Burt’s 4 RBIs Power LumberKings Past Pistol Shrimp
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
|
Clinton LumberKings | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 8 | 10 | 0 |
CLINTON, Iowa — Max Burt drove in four runs and the Clinton LumberKings (32-15, 20-10) used a pair of three-run innings to pull away from the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp (27-22, 13-6) in an 8-3 victory Wednesday night at NelsonCorp Field.
Burt finished 2-for-3 with a two-run single in the second and a two-run double in the fifth, helping Clinton extend its division lead with its sixth win in the last seven games.
After the Pistol Shrimp opened the scoring in the second on a Tino Bethancourt RBI single, the LumberKings quickly responded. Brayden Mulkey and Sam Wiese each reached ahead of Burt's two-run single to center that gave Clinton a 2-1 lead.
In the fourth, Clinton tacked on three more. Danny Gavin doubled home two runs before scoring on a Nick Venteicher RBI double to make it 5-1. Illinois Valley briefly cut into the deficit in the fifth with a two-run double by Pambos Nicoloudes, but the LumberKings again answered in the bottom half.
Mulkey reached on a two-base error that allowed Jaime Rasmussen to score, and Burt followed with his second two-run hit of the night, giving Clinton an 8-3 advantage that held the rest of the way.
Right-hander Nick Baffa (1-1) earned the win in relief, striking out four across three innings. Jake Weissenberger picked up his first save of the season with three dominant frames, allowing just one hit and striking out four.
Mulkey finished 1-for-3 with three runs scored and a stolen base. Gavin drove in two and was 1-for-2 with a double, while Venteicher and Rasmussen each added a double.
Clinton's pitching trio of Kolton Lyman, Baffa, and Weissenberger combined for nine strikeouts and didn't allow a run over the final four innings.
Bryce Loeger (1-2) took the loss for the Pistol Shrimp, allowing five runs on six hits over 3 2/3 innings.
The LumberKings will host the Burlington Bees for a two-game series starting Friday to Saturday. First pitch is set for 6:30. Fans can watch the games on www.prospectleaguenetwork.com or listen for free on www.wcciradio.com or tune in on 100.3 WCCI-FM.