Clinton Lumber Kings

CLINTON, Iowa — Jalen Martinez reached base five times and capped off a clutch night with a walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning, lifting the Clinton LumberKings (1-0) to a 3-2 victory over the Burlington Bees (0-1) on Friday night at NelsonCorp Field to clinch the Prospect League's Northwest Division championship. The LumberKings and Bees met for the first time in a playoff setting since their three-game series matchup in 1999 in Clinton. 

Clinton took a 2-0 lead in the second inning and held that advantage until the top of the ninth, when Burlington rallied to tie the game. After a scoreless top of the 10th, the LumberKings delivered the decisive blow in the bottom half to secure their postseason berth.

The scoring opened in the second when Martinez drew a leadoff walk and later came around to score on a double to left field by Cougar Cooke. Hackett followed with a hard single to center to plate Cooke, giving Clinton a quick 2-0 cushion. Those would be the only runs surrendered by Bees starter Kaelen Clarkson, who allowed four hits and five walks over five innings while striking out three.

Clinton's bullpen was tested late after starter JC Dermody turned in five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out five. Tyler Welch bridged the gap with 3.2 innings of work, striking out three and allowing seven hits, including a two-out, game-tying single in the ninth by Burlington's Owen Nowak. The hit scored both Kooper Schulte and Jace Figuereo, who had reached on singles.

In the bottom of the 10th, pinch runner Drew Phillips entered for Jaime Rasmussen after a walk and stole second on a wild pitch. Martinez, already 1-for-1 with three walks to that point, grounded a ball to the right side that skipped past second base to score Phillips and set off a championship celebration at home plate.

Martinez finished 2-for-2 with an RBI, a run, and three walks. Cooke doubled, scored, and drove in one, while Hackett went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Noah Thein added a pair of singles from the ninth spot in the order.

The LumberKings bullpen combined to strike out 10 Bees hitters and strand 17 runners. Tyler Nagelbach (1-0) earned the win in relief, tossing a scoreless 10th inning with two strikeouts and one walk. Welch was charged with both Burlington runs in the ninth after escaping several jams earlier in his outing.

Nowak led Burlington's offense with a 2-for-4 night and both RBIs. Schulte and Figuereo also had two hits each. Burlington stranded 17 runners and went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Braeden Sunken (0-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing two hits and the unearned winning run in the 10th. 

The win tonight marks their first playoff victory since the opening round in the Great River Division Championship in 2021 over the Normal CornBelters. The LumberKings will travel to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to play the South Division Champion Cape Catfish in the Western Conference Championship. The Catfish and LumberKings will meet for the second time in the Conference Championship, where the Catfish defeated Clinton, 7-3, on August 7, 2021. 

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. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. at Capaha Field.