By FRANK CASH
Herald-Whig Sports Writer
With only 10 position players available for use Saturday night to go with an overworked pitching staff, Chris Martin was creative when filling out his Quincy Gems lineup card. Nick Day played right field for only the second time this summer, giving Aaron Priestes a chance to be the designated hitter. Seth McWilliams -- normally a closer -- earned his first pitching start of the season. "Tonight was a little bit of us hanging in there for as long as we could, trying to get a win," Martin said. "We're short-handed but that's nothing new for this team this summer. We just have to fight through it." The Gems kept their fighting gloves on throughout their Prospect League game against Danville, tying the score with a run in the bottom of the seventh and scoring two more in the eighth for a 6-5 victory at QU-Stadium. The victory improves Quincy's record over Danville this season to 9-0. The Gems (8-8) actually lost a half game in the West Division standings and now trail first-place Terre Haute by four games as the Rex swept Dubois County 6-1 and 3-0. "You can't really worry too much about records or what the teams above you are doing," Quincy center fielder Gregory Allen said. "You just have to play each game as it comes. You have to go out and try to win as many as you can." Using whatever method necessary. During the first 40 games of the season, the Gems based much of their offensive attack around speed. Injuries -- the latest being Joe Kelch who left the team after suffering his third ankle sprain of the summer -- has altered that slightly. Now, Quincy's strength may be putting down the bunt. With the score tied at 4, the Gems led off the bottom of the eighth with three straight bunts by Nick Moore, Day and Zac Zdanowicz to load the bases. Allen -- who scored the tying run in the seventh on Priestes' single -- followed with a blooper to right fielder Tyler Fullerton who threw to second base to tag out Zdanowicz. Moore scored from third on the play to put Quincy ahead 5-4. Zach George, the next batter, capped off the scoring with a broken-bat single to left field to score Day. "We've been joking that we built a team around speed and now that speed's gone," Martin said. "That means that we have to turn to some guys who can handle the bats and put down bunts. I've always said that the team that plays the most efficiently with what it has will have the most success when it's all said and done." Martin hoped he could get a solid outing out of McWilliams, who entered with 31 1/3 innings in 21 appearances this summer. McWilliams worked quickly to retire the first seven batters he faced. Matthew Britton's double, a hit batsman and two walks to Danville tied the score at 1 in the third. McWilliams allowed another run in the fourth when Christopher Newcomb scored from third following an error on Britton's stolen base. The right-hander from Arkansas State left following the fifth inning after scattering four hits and striking out three batters. "Seth said it would be tough to go too long but he cruised the first two innings," Martin said. "He kind of had that closer's mentality. He hung in there though. It was a night when he had to pitch Johnny All Staff." It that leads to wins, the Gems will take that approach. Quincy and Danville wrap up their two-game series at 6:35 tonight. "We've got a lot of guys who can play different positions so that helps when we have a player out or someone needs a rest," Day said. "We've got to try to keep rested and keep going. It wouldn't hurt us to use this win to get on a little bit of a roll." -- sports@whig.com/221-3365
