Alex Connoyer understands the value of an inning-ending double play.
“It gives you momentum,” the Quincy Notre Dame right-handed pitcher said.
And the QND baseball team knew what to do with it.
Pleasant Plains had runners on first and second base with one out in the top of the third inning Saturday, trailing the Raiders 5-3 at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield when the Cardinals’ Eli Nehrt hit a sharp ground to second baseman Brock Wiley.
A quick flip to shortstop Jack Linenfelser got the force out at second base, and his relay throw to first completed the double play to bring the Raiders back to the plate.
They responded by scoring five runs in the bottom of the inning, propelling themselves to a 13-3, six-inning victory in a potential postseason prelude. The Raiders are seeded second and the Cardinals fourth in the same Class 2A sub-sectional.
“It gives our team confidence, showing we can actually compete with teams in our bracket,” Connoyer said. “We feel like we can make a run in the postseason.”
