Jacksonville third baseman Nolan Peters throws to first during a baseball game against Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Nolan Peters busted out of a hitting slump as the Jacksonville baseball team overcame five errors on a cold, windy day in a 9-4 win over Quincy Notre Dame at Future Champions on Saturday.
“Not ideal conditions,” Jacksonville coach Cory Bunner said, “but the other team’s playing in the same thing as well. And I thought we did a good job of putting pressure on and kind of capitalizing on some of their mistakes.
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“We made ours as well, but we were able to limit the damage in those innings where we had a couple of plays that we should have made. Less than ideal conditions, but when you can get a win on a day like that, it feels good.”
Cy Kershaw pitched around the errors. He gave up four runs (one earned) on five hits in five innings of work, with one strikeout and two walks.
Errors in the field do not bother the Crimson right-hander. “I just try to not worry about it and just try to pick them up and make the next pitch,” he said.
Kershaw picked off a runner in the third inning, then got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth. With one out, second baseman Talan Harney snagged a line drive and stepped on second for a double play to end the inning.
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“I was just trying to use my defense, and they did a good job,” Kershaw said. “I was just trying to do my best at throwing strikes with how cold it was. I was trying to use my defense as much as possible.”
Jacksonville got on the board with a run in the bottom of the first. Joe Reif led off with a single, stole second, went to third on a ground out and scored on a two-out single by Bentley Lagergren.
QND tied the score in the second, pushing across a run on a single and an error.
Jacksonville took the lead for good with three in the bottom of the third. Reif started it with a single. After he stole second, Jack Rohlk was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Lagergren hit into a fielder’s choice as Reif scored. Kershaw walked before two-out singles by AJ Charpentier and Peters increased the lead to 4-1.
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Peters, who had seven hits in the Crimsons’ first eight games, went 3-for-4 at the plate. He doubled in a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth and later scored on an error as the Crimsons put the game away with three runs after QND had cut the lead to 6-4 with two in the top half.
“We just had some big hits,” Bunner said. “I think Nolan Peters had a really good day today. He’s kind of been struggling this year, and as a senior, you love to see that.”
“He’s just continued to pitch well,” the coach said. “On a day when the wind’s blowing out, with him, he kind of tends to give up a lot of fly balls. So I thought he did a good job of staying out of the middle of the plate, and just a lot of soft contact. And a couple of those plays we didn’t make on soft contact, but on days like today, it’s hard. But he just pounded the strike zone, and it was just a really nice start for him for sure.”
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Ryan Headen pitched the final two innings, shutting out QND on no hits. He struck out three batters and walked one.
Reif, Lagergren and Charpentier had two hits apiece. Peters’ double was the Crimsons’ only extra-base hit.
Jacksonville improved to 7-2 as the team enters an important week. The Crimsons host Chatham Glenwood (6-2) on Tuesday and Normal University (9-1) on Wednesday.
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Limiting the damage from five errors, and continuing to put pressure on the Raiders both at the plate and on the basepaths showed some early season resilience.
“They’re a good team,” Kershaw said. “We have a good game against them every year, and it felt good to come out and beat them.”