LumberKings’ Early Lead Undone by Big CornBelters Sixth
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Normal CornBelters | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 11 | 1 |
|
Clinton LumberKings | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
CLINTON, Iowa — A strong start and early lead weren't enough for the Clinton LumberKings (15-7) on Saturday night, as the Normal CornBelters (10-12) used an 11-run sixth inning to surge past Clinton in a 14-4 loss at NelsonCorp Field.
The LumberKings struck first in the second inning when Blake Timmons grounded out to short, bringing home Jamie Rasmussen for a 1-0 lead. In the third, Sam Wiese added to the tally with an RBI groundout that scored Nick Venteicher, making it 2-0. Bryk Barnard scored on a wild pitch in the fourth, extending Clinton's advantage to 3-0.
Right-hander Nick Baffa was electric through five innings, holding Normal hitless while striking out six and walking three. But the wheels fell off in the sixth when the CornBelters broke through against the Clinton bullpen.
Normal tied the game on Jackson Stanek's two-run double, then took the lead for good when Jack Novak singled home a run. A pair of RBI hits from Shea Zbrozek and Tyler Thompson stretched the lead to 8-3, and Jackson Smith capped the rally with two more RBIs before scoring himself on an error. Stanek added one final RBI single to make it 11-3 by the inning's end.
Clinton responded with a run in the bottom of the sixth as Timmons was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, plating Wiese and trimming the deficit to 11-4.
In the seventh, Normal added three more runs — two on Smith's RBI double and another on a throwing error — to put the game out of reach and place the mercy rule in effect.
The LumberKings await the results of the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp vs Burlington Bees doubleheader to decide the fate of the LumberKings' playoff hopes. The LumberKings return to NelsonCorp Field on Tuesday as they will welcome the Quincy Doggy Paddlers for the first time this season. This will be the first time since the 2023 Great River Division Championship that a baseball team from Quincy will play at NelsonCorp Field. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
Fans can watch the game live on prospectleaguenetowrk.com or listen for free on wcciradio.com or tune into 100.3 WCCI-FM.