Raiders own worst enemy in lopsided loss to Chatham Glenwood

QUINCY — File it and forget it.

That’s about all the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team could do following Saturday’s 15-2, six-inning loss to Chatham Glenwood at Ferd Niemann Memorial Field.

The Raiders (6-4) proved to be their own worst enemy.

“Nine walks, four errors … ,” said QND coach Rich Polak, recounting some of the problems his club was unable to overcome.

Notre Dame, which saw its five-game win streak extinguished, also allowed seven stolen bases from an aggressive Glenwood team that raised its record to 6-3.

“We put a little pressure on them early, and I think it got them rattled,” Glenwood coach Casey Erickson said.

Polak said games like this are unfortunately — all part of a necessary process.

“We’ve got a young team — we start three freshmen,” Polak said. “We’re learning on the fly. It’s all part of (the development) for our young players.”

The lone bright spot for QND was a two-run, first-inning homer from starting pitcher Abram Wiewel. Not long afterward, however, the game spiraled out of control for the Raiders.

Wiewel was knocked out of the game after throwing 98 pitches by early in the top of the fourth inning, charged with Glenwood’s first seven runs. Three subsequent QND hurlers were also unable to contain Glenwood, which scored all of its runs over its final four at-bats, including six in the top of the sixth.

Notre Dame’s bats went quiet after Wiewel’s early home run, managing just two hits over the final five frames.

Glenwood came to Quincy with an impressive roster:

Titans lead-off hitter Cameron Appenzeller, who played first base against QND, is the nation’s No. 22-ranked player, according to MLB.com. Appenzeller is a left-handed pitcher who is committed to Tennessee but will likely bypass college following the July 25 Major League Baseball draft.

Glenwood’s Colten Knoedler, who matched QND’s hit total by himself when he stroked four singles in his first four at-bats, figures to be taken in next year’s MLB draft. Knoedler is currently hitting .596. His father, Jason, played in the Detroit Tigers’ farm system. Knoedler is getting interest from college football programs after throwing for 39 touchdowns and more than 2,600 yards in leading the Titans to the quarterfinals in last fall’s Class 6A playoffs.

Rowan Stegeman’s two hits and one from Gavin Doellman rounded out what QND could muster off Glenwood starter Andrew Young, who worked the first five innings.

“This was (Young’s) first start of the season, and we had only planned to use him for two innings, but he had some extra zip on the ball,” said Erickson, a 2004 Glenwood graduate who had a 39-5 career record with the Titans and later pitched for five years in the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates farm systems.

Pokal said QND will take a few positives from the one-sided loss.

“We had some good at-bats put together by Wiewel and Stegeman, and (Oliver) Triplett had a strong game at catcher,” Polak said.

Notre Dame travels to Rushville-Industry for a 4:30 p.m. game Monday. Nine of the Raiders’ next 10 games will be on the road.