1, Pittsfield 0. Click here for the story. At Dozer Park, Peoria, Ill. Southeastern 7, Central 2: The Suns scored twice in the first inning, then plated two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to snare the victory. Owen Rigg scored…
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