QUINCY - Chase Bloomer hit two home runs for the Alton River Dragons, but it was the Quincy Gems who jumped out to a 7-0 lead after four innings en route to an 8-4 win over Alton in a Prospect League baseball game played Monday night at Quincy University Stadium.
The loss starts off the final week of the regular season for the River Dragons, dropping their second half record in the Western Conference's Prairie Land Division to 10-17, remaining in fourth place a full game behind the O'Fallon, Mo., Hoots for third place, two games out on the loss side. Alton's overall record is now 19-34.
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The Gems jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Lucas Loos delivered a RBI single to center that scored Jack Zebig to put Quincy ahead. In the second, Zebig stole second and went to third on a wild pitch on the play, with Harry Oden scoring to make it 2-0, then in the third inning, Loos hit a two-run homer over the fence in left. Later in the inning, Joe Siervo stole third and scored when the catcher threw the ball into left field to make the score 5-0 in favor of the Gems. In the fourth, RBI singles by Jimmy Koza and Loss gave Quincy a 7-0 lead.
The River Dragons got on the board in the fifth on a RBI single by Jake O'Steen to cut the lead to 7-1, but the Gems got the run back in the bottom of the inning on a RBI single by Luke Jessen to give Quincy an 8-1 advantage. Also in the fifth, caretaker Alton manager Dallas Martz was ejected by the umpires after arguing an out-safe call at third base.
In the sixth, Bloomer hit the first of his two homers, a shot over the fence in left field, to make it 8-2, then in the seventh, a sacrifice fly by Aiden Joaquin scored Diego Murillo and in the eighth, Bloomer hit his second homer of the game over the fence to left-center to make the 8-4 final for Quincy.
Bloomer's two homers were his only hits and RBIs on the day for the River Dragons, while O'Steen had two hits and a RBI, Murillo came up with two hits, Metro-East Lutheran's Erik Broekemeier and Evan Evola each had a hit and Joaquin drove in a run. J.T. Miller started on the mound and was charged with the loss, going three innings and allowing six runs, five earned, on five hits, walking four and striking out one, while Scott Detweiler worked one inning and a run on two hits and Joaquin threw in the final four innings, allowing a run on five hits while walking two and fanning five.
Alton will have Tuesday off, then play at the Hoots on Wednesday, then will have Thursday off before playing the Cape Catfish of Cape Girardeau, Mo. in the a home-and-home series to finish the season, playing at Lloyd Hopkins Field in Gordon Moore Park on Friday in the home finale, then conclude the season on Saturday at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau. All three games start at 6:35 p.m.
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