Late collapse sinks LumberKings in 4-2 loss to CornBelters
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Normal CornBelters | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
|
Clinton LumberKings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
CLINTON, Iowa - A four-run eighth inning undid seven innings of clean baseball Thursday night, as the Clinton LumberKings (28-14, 10-7) let a 2-0 lead slip away in a 4-2 loss to the Normal CornBelters (17-24, 5-10) at NelsonCorp Field.
Starter Tyler Welch tossed five shutout innings and left with the game tied, but the bullpen faltered late. Clinton struck first with two runs in the seventh inning, but Normal responded immediately, capitalizing on a pair of extra-base hits to hand the LumberKings their ninth conference loss of the summer.
Drew Terpins tripled home Reed Strohmeyer to open the scoring for Clinton, then scored himself one batter later on Brytton Clements' RBI single to make it 2-0. But the lead was short-lived.
After a leadoff walk and an infield single in the eighth, Caleb Royer ripped a two-run triple to center to tie the game. Following another walk and a strikeout, Kannon Kleine doubled down the left field line, bringing in two more runs to give the CornBelters a 4-2 advantage.
Welch scattered six hits, walked two and struck out six over five innings in a no-decision. Tyler Nagelbach followed with two perfect innings before Kolton Lyman and Jackson Horras were tagged for four runs in the eighth. Horras (2-1) was saddled with the loss after allowing the go-ahead runs to score.
Dom Panozzo (2-0) earned the win for Normal after striking out five in 2 2/3 perfect innings of relief. Normal's starter, Cody DelFavero, kept Clinton off the board through six innings, striking out seven and walking just one.
Terpins finished 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored. Rasmussen also had a multi-hit night for Clinton. Royer went 2-for-5 with a triple, two RBI and a run scored to lead Normal offensively.
The LumberKings were held hitless over the final two innings and struck out 12 times overall. This is the first three-game losing streak of the season for the LumberKings.
Clinton returns to action on Friday, July 18, in Marion, IL at Mnt. Dew Park. They will play a two-game series against the Thrillville Thrillbillies for the first time since 2023.
Fans can watch the game live on www.prospectleaguenetwork.com or listen for free at www.wcciradio.com or tune in on 100.3 WCCI-FM.