LumberKings Dominate CornBelters 10-1 Behind Balanced Attack, Thein’s All-Around Effort
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Normal CornBelters | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
|
Clinton LumberKings | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 10 | 13 | 1 |
CLINTON, Iowa — The Clinton LumberKings (17-7) scored early and often, racking up 13 hits and capitalizing on strong pitching to cruise past the Normal CornBelters (12-14) 10-1 on Wednesday night at NelsonCorp Field.
Catcher Noah Thein led the way for Clinton, going 2-for-3 with 2 RBI, 2 runs, and 2 stolen bases. His two-run single in the fifth inning broke the game wide open and highlighted a balanced effort from the offense.
Normal struck first in the opening frame. After Jackson Smith reached base and advanced on a miscue, Nolan McCrossin drove him in with a double to right, giving the CornBelters a 1-0 lead. Clinton answered immediately in the home half when Drew Phillips scored on a groundout by Jalen Martinez, evening the score at 1-1.
In the second inning, the LumberKings kept the pressure on. Jamie Rasmussen scored the go-ahead run on an infield single from Alex Schimmel, and Phillips brought home Schimmel moments later with a groundout to short, making it 3-1.
Clinton continued to pile on in the third. Rasmussen added a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Martinez to extend the lead to 4-1. Moments later, Brett White beat out an infield single to score Sam Wiese, pushing the lead to 5-1.
The knockout blow came in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases active, Thein lined a two-run single up the middle, scoring White and Rasmussen to make it 7-1. Phillips then reached on a fielder's choice that brought in Schimmel, and Drew Terpins followed with an RBI single to center. Martinez capped the five-run frame with a groundout that plated Phillips, giving Clinton a commanding 10-1 lead.
That was more than enough for starter Jaqson Tejada (2-1), who was sharp over 4.1 innings, striking out 10 while allowing just 2 hits and 1 unearned run. He worked around five walks to earn the win. The bullpen trio of Tyler Welch and Rylen Blair closed it out with 4.2 shutout innings, surrendering just two hits while striking out four.
Rasmussen finished 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and two runs scored, while White also tallied three hits. In all, the LumberKings stole six bases and turned in a clean defensive effort after the early error.
Clinton wraps up its longest homestand of the season tomorrow against the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at NelsonCorp Field.