Clinton Lumber Kings

BURLINGTON, Iowa — The Clinton LumberKings (19-9, 1-2) couldn't slow down a red-hot Jace Figuereo or capitalize with runners in scoring position, dropping the rubber match of the series to the Burlington Bees (15-14, 2-0), 6-2, on Sunday afternoon at Community Field.

Burlington rode a three-run homer from Corey Boyette in the 3rd inning and a four-hit day from Figuereo to pull away from Clinton. Boyette's blast to right field opened the scoring and gave Burlington a 3-0 lead. An error by Clinton shortstop Drew Terpins in the 4th extended the inning, leading to two more unearned runs and a 5-0 Bees advantage.

The LumberKings responded with single runs in the 5th and 6th. Max Burt doubled and scored on a wild pitch to break the shutout, and Brett White drove in Kaden Frommelt with an RBI single in the following frame. Burt finished the day 3-for-4 and was Clinton's top performer at the plate.

But Clinton missed opportunities, going just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and leaving 12 runners stranded. Despite outhitting Burlington 9-8 over the first six innings, the Kings couldn't break through against starter Reese Ellison, who went six strong innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out four.

Ethan Dorka (3.2 IP, 5 ER, 8 H) took the loss for Clinton, while Ellison earned the win for Burlington. Figuereo added a double and two runs scored, reaching base in four of his five plate appearances.

The LumberKings return to action on Tuesday, as they will travel to Normal, IL to take on the CornBelters in their only trip to The Corn Crib in 2025. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and fans can watch live on prospectleagenetwork.com or listen for free on wcciradio.com or tune into 100.3 WCCI-FM.