The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced on Monday (April 29) that Lewis University’s Pete Hamot (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) has been named the GLVC Baseball Pitcher of the Week for the period ending April 28.
Hamot held No. 7 Quincy to just two hits and an .087 batting average in the Flyers 11-0 win in game one of the series on Saturday. He threw his second complete game shutout of the season while striking out five and walking two in the contest. It’s the fourth time in his last five starts that he’s pitched into the seventh inning and he won his third straight decision.
Hamot allowed a career-low two hits in the contest.
Lewis is scheduled too plat St. Francis in a cross-town rivalry game. (Photo Courtesy of Lewis University)
It’s his second career GLVC Pitcher of the Week award of his career.
He’s also the last Flyer hurler to win the award (4/25/17).
“Pete has been throwing the ball really well over his last couple of starts and it is great rewarded for his effort this past weekend against a very good Quincy club,” Lewis head baseball coach Tim McDonough said.
Lewis wraps up its regular season this Friday and Saturday hosting Truman State in a three-game series.
The games are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. both days.
Lewis’ baseball team completed its series sweep with an 8-1 win at No. 7 Quincy on Sunday afternoon at Quincy Stadium in Quincy, Ill.
The Flyers improve to 25-21 overall and are 17-13 in the GLVC while the Hawks fall to 29-14 and 21-9 in the GLVC.
“Offensively we did just enough to support Brad (Littleton),” Lewis head baseball coach Tim McDonough said. “You can never have enough runs so the run in the eighth was big and obviously (Connor) Rutherford’s home run and (Matt) McCauley’s grand slam was huge in putting the game away.
“Defensively we were really good all weekend and we can be a pretty good team when we don’t make miscues in the field,” McDonough said. “The game was won in the eighth when (Jake) Lotz got us the big double play ball and (Austin) Tittle and (Michael) O’Brien did a great job turning it.”
Lewis struck first with single runs in the third and fifth innings to take a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.
Quincy got a run back in the sixth on a sacrifice fly to center with runners on second and third and one out to cut the lead in half.
Brad Littleton (Coal City, Ill./) was able to get the final out of the inning on a fly ball to right.
The Hawks had a chance to tie the game in the seventh with runners on the corner but ran themselves out of the inning when Lance Logsdon tried to score on a passed ball and was tagged out at the plate.
Littleton then struck out TJ Tamaccio to end the inning.
The Flyers tacked on an insurance run in the eighth on bases load walk to Chris Zeschke (Oak Lawn, Ill./Richards) which forced in Anthony Rios (Lemont, Ill./St. Laurence) to make it 3-1.
Quincy loaded the bases with one out in the eighth but Jake Lotz (Palos Hills, Ill./St. Laurence) got Michael Nielsen to ground into a 3-6-1 double play to end the inning.
“The game was won in the eighth when Lotz got us the big double play ball and (Austin) Tittle and (Michael) O’Brien did a great job turning it,” McDonough said. Lewis tacked on some more runs in the ninth as Connor Rutherford (DePere, Wis./DePere) hit a solo home run to right center with two outs in the inning and then with the bases loaded Matt McCauley (Oakville, Mo./St. John Vianney) hit a grand slam to left to put the game out of reach.
The Flyers outhit the Hawks 8-5 in the contest and were led by Rios and Rutherford with two hits apiece.
Littleton went seven strong innings giving up one unearned run on four hits with four strikeouts to improve to 4-2 on the season.
“Brad was outstanding and it was huge for him to give us seven strong innings,” McDonough said. “He did a great job minimizing the damage in the sixth.”
Lewis takes on crosstown rival St. Francis in a single game at 6 p.m. on May 1 at Joliet Route 66 Stadium.
Women’s Golf
Lewis University’s women’s golf team will be represented at the NCAA Women’s Golf East Super Regional as sophomore Kasey Kane (Texarkana, Tex./Texas) was selected to compete at the event from May 6-8. The tournament will be held at the Pearl Club in Owensboro, Ky.
Kane was one of six individuals selected to compete at the event and will face off against 12 other teams and five individuals with the top-four teams and top-four student-athletes not with a top three team moving on to the 2019 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championship at the PGA National Resort and Spa in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Kane has a team-best five top-10 finishes this season with medalist honors at the Bearcat Intercollegiate Invite Oct. 22-23, 2018.