Schuck on a Truck: QND baseball players celebrate state final four berth with No. 5 in their hearts

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The highs and lows of sports intersected with the tragedy and triumph of life in a 48-hour span for the Quincy Notre Dame baseball players.

They found a way to make history through it all.

A 13-1 victory over Bloomington Central Catholic in the Class 2A Springfield Super-Sectional at Lincoln Land Community College’s Claude Kracik Field is sending the Raiders to the final four for only the third time in program history. It comes less than 48 hours after senior center fielder Tucker Tollerton was killed in a single-vehicle accident Saturday night just outside of Hannibal, Mo.

The Raiders chose to play Monday because they knew Tollerton would have wanted to play.

Now they get to chase history with him as their spirit guide.

Following the victory, the Raiders jumped onto the tailgate and poured into the bed of Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman’s pickup to honor their teammate with an episode of “Schuck on a Truck,” brought to you by Area Distributors.