Clinton Lumber Kings

BURLINGTON, Iowa — The Clinton LumberKings (27-11, 9-4) clawed back from an eight-run deficit, but their rally ran out of steam as the Burlington Bees (20-18, 8-4) held on for an 8-5 victory Saturday night at Community Field.

After two scoreless innings, Burlington erupted for six runs in the bottom of the 3rd. Kooper Schulte opened the scoring with an RBI single to shortstop, plating Jeremy Figueroa. Owen Nowak followed with a run-scoring single to right, then Marcus Beatty added another RBI knock to left, scoring Schulte. Clinton's defense faltered on the next play, as Danny Rollins reached on a throwing error, allowing another run to score. Dominic Teixeira then drove in two with a single up the middle, pushing the lead to 6-0.

The Bees kept their momentum rolling into the 4th. Schulte added his second RBI single, bringing home Corey Boyette, and Nowak delivered again with a soft infield single to score Schulte, extending the advantage to 8-0.

Clinton finally broke through in the 7th when Brytton Clements singled to center, scoring James Hackett to get the LumberKings on the board. The bats came alive in the 8th as Clinton scored four more. Hackett ripped an RBI double to center to score Kaden Frommelt, then Cougar Cooke blasted a two-run homer to right. A wild pitch later in the frame allowed Bryk Barnard to score from third, cutting the deficit to 8-5.

Shawn Scott entered with two on and one out in the 8th and slammed the door. The left-hander struck out four over 1.1 innings to earn the save and strand the potential tying run in the on-deck circle.

Kaelen Clarkson (1-2) earned the win for Burlington, throwing six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and three walks, allowing just three hits. He was followed by Kaimana Burgo, Kyle Smith, and Scott to close out the game.

Ethan Dorka (1-2) took the loss for Clinton, giving up six runs (three earned) on six hits over 2.2 innings. He was followed by Jay Kennedy, who allowed two more runs in 1.1 innings. The LumberKings' bullpen steadied things from there, with Jackson Horras, Cole Conner, and Brock Reade combining for four scoreless innings to finish the night.

Despite the late push, Clinton left 11 runners on base and committed four errors, while Burlington played error-free and stole five bases to help secure the win.

The Clinton Elotes take on the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes at NelsonCorp Field with first pitch set for 2:00 p.m. Fans can tune in on www.prospectleaguenetwork.com or listen for free on www.wcciradio.com or tune in on 100.3 WCCI-FM.