By JOHN BOHNENKAMP
Clinton’s late-inning fireworks had plenty of pop, and it wasn’t a fun show for the Burlington Bees to watch.
The LumberKings scored seven runs over the last four innings, including a devastating four-run outburst in the ninth, then fought off a late Bees comeback for a 10-6 win in Monday’s Prospect League game at Community Field.
Clinton (17-11), the first-half Great River Division champions, started the second half strong with 11 hits. The Bees (10-18) had 10 hits, but couldn’t match the LumberKings’ run production after taking a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning.
“We had one less hit than them,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “We probably could have done a better job scratching another run or two off them when we had a chance early.”
Bees reliever Ryan Donley (2-1) gave up three runs in the sixth inning, then the LumberKings got four runs off Nick Tampa in the ninth.
The Bees had their chances in the eighth and ninth innings.
Down 6-4 in the eighth, Mason Schwalbach opened the inning with a single. Keanu Spenser then hit a deep fly ball to right field that looked like it was going to get out to tie the game, but the ball struck off the fence. Clinton right fielder Trevor Burkhart made a perfect throw to get Spenser at second base.
With Schwalbach on third, reliever Nick Scanlon retired Coy Sarsfield on a soft line drive to second base for the second out. Caleb Wulf followed with a slicing fly ball that carried down the left-field line, but Jeremy Conforti chased it down to end the inning.
The Bees had one more rally in them in the ninth. Corey Boyette’s bases-loaded single to center field scored Ian Wolski, then Schwalbach followed with a deep fly ball to right field that Burkhart caught on the warning track. Jaden Hackbarth scored on the play, then Spenser’s flyout to center field ended the game.
“Our guys hit some balls hard today,” Oreskovich said. “They gave us a chance.”
Donley, who pitched a scoreless fifth inning, walked three and allowed two hits in the fifth inning, including a two-run single to Conforti. Tampa faced just five batters, hitting one and walking two before allowing a bases-loaded triple to Brandon Vlcko.
“I’ll take the blame for some of that,” Oreskovich said. “I should have gotten a couple of those pitchers out of there earlier.”
Clinton starter Drew Proskovec, a left-hander from Iowa, retired the first 11 Bees he faced before three consecutive singles by Schwalbach, Spenser and Sarsfield gave Burlington its first run.
The Bees then got three runs in the fifth on Schwalbach’s bases-loaded double to left-center field.
Logan Romasanta (3-1) was the winning pitcher.
Oreskovich knows what his team has to do in the second half.
“We’ve just got to be better on the mound in certain situations,” he said. “Control what we can control, taking breaths, or whatever it’s got to be, to slow yourselves down, whatever it’s got to be, instead of being sped up, rushing it, and not being able to throw the pitch you want when you’re all over the place.
“As an offense, you can’t tell them much. You just have to have some guys step up at the right time.”
NOTES: Clinton used two Iowa pitchers — Proskovec and Ben DeTaeye. DeTaeye allowed just one hit and struck out three in two scoreless innings. … Attendance was 2,842 on a night that featured a post-game fireworks show.
Photo: Bees designated hitter Mason Schwalbach drove in four runs in Monday’s game. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
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