Canton, Ill. - The ICC baseball team entered this weekend's series with Spoon River in need of at least one win to secure a spot in the upcoming Region 24 Tournament.  The Cougars took no chances and won both games in convincing fashion, prevailing 14-3 in eight innings and 18-8 in six innings on a combined 33 hits on the afternoon.  Coltin Quagliano had nearly a fourth of those hits, going 8-10 in the doubleheader to help lead ICC to victory.
 
Game 1 recap | ICC 14, Spoon River 3
The Cougars got the lead early and never looked back.  Zach Otten led off the 3rd by drawing a walk followed by a Coltin Quagliano double.  The Cougars got a run on a ground out and then Ben Nofsinger and Travis Lutz each hit RBI singles to put ICC up 3-0. 

The Snappers scored one run in the bottom of the third but the Cougars answered right back on a Quagliano RBI single that scored Otten, who had drawn a two-out walk.

ICC added two runs in the top of the 6th using a walk, sacrifice bunt, wild pitch, and error and then Reed and Nofsinger singled to make the score 6-1.  

Josh Heyder hit a three-run bomb in the top of the seventh to open things up at 9-2.  SRC scored one in the bottom of the seventh but ICC kept on the attack, this time scoring five runs in the top of the eighth to all but end it.  Highlights were a Lutz triple and RBI singles from Otten, Quagliano, and Reed. 

Cam Glick held SRC scoreless in the bottom of eighth for the finish.  Starting pitcher Travis Lutz got the victory, going six innings with four strikeouts. 
 
G1 Leaders:
Coltin Quagliano 3-5, 2 RBI, double
Brody Reed 2-5, 2 RBI
Ben Nofsinger 3-6, RBI
Travis Lutz 3-4, RBI, double
Josh Heyder 1-4, home run, 3 RBI

 
Game 2 recap |  ICC 18, Spoon River 8
Quagliano did the Snappers no favors in Game 2, picking up five hits over five at bats as he doubled in the first, singled in the second, singled in the fourth, doubled in the fourth, and singled in the sixth.

ICC opened up scoring in the first inning as Quagliano led off with a double.  Reed singled, Nofsinger walked, and then Jake Burge singled on the first pitch of his at bat, scoring two runs.  Evan Pogioli also hit an RBI single to put ICC up 4-0.

The Cougars opened it up in the fourth scoring nine runs, taking advantage of an error to score two of them.  Highlights were a Pogioli RBI single, Otten's three-RBI double, Quagliano's two-RBI double, and Reed's two-RBI double that give ICC a 13-2 lead.

Spoon mounted a rally to close to within 13-8 but the Cougars added a run in the fifth and then shut the door in the sixth with a four-run inning to win by the ten-run rule.

Garrett Peterson pitched ICC to victory, going four innings, allowing eight runs on eight hits and striking out seven. Kaiden Rixner threw two innings in relief out of the bullpen.

Leaders
Quagliano 5-5, 2 doubles
Reed 3-4, double
Pogioli 3-4, 3 RBI
Otten 1-3, 3 RBI, double
Burge 2-3, 2 RBI
 
Next up:  The two teams will finish up the series at Thome Field on Saturday, May 14 at 1pm in the regular season finale for both teams.