QU baseball team piles up 17 runs, shuts out 18th-ranked Lewis to start four-game series

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. — The No. 18 next to the Lewis University baseball team’s name did not intimidate Quincy University, nor did the fact that the Flyers started their ace on the mound.

The Hawks cranked out 20 hits, tagged Flyers starter Dylan Wolff for six runs in three innings and scored eight runs in the fifth inning en route to a 17-0 victory in Friday’s Great Lakes Valley Conference game at Brennan Field.

The Hawks chased Wolff, who entered Friday’s game with a 3.95 ERA, after 53 pitches. Quincy scored three runs in each the second and third innings and had nine hits against Wolff.

Things then went from bad to worse for the Flyers. The Hawks sent 13 batters to the plate and took advantage of three Lewis errors in scoring eight runs and extending their lead to 14-0 in the top of the fifth.

Quincy added two more runs in the sixth and another in the seventh. Hawks starter Kobe Essien notched two of his nine strikeouts in the seventh to keep the shutout intact and put the mercy rule into effect.

Joe Huffman had four hits, Carson Moreno had three hits and drove in five runs, Ben Dahlof had three hits and Jake Vitale had a single, a homer and three runs batted in.

Quincy (16-19, 9-8 GLVC) and Lewis (25-8, 14-3) resume their four-game series with a doubleheader starting at noon Saturday.