Bees Sting LumberKings with Late Surge in 11-5 Victory
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Burlington Bees | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 2 |
|
Clinton LumberKings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
CLINTON, Iowa — The Clinton LumberKings (32-16, 14-9) surrendered a late-inning barrage and dropped an 11-5 decision to the Burlington Bees (28-21, 16-17) on Thursday night at NelsonCorp Field.
Despite leading 2-0 through five innings behind another strong start from JC Dermody, the LumberKings were outscored 11-3 over the final four frames as the Bees broke the game open with a six-run seventh and never looked back.
Owen Nowak delivered the decisive blow in the seventh, lacing a two-run triple to left to cap the explosive frame and finishing the night with three RBIs. Caleb Klein added a 3-for-6 effort with two runs scored, an RBI, and two stolen bases, while Cole Yearsley stayed hot with a 3-for-4 night including a double, an RBI, and a sacrifice fly.
Dermody allowed just two earned runs on six hits over six innings, striking out six and walking one, but was left with a no-decision. The Clinton bullpen struggled to hold the line, allowing seven runs over the next two innings. Jackson Horras (0-2) took the loss after allowing three runs without recording an out in the seventh.
Clinton took an early lead in the fourth on an RBI single from James Hackett and an infield knock by Cougar Cooke that brought in a second run. Hackett led the offense with a 2-for-4 effort, driving in two runs and stealing a base. Brett White also finished 2-for-4 and scored a run.
The Bees tied the game in the sixth after back-to-back hit-by-pitches plated two runs, then pulled ahead on a sac fly and wild pitch in the seventh before Nowak's triple sealed the inning. Burlington tacked on two more in the eighth and another in the ninth.
Clinton showed late life with a three-run ninth, highlighted by an RBI walk from Sam Wiese and another by Hackett, but the deficit proved too steep.
Jack Duncan (1-0) earned the win in relief for Burlington, tossing three shutout innings and allowing just two hits with one strikeout. Burlington used six different pitchers, including a pair of scoreless frames from Zach Leuschen and Braeden Sunken to close it out.
The LumberKings play the Burlington Bees tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. Fans can watch the game live on www.prospectleaguenetwork.com or listen for free on www.wcciradio.com or tune in on 100.3 WCCI-FM.