Clinton Lumber Kings

CLINTON, Iowa — The Clinton Pilots (18-7) capitalized on Springfield (8-18) errors and clutch hitting to escape with a 7-5 win Friday night at NelsonCorp Field.

Clinton overcame an early 3-1 deficit with a three-run fourth and added insurance late to outlast Springfield, who stayed within striking distance thanks to timely hits of their own and four Clinton defensive errors.

Danny Gavin sparked the offense, reaching base all four times and scoring three runs on the night. He doubled, walked twice, and set the table for key RBI knocks from Colin Coonradt, James Hackett, and Camden Clewett.

After falling behind in the 1st on an RBI single from Hunter Moser, the Pilots tied it in the 2nd on Clewett's sacrifice fly. Springfield regained the lead in the 3rd and added another in the 4th on Ryan Weaver's RBI single.

Clinton responded with a surge in the bottom of the 4th. Coonradt opened the scoring with an RBI double, followed by Hackett's RBI single to tie the game. Clewett then wore a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to push Gavin across and give the Pilots a 4-3 lead.

Hackett added another RBI with a triple in the 5th to score Gavin once again, making it 5-3. Springfield wouldn't go away, plating two in the 7th to tie it behind a Tristen Wargo sac groundout and Jackson Snitko's RBI double.

The Pilots took the lead for good in the 8th when Clewett reached on a throwing error that allowed Drew Phillips to score. Moments later, Max Burt brought home an insurance run with a sacrifice fly.

Clinton's bullpen held strong late. Luke Kehrli (1-0) earned the win with a scoreless 8th, and Clewett returned to the mound in the 9th to close it out with a dominant 3-strikeout save—his fourth of the season.

Despite committing four errors, the Pilots limited the damage with timely defense and clutch pitching. Starter Jackson Bruno struck out five over 5.0 innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits.

The Clinton LumberKings hit the road and are faced with a doubleheader against the Quincy Doggy Paddlers. Both games will be seven innings, with game one set to start at 5 p.m. Game one will not be live on 100.3 WCCI-FM and will join the game in progress or game two, as there is already a previously scheduled event at that time. Fans can tune in after 6:30 p.m. or listen on wcciradio.com or on prospectleaguenetwork.com to catch both games.