Rain delays, lights outage don’t stop Gems from earning first victory of season

QUINCY — Two delays didn’t keep the Quincy Gems from finally posting a victory.

The Gems defeated the Burlington Bees 7-5 on Sunday night in a Prospect League game at QU Stadium. The game was delayed 52 minutes for rain, then 25 more minutes when two banks of lights in the outfield shut off. After all the outfield lights were shut off and restarted, a bank of lights in right-center field shut down for the second time in the bottom of the fifth.

The umpires originally determined the game would be suspended and completed on June 13 when the Bees return to Quincy. However, league officials later determined the game was official because the Bees had batted five times.

Quincy (1-4) took its first lead of the season when Cam Suto’s groundout drove in Cross Jumper in the first inning. 

The Gems scored three more times in the second. A two-out error by Bees second baseman Drew Gaskins allowed Joe Siervo to score. Cross Jumper then stole second and scored on Jack Zebig’s double to right center. An error by Bees shortstop Kooper Schulte then allowed Zebig to score.

Burlington scored three times in the third, but the Gems answered with three more runs in the bottom of the third. Suto’s single and a walk by Nathan VerMass knocked starter Jeremy Fox out of the game. Otto Jones greeted reliever Dylan Haslett with a single down the right field line, scoring Suto.

Jones then stole second, and Siervo’s single to center drove in two runs.

Starter Ryan Foley earned the victory, allowing five runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. Andrew Fay earned the save, striking out two in the fifth inning. Siervo had two of Quincy’s six hits.