Three-run sixth inning gives Gems fourth victory in last six games

PERU, Ill. — Starter Ryan Towers pitched 6 ⅓ innings, and the Quincy Gems took the lead for good with a three-run sixth inning in a 6-3 victory over the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp in a Prospect League game on Tuesday night at Veterans Memorial Park.

The Gems have won four of their last six games. They are three games behind first-place Burlington in the West-Great River Division.

With the Gems trailing 3-2, Jackson Galloway led off the sixth with a walk, and Nick Iannantone followed with a single. Jake Skrine then singled to bring in Galloway. After Danny Sperling’s groundout scored Iannantone, Skrine scored on a wild pitch.

Quincy (6-10) added a run in the eighth inning when Sperling hit his first home run of the season.

Connery O’Donnell came on in relief with one runner on and one out in the seventh. He allowed a single by Keshawn Ogans to put runners on the corners, and Ogans then stole second base on the first pitch to Sam Link. Connery got out of the jam when he fielded a comebacker by Link and threw Nolan Clifford out at the plate, and then he struck out Colton Coca to end the inning.

Connery then followed with two scoreless innings to earn the save.

Quincy scored two runs in the first inning on a two-run homer by Skrine. Iannantone and Skrine combined for four of the Gems’ five hits.