Burns, baby, Burns: QU senior middle infielder provides spark during twinbill sweep of Missouri S&T

QUINCY — Gino D’Alessio took a hack during batting practice Saturday morning and noticeably grimaced because of the pain in his back.

At that moment, Kade Burns knew he better be ready.

“I try to show up every day and be ready to go if anything like that ever happens,” Burns said.

The Quincy University baseball team needed the senior middle infielder to fill a vital role in a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader against Missouri S&T that had regional seeding implications. Burns proved up to the task.

A flawless effort defensively filling in for D’Alessio at shortstop was matched by Burns’ ability to go 4 for 7 at the plate, score two runs and drive in two others as the Hawks swept the twinbill with 5-1 and 11-3 victories at QU Stadium.

“I pretty much feel comfortable anytime I’m out there,” Burns said. “Being comfortable and confident on the field is all about trust in your preparation. I think our preparation as a team has been pretty much on point all season, and that’s the driver of success.”

The Hawks’ fourth straight victory and 11th win in the last 12 games moved them to 30-19 overall and 15-8 in the GLVC. It is the seventh time in the last 10 years Quincy has reached 30 victories, and the Hawks are guaranteed second place in the GLVC Blue Division regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s victory.

That doesn’t diminish the importance of keeping the run going when the Hawks close the regular season at noon Sunday.

“I feel like we’ve had our struggles during the season, but I think it’s brought us closer together,” Burns said. “The chemistry is great. Everybody is fired up about going into the postseason. We’re playing good baseball at the right time.”

The perfect time.

“Yeah, it doesn’t get much better,” Burns said.

Saturday’s complete effort — stout pitching performances from right-hander Jay Hammel and left-hander Griffin Kirn, 14 innings of errorless defense, and 20 combined hits — kept the ball rolling in the right direction.

“We played as well as we could have played today,” Burns said.

In the opener, Hammel surrendered one run and four hits over five innings, striking out seven and walking two to improve to 7-2 overall. Senior southpaw Sam Stephens worked two scoreless innings to grab the save.

Meanwhile, the offense provided enough support. Lance Logsdon gave Hammel the lead with an RBI groundout in the first inning. Dayson Croes jacked a solo home run to right field in the third. Luke Napleton had an RBI single in the fifth. And Sebastian Martinez doubled and Zach Parks singled to drive in runs in the sixth.

In the nightcap, the Hawks took the lead with a three-run fifth inning that featured RBI singles from Martinez, Burns and Napleton. In the six-run sixth, Parks and Burns had RBI singles and Brock Boyton jacked a three-run home run.

Kirn didn’t need anything else. The Quincy Notre Dame graduate worked six innings, allowing three runs and four hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. Senior right-hander Alex Pribyl worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning.

The pitchers all benefited from stellar defense which included the final six outs of the second game being recorded with groundouts. Kirn and Pribyl combined to induce 13 groundouts.

Burns gobbled up four groundouts in the nightcap, including all three outs in the seventh inning. He had four assists and a putout in the first game.

“I take a lot of pride in my defense,” Burns said. “One of the reasons I’ve been able to be on the field is the glove. It’s probably one of the strongest points of my game.”

The Edwardsville, Ill., product has played in 15 games this season with a .314 average, while delivering 21 assists and 11 putouts without committing an error.

“Personally, it feels great to be in the lineup and to actually produce at the same time,” Burns said.

He could get one last chance to do that at home Sunday on Senior Day.

“This is probably one of the last times playing here,” Burns said. “It’s been fun.”