Two, Three-Run Innings Help Catfish Past Gems

Recap courtesy of the Cape Catfish:

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - A pair of three-run innings helped the Cape Catfish come from behind twice Saturday night to defeat the Quincy Gems 7-5 at Capaha Field.

The win kept the Catfish in the hunt for a Prairie Lands Division title in the Prospect League's Western Conference.

Catfish starter Austin Gast from Three Rivers Community College, making his first mound appearance of the season, allowed a first-inning leadoff double to Gems shortstop Hayden Moore (Missouri State University). With one out, Moore stole third and scored when catcher Blake Barton's throw went past third baseman Kolton Poorman and skipped down the left field line, giving Quincy a 1-0 lead.

Quincy right fielder Bennett Eltoft, a sophomore at SIU-Carbondale, led off the second inning with a ground rule double that bounced over the wall in right center field. He reached third on a passed ball and scored when Gems first baseman Jayden Shafer (Murray State Community College in Tishomingo, Oklahoma) grounded out to second. That made the score 2-0 in the second.

In the words of Yogi Barra, it was "deja vu all over again" when Quincy third baseman Logan Voth (Quincy University) doubled to lead off the third inning. He tagged up and advanced to third on a fly ball out to Catfish center fielder Christopher Hall (Florida State College at Jacksonville) and scored Quincy's third run when Hall's throw to the infield got away from second baseman Zane Wallace (Lyon College).

Meanwhile, Quincy lefthander Luc Fladda, a redshirt freshman at the University of Oklahoma from Chesterfield, Missouri, retired the first eight Catfish batters before the ninth batter, shortstop John Bolton from the University of Arkansas, beat out an infield single. He advanced to second on a two-out bunt single by Hall but was stranded when Wallace flied out to center.

With the Gems leading 3-0 thanks to single runs in the first three innings, the Catfish came back with three runs of their own in the fourth thanks to singles by Barton and Poorman, both of whom scored on a two-out triple by designated hitter Lane Crowden (Three Rivers), his sixth of the season. Crowden then scored when right fielder Cam Hill doubled to center, tying the game at three runs apiece.

Quincy broke the tie in the top of the fifth when Gems second baseman Dayson Croes (Quincy University) hit a two-out single off Catfish reliever Mark Eddie (Buena Vista University) and scored when Quincy center fielder Drew Townsend (Missouri State University) doubled to right. Townsend then scored with the next batter, catcher Jonathan Latham from Indiana University in Kokomo, singled to left, making the score 5-3 in Quincy's favor.

In the bottom of the seventh, Gems relief pitcher Donovan Prost (Culver-Stockton College) walked Bolton to open the inning. Hall then reached base on an error and Wallace was hit by a pitch to load the bases. The next batter, left fielder Ty Stauss from Southeast Missouri State, knocked a two-run single to tie the game before Barton smacked an RBI single to make the score 6-5 in Cape's favor.

The Catfish added an insurance run in the eighth inning when Crowden scored his second run of the game thanks to an RBI single hit by Bolton.

Austin Brock from Arkansas State pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to earn his fourth save of the season. Eddie picked up the win, pitching three innings, allowing three Quincy hits and two runs while striking out five and walking two. His record is now 2-0 in 17 appearances. Prost (0-1) took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits over two innings.

With the win, Cape's overall record improved to 22-30, 10-11 in the Prospect League's second half. Quincy is now 28-25, 9-12 in the second half.

Quincy and Cape will face each other again Sunday at Capaha Field in a 4:05 p.m. game.