Quincy can't make it 2 in a row

Quincy shortstop Josue Ordonez dodges a ball in his first at bat.
Will Nunnally/For the Patriot Ledger

By ADAM RIGLIAN
The Patriot Ledger

QUINCY – It wasn’t in the cards for the host squad Sunday night.

Coming off an upset victory over a highly touted Tallahassee, Fla., squad, Quincy’s bats went quiet against West Fargo, N.D., as it fell, 8-0.

“Too many walks and too many errors,” Quincy coach Dick Lombardi said, “but hey, no matter what happens, no one can take that win any from us. We’ve still got two games left.”

West Fargo struggled in the first game of pool play but quickly got on top and stayed there.

“(It was) terrific. Quincy’s a really good team,” West Fargo coach Jeff Young said. “When you get a win in the World Series, it’s always a big win.”

Austin Horsager, awarded his team’s player of the game by tournament officials, ripped a double and scored in the first inning.

Quincy hurler Joe Alibrandi managed to get out of the first relatively unscathed, pitching his way out of a bases-loaded jam.

The third inning started with the West Fargo leadoff hitter reaching on an error and scoring on a Tanner Dahl single. The North Dakotans got another run in the third off a Brock Everson single.

Alibrandi moved from the mound to third base after fanning the first batter in the fourth, walking three and hitting one, replaced by Tim Liuzzo, a potential starter for Quincy’s last game in round-robin pool play.

“I want to make sure he’s ready,” Lombardi said of Wednesday’s 8 p.m. game against Palo Alto, Calif., the Pacific Southwest Regional champion.

Quincy faced one more tough inning in the fifth when, down 5-0, Horsager tripled in Everson. Horsager scored the second of his three runs on a Chance Blitzer single, who was then knocked in by Tucker Buchholz.

“We gave them too many outs in an inning,” Lombardi said, “but I’m happy for them. They’re a good bunch of guys over there. That’s one thing about this tournament, you meet a great bunch of people.”

Adam Riglian may be reached at ariglian@ledger.com.