Nivens Becomes Bees’ First Draft Pick

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Spencer Nivens played in just 13 games with the Burlington Bees last season, but the outfielder from Missouri State became a part of the franchise’s long history on Monday.

Nivens was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the fifth round of the Major League Baseball draft, becoming the first former Bee to be drafted in the three years the team has been in the Prospect League since losing its minor-league affiliation with MLB.

“That’s really awesome,” said Bees manager Owen Oreskovich, who managed Nivens last season. “Especially for the Bees and the Prospect League. You have a kid come in here and do what he did — he did a fantastic job when he was here — it puts a little name on this league and the talent that can come from it.”

Nivens, an outfielder, hit .315 in 61 plate appearances with the Bees last season, with seven doubles, two home runs and 11 runs batted in. He was 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts.

Nivens was the Missouri Valley Conference’s player of the year this season, hitting .341 with 14 home runs and 45 RBIs. He reached base safely in 53 of 56 games and ranked among the top 10 in almost every offensive category in the conference.

“It’s all on that kid,” Oreskovich said. “That kid is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met in my life. Phenomenal human being. You can’t say too many good things about that kid, because you’ll talk for hours. He’s incredible on the baseball field, as you can see.”

Among the other players with Prospect League connections selected in the draft was Clinton pitcher Jared Simpson, a left-hander from Iowa who went in the eighth round to the Washington Nationals. Simpson is 1-1 with a 1.29 earned run average with the LumberKings this season after going 4-3 with Iowa.

Photo: Bees outfielder Spencer Nivens hits a home run in a game against Illinois Valley last season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

THE MONDAY HIVE: Golden Gains Confidence To Be Key Bullpen Piece

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Chase Golden came to the Burlington Bees looking for some summer innings.

The right-hander from Western Illinois University has gained an education on being a reliever in high-leverage situations, and has become an important part of the Bees’ bullpen bridge in the late innings.

Golden is 1-1 in 11 appearances with a 5.27 earned run average. But he has recovered from a slow start to post some impressive numbers.

Golden had a 14.40 ERA with 13 walks and seven strikeouts in five innings in his first four appearances on the season. But over his last seven appearances, Golden has walked just three and struck out 15 in 8 ⅔ innings, not allowing an earned run.

“I mean, it was a rough start but it got a lot better,” Golden said. “It’s been a lot better recently, focusing on just getting in the strike zone.”

Now he’s become a key part of the Bees’ middle relief group, getting crucial innings.

“I like throwing in high-leverage situations,” Golden said. “It’s my game. I feel when it’s not a high-leverage situation, it’s harder to be as locked in. But I just love the pressure.”

“We just worked on getting him confidence,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “He’s got great stuff, but he struggled a bit early in the season. So we started using him in certain spots, allowing him to get an inning here and there, and it’s worked for him.”

Control, Golden said, was a big factor. He was the starting pitcher in the Bees’ June 3 loss to Illinois Valley, walking six in two innings. Two appearances later, in a June 10 loss at Springfield, Golden walked six in 1 ⅓ innings and allowed five runs in the 10-1 defeat.

But after giving up three runs in ⅔ of an inning in an 11-6 loss at Quincy, Golden hasn’t given up an earned run.

“After my first couple outings where I was missing the zone a lot, I started throwing off a mound pretty much every day,” Golden said. “Just throwing off a mound, getting a feel for the slope, and that’s really translated well for me since then.”

“He’s pitching with a lot of confidence now,” Oreskovich said.

That showed in the Bees’ 6-3 win over Illinois Valley on Saturday night. Golden entered the game in the fifth inning and after getting the first out, walked two hitters sandwiched around an infield single. But Golden struck out Jake Ferguson, then appeared to have struck out Alton Gyselman to end the inning, but an appeal on the checked swing went in Gyselman’s favor. Golden then came back to get Gyselman on a called third strike, giving out a yell in celebration before heading off the mound.

“Goldie did good for his one inning,” Oreskovich said.

Golden pitched just 18 ⅔ innings as a freshman at Western Illinois this season, going 0-1 with a 12.54 ERA. He found out about the Bees through teammate Jacob Greenan, who played in Burlington in 2021.

“I just wanted to pitch, throw some innings,” he said.

The experience Golden got with the Leathernecks this season, he said, was important.

“It was just learning how to play college baseball, just because it’s so different from playing in high school,” Golden said. “How to pitch. When to throw certain pitches. How to attack, how to get ahead of certain hitters.”

Golden made appearances in games against Missouri, Texas Tech and Michigan State, as well as in three games against Summit League champion Oral Roberts, which advanced to the College World Series.

“It was great to see good competition,” Golden said. “Pitching against those older guys really made me a better pitcher, I think. And I think that’s helping me this summer and hopefully translates into next season.”

Golden went into the summer not knowing who his new coach at Western Illinois was going to be. Terry Davis was named the Leathernecks’ coach last week, replacing interim coach Tayler Sheriff.

“I thought about (the coaching change) a lot,” Golden said. “I’m happy with how it ended up. I’m ready to go into battle with Coach Davis and see what the Leathernecks can do next season.”

The goal, Golden said, is to continue to build on the momentum he’s picked up in the last three weeks.

“I just want to continue to pound the strike zone,” Golden said. “I would like to keep learning on how to put hitters away for the rest of the summer, and to carry that into next spring.”

Photo: Bees reliever Chase Golden hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last seven appearances. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 6, PISTOL SHRIMP 3: A Big Week For Wulf

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The numbers aren’t official yet, but still, Caleb Wulf had a big week for the Burlington Bees.

Wulf had three hits and scored twice as the Bees defeated the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp 6-3 in Saturday’s Prospect League game at Community Field.

The Bees (13-18 overall, 3-1 second half) have a half-game lead over the Pistol Shrimp (15-17, 3-2) in the Great River Division standings heading into Sunday’s off day.

Wulf was 3-for-4 in Saturday’s game and hit .444 during the week, and that doesn’t include his 4-for-5 night in Friday’s game against Quincy that was suspended after 9 innings because of rain.

Wulf hit .384 for Southeastern Community College this season, helping the Blackhawks to a runner-up finish in the NJCAA Division II World Series. Wulf took a break after the long season and joined the Bees on June 25. His recent run comes after a 6-for-25 start to the season.

“I think it’s just getting back into a routine, playing every day, keeping things simple,” Wulf said. “I had a pretty good spring, and I was trying to get back to what I was doing then, and it’s been paying off so far.”

“(The SCC season) was fun, but it was pretty good to get time off there for about a week and a half. And then it got to the point where it was like, OK, I want to be back on the field and be playing, not just sit around and not do anything. It felt good to get back out here and play again.”

It’s a busy summer for Wulf, who works in the mornings at Kid Zone, a day-care center in West Burlington. The routine can be hectic, Wulf said, especially after late arrivals back in Burlington after road games, but he is enjoying it.

“It’s good experience, because I want to be a teacher,” Wulf said. “So working with little kids and making a little money, it’s fun. It’s fun working with them, they always have funny stories to tell me. Some of the kids have come out here to watch me play. It’s special to work with them during the day, and then have them come out here.”

“Man, he’s a happy kid all of the time,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “He’s up early in the morning, working four or five hours. And then he’s here at noon, one of the first people here in the day, going out there in the cages, getting his work done, whatever he needs to do. And then he just enjoys playing. He’s not going to come in, slam his bat, slam his helmet. He doesn’t let much affect him.

“He’s one of those competitors you get once in a blue moon. I love having that kid around.”

Wulf scored the go-ahead run in the fourth inning. With the score tied at 2, Wulf singled to open the inning, and advanced to third on Brandon Bickford’s single. Wulf then scored on a one-out double from Ian Wolski.

The Bees added two runs in the fifth. Corey Boyette led off the inning with a solo home run, then Mason Schwalbach followed with a triple. Schwalbach then scored on a wild pitch.

Wulf scored the Bees’ final run in the eighth. He led off the inning with a single, and scored on Wolski’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly.

The Bees’ bullpen had to carry a big part of the game. Adrian Nery, who found out two hours before the game that he was going to have to start in place of Jacob Zahner, lasted just two innings, but only surrendered two runs.

Ryan Donley (3-1) pitched two scoreless innings. Chase Golden got out of a bases-loaded situation to throw a scoreless fifth inning. Zach Leuschen gave up one run in three innings, then Drew Martin recorded his third save with a scoreless ninth.

“I thought Nery did a good job for only knowing he was starting two hours before the game,” Oreskovich said. We found that out in the middle of batting practice.

“The bullpen was incredible again. Donley did an incredible job like he has the last couple of outings. Goldie did good for his one inning. Leusch did a hell of a job giving us three. And then D-Mart did a hell of a job closing it out.”

ON DECK: The Bees are off Sunday before playing host to the Normal CornBelters on Monday.

NOTES: Boyette, who joined the Bees at the end of June, has hit in all five games he’s played, batting .333 in the streak. … Schwalbach has a four-game hitting streak, batting .438 in the current stretch. … Schwalbach has two triples this season, both against the Pistol Shrimp. … Bickford, who went 2-for-3, is batting .350 over his last seven games.

Box score

Photo: Caleb Wulf singled in the second inning of Saturday’s game. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 4, GEMS 4: The Storm Before The Storm

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The Burlington Bees had a chance to beat the Quincy Gems and the approaching thunderstorm.

They couldn’t do the latter and will have to wait a while to have a chance to do the former.

The Bees gave up three runs in the top of the ninth inning, leading to a 4-4 tie in Friday’s Prospect League game that was suspended heading into the 10th inning because of rain.

The two teams will complete the game before their regularly scheduled game on July 17.

The Bees sailed into the ninth inning behind the strong pitching of starter Jared Townsend and reliever Jaden Siemer, who combined to allow just two hits and a fourth-inning run.

But closer Jake Jakubowski and the Bees’ defense couldn’t complete the win.

Jakubowski’s first pitch of the night was hit right back to him by Quincy’s Lucas Black. The carom headed to the third-base line, and Black was able to reach on a single.

Lucas Loos fouled out for the first out of the inning, then Jack Zebig singled. Otto Jones followed with a soft line drive into the center field that Trent Rice misplayed for an error, loading the bases. Jakubowski then hit Harry Fandre with a pitch, forcing in a run.

Easton Mains then hit a grounder that first baseman Keanu Spenser bobbled as he attempted to go to second base for a force out and a possible double play. Spenser then tried to throw the ball to Jakubowski covering first base, but the ball got away. Zebig and Jones scored to tie the game.

After a scoreless bottom of the ninth, the game was suspended as lightning flashed over Community Field. The thunderstorm that followed brought heavy rain that led to the game being halted for the night.

Townsend, making his first start of the season for the Bees, worked five strong innings, allowing two hits while walking two. Siemer took over and was almost perfect — the only baserunner he allowed was a walk to Mains in the eighth.

Burlington took a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning. Jaden Hackbarth drove in two runs with a single and Mason Schwalbach drew a bases-loaded walk.

The Bees added a run in the eighth when Caleb Wulf’s double, his fourth hit of the game, drove in Tanner Holland.

Burlington had plenty opportunities for more runs, but left 15 baserunners.

Photo: Bees starting pitcher Jared Townsend allowed one run in five innings. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 6, DANS 4: A Bridge To A Win

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

It was the perfect bridge to the finish.

The Burlington Bees needed five good innings of pitching to finish off Danville in Wednesday’s Prospect League game at Community Field, and they got it.

Four relievers held the Dans scoreless over those final innings on the way to a 6-4 win.

Zach Leuschen (1-0) pitched the fifth inning. Drew Martin pitched the sixth and seventh. Chase Golden got the eighth, and Jake Jakubowski got the ninth, closing out the game for his third save.

Combined, they allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out eight.

“We had a plan,” said Bees manager Owen Oreskovich. “We knew D-Mart would throw today. We knew Leuschen would be a good follow to (starter) Rem (Maxwell) — different arm slots. You’re going to throw JJ in that spot anyway — he’s thrown two days in a row, so he would have to sit tomorrow anyway, so that wasn’t a concern (the Bees have an off-day). And Golden’s done a hell of a job.”

Everything worked.

“It was just getting our secondary stuff over for strikes, that really helped,” said Martin, who struck out three. “I threw my slider, I got it over for a strike a lot. I kind of worked backwards, threw my fastball with two strikes. And I was pretty successful with that.”

Maxwell, who struck out five in four innings, threw 80 pitches, closing in on the league’s 95-pitch limit. That set Oreskovich’s plan in motion.

Leuschen and Jakubowski had the only walks among the four relievers.

“It’s really just going after guys, getting ahead in the count as fast as you can,” Martin said. “And then limiting the walks, the free passes, because the free passes always turn into runs. If you’re going to get beat, have them beat you with your best.”

The Bees, 2-1 in the second half, were coming off a 4-0 win over Clinton on Tuesday in which four pitchers combined on a five-hitter

“We’ve been throwing with a lot of confidence, especially the last two games,” Martin said.

“I wish we could score a few more runs as the game goes along,” Oreskovich said. “Makes the game go easier. But that was a great pitching performance, from the bullpen especially.

“It’s huge for those guys’ confidence, and for our team.”

***Corey Boyette drives in two runs with a second-inning single. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)***

The Bees got all of their runs in the first three innings. Tanner Holland scored on a balk in the first inning, Corey Boyette had a two-run single in the second, and Jaden Hackbarth drove in three runs with a third-inning double.

Carter Heninger (1-2) was the losing pitcher.

ON DECK: The Bees have Thursday off before playing host to the Quincy Gems in a 6:30 p.m. game Friday.

NOTES: Danville assistant coach Ron Polk was ejected in the second inning by plate umpire David Schwartz. Polk is a legendary college coach, having won 1,373 games in his career, taking eight teams to the College World Series. … Boyette has had a hit in his first four games with the team, hitting .333 since his arrival. … Bees first baseman Keanu Spenser has hit in his last four games, going 6-for-16. … Bees designated hitter Mason Schwalbach has a three-game hitting streak, going 5-for-12. … Bees second baseman Caleb Wulf has five hits in his last 10 at-bats.

Box score

Photo: Bees reliever Drew Martin struck out three in two innings. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

LUMBERKINGS 10, BEES 6: Late Rally Doesn’t Have The Pop

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)

THE MONDAY HIVE: Holland Provides Lightning At Top Of Bees’ Order

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The walk-up song for Burlington Bees outfielder Tanner Holland is “Real Gone” by Sheryl Crow.

He’s got the Lightning McQueen Crocs.

If you know, you know — Holland is a fan of the Pixar animated movie “Cars.”

“That’s my thing,” Holland said, smiling.

Baseball is fun, Holland said, and so, why not have some fun paying homage to a favorite movie from his childhood?

“I just love the story of it,” Holland said. “Having a best friend, going through rough times in life, and being able to turn it all around. I’ve watched it since I was a little kid, I’ve got all of the ‘Cars’ toys. I mean, it’s a great story, being able to have a buddy with you, and have a mentor to teach you all of the right ways.”

That’s why his walk-up song is from the soundtrack of the movie. The batter’s box is, well, Radiator Springs for Holland.

“I might as well have as much as I can getting into the box,” Holland said. “It’s great to have a smile when you’re getting ready (to hit). And I know the fans probably love it too. Just trying to make people enjoy baseball.”

On the bases and in the outfield, Holland is speed (again, if you know, you know). It’s why Bees manager Owen Oreskovich usually has Holland at the top of the batting order, usually has him in center field.

Holland is batting .310 with the Bees. He leads the Bees with eight stolen bases and only been caught stealing once, and has a .400 on-base percentage.

“I like that he is aggressive to his pitch early in the count, and that he can run,” Oreskovich said. “Even if he mishits a ground ball, he can still get on and then we can put pressure on by stealing second.”

That pressure was evident in Thursday’s first game of a doubleheader against Springfield. Holland drove in two runs with a single in the fourth inning, then stole second and third base before scoring on Connor Laeng’s single.

“My main goal is trying to get on base,” Holland said. “Anything I can do to get on base, I’m going to do. I know my skill set is my speed. Stealing bases, I love that more than anything. I love getting on base, getting to second base, and hoping somebody gets me in.”

Holland came to the Bees after redshirting this season at Central Arizona College. Holland is teammates with Bees shortstop Kooper Schulte, and is living with Schulte and his family in New London this summer.

“His dad told me about playing here,” Holland said. “Being redshirted this year, I missed a lot of games. So being able to come out here, play in a league with a bunch of games and get a bunch of at-bats, and then talking with (Oreskovich), I knew this was the place for me.”

Holland took a redshirt season after being injured and missing the fall schedule at Central Arizona.

“I learned a lot sitting out,” he said. “Watching those guys out there, they taught me more than I ever knew about baseball. The coaches were great, they helped me through it. Even doing things like charting actually helped me understand a lot of stuff as well. It was a great refresher.”

Watching and learning is something Holland does on the basepaths, which has made him a successful base stealer.

“It’s seeing the pitcher,” Holland said. “A lot of pitchers have little tips, and timing is everything. Big leg kicks, side-steps … it’s all the little things.”

That kind of awareness helps him in the outfield, especially in a ballpark like Community Field with a lot of room in center field.

“He always gets a great jump on balls, and takes great angles,” Oreskovich said. “He sees the ball pretty well out there. We’ve had Lincoln Riley and A.J. Henkle out there the last couple of years, and they were among the best I’ve seen go get balls. Tanner is right in there with those guys.”

“I like being able to roam,” Holland said. “I think I’ve had a couple of catches in right-center where I’ve been able to range out, go lay out for balls. It’s more fun to be able to run around out there.”

It’s all about speed.

Photo: Burlington Bees center fielder Tanner Holland leaps to make a catch in a game earlier this season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

ROCKABILLYS 4, BEES 3: A Simple Matter Of Execution

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Just one hit in the last five innings could have made a difference for the Burlington Bees.

But Saturday’s 4-3 11-inning loss to the Jackson Rockabillys in a Prospect League game at Community Field came down to simple execution.

And that left Bees manager Owen Oreskovich frustrated.

The Bees (10-16) stranded 16 baserunners, including 10 in the final five innings in which they went hitless.

“I don’t know when the last time was we got a hit in that game, but it was a long time,” Oreskovich said. “But we’ve got to do a better job, and be better.”

The closest the Bees came to a hit came in the ninth inning, and it might have produced the winning run. Burlington had runners on first and second with one out when Caleb Wulf hit a hard grounder that look like it would get into the space between Jackson third baseman Carter Vrabel and shortstop Ayden Hamilton. But Vrabel, the son of Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, made a diving stab of the grounder and got up to get the force out at second. Brandon Bickford struck out to end the inning.

The Rockabillys (10-17) scored the winning run in the 11th without a hit. Wesley Mann started the inning on second base under the league’s extra-inning rule and moved to third on Vrabel’s groundout. Hamilton’s sacrifice fly then scored Mann.

The Bees tried a similar path in the bottom of the inning. Trent Rice started the inning on second and moved to third on Coy Sarsfield’s sacrifice bunt. But Keanu Spenser struck out, then Wulf grounded out to end the game.

The Bees built a 3-1 lead over the first five innings. Tanner Holland drove in all of the runs with an RBI single in the third inning and a two-run single in the fifth.

Jackson tied the game in the seventh. James Denten and Tyler Heckert singled to open the inning, then Griffon Cameron’s single to right field scored Denten. Cameron got caught in a rundown between first and second, and was tagged out as Heckert raced home with the tying run.

Cauy Massner, making his last start of the season for the Bees, gave up three runs in 6 ⅔ innings. Jaden Siemer pitched 3 ⅓ scoreless innings of relief. Golden (1-1) took the loss.

“I thought Massner was great,” Oreskovich said. “That’s as good as he’s pitched all season, and I was hoping we could get one in the win column for him. Siemer was outstanding, and Goldy pitched well even though they got that run.”

Jamal Allen (1-1) was the winning pitcher.

ON DECK: The Bees play at Quincy in a 6:30 p.m. game on Sunday.

NOTES: Bees shortstop Kooper Schulte, 10th in the league with a .373 batting average, is out indefinitely with a hand injury suffered when he was hit by a pitch in the first inning of the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader against Springfield. “He’s going to be out for a while,” Oreskovich said. … Sarsfield, who was hit on the elbow in Wednesday’s game against Jackson, pinch-ran for Mason Schwalbach in the ninth inning in his first appearance since being injured. … Outfielder Corey Boyette joined the Bees. Boyette played for NJCAA Division II national champion Heartland Community College this spring, hitting .457 with six home runs and 76 runs batted in.

Photo: Cauy Massner delivers a pitch in Saturday’s game. (John Lovretta/bees-blog.com)

Box score

BEES 6-3, LUCKY HORSESHOES 4-1: A Sweep, And Some Momentum

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Owen Oreskovich couldn’t help smiling.

“That,” the Burlington Bees’ manager said after Thursday’s Prospect League doubleheader sweep of the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes, “is how we should be playing baseball.”

The two wins — 6-4 in the first game, 3-1 in the second game — had all of the formula that Oreskovich has wanted out of his team this season.

It was timely hitting — Tanner Holland’s two-run single broke a 3-all tie in the fourth inning of the first game, and Brandon Bickford’s double into the left-center field gap broke a 1-all tie in the second game.

It was strong bullpen work — Jake Jakubowski struck out two of the three hitters he faced in the seventh to save the first game, and Chase Golden struck out five in two innings to get the win in the second game.

And it was about putting constant pressure on the Lucky Horseshoes — the Bees had runners on base in five of their six innings on offense in the first game, and in five of the six innings in the second game.

Suddenly the Bees (10-14), who gave up 26 runs in two losses to O’Fallon earlier in the week, have won three consecutive games since then, and have won five of their last seven.

“We call this a winning streak. Three is a winning streak,” Oreskovich said, laughing. “Glad we can finally get to that point. Everybody’s believing in each other now.”

The sound of winning echoed through the Bees’ clubhouse on a late night.

“You can hear it from down there,” Oreskovich said.

The losses early in the week seemed a long time ago, but there was a lesson in them.

“We were a little harsh when we had to be,” Oreskovich said. “Even teammate-wise, like, ‘Hey, you’re not doing what you’re doing, and you’ve got to do it.'”

Oreskovich knew, even after the losses to O’Fallon, that his pitching staff could come up with the key innings the Bees needed to win, and in this streak — and especially in this doubleheader — the mound work has been impressive.

Jeremy Fox (1-2) scattered eight hits over five innings to win the first game. Rem Maxwell walked four of the first eight hitters he faced to start the second game, but settled in to retire seven of the next eight hitters.

Golden (1-0), who came into the game with a 12.46 ERA, struck out the first two and last two hitters he faced before turning the game over to Drew Martin in the seventh, who got Springfield’s Patrick Graham to ground into a double play to end the game.

“We’ve been talking about how it looks like it’s right there for this staff,” Oreskovich said. “And tonight, it is there. A hell of a job by our staff.”

That kept the Bees in position for that key inning, and it came in the sixth. Bickford’s double scored Keanu Spenser from first base, then Bickford would score on Cedric Dunnwald’s single.

The same kind of inning happened in the first game, when Holland singled to bring in Drew Gaskins and Trent Rice. Holland then stole second and third, and scored on Connor Laeng’s single.

The Bees ended their longest homestand of the season with a winning streak, and momentum.

“I think it’s incredible for us, going forward as a team,” Oreskovich said.

NOTES: Bees shortstop Kooper Schulte left the first game after being hit on the left arm by a pitch. Schulte didn’t play in the second game. Coy Sarsfield, who was hit on the elbow in Wednesday’s win over Jackson, didn’t play in either game. … The doubleheader started an hour late because of travel issues for Springfield, caused by a line of storms that swept through central Illinois late Thursday morning and into the afternoon. “Their manager said they were getting ready to leave when the storms hit, and they had to shelter in the clubhouse,” Oreskovich said. The bus trip then took longer than expected because of detours caused by closed highways.

Photo: Burlington’s Jaden Hackbarth singles in the first inning of Thursday’s first game of a doubleheader at Community Field. (John Lovretta/bees-blog.com)

BEES 17, ROCKABILLYS 4: 10-Run Second Inning More Than Enough

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Blake Gaskey was happy to watch the Burlington Bees turn the Community Field base paths into a speedway.

The Bees scored 10 second-inning runs and raced to a 17-4 win over the Jackson Rockabillys in Wednesday’s Prospect League game.

Burlington (9-15) had four stolen bases in the second inning, putting pressure on a Jackson defense which would commit four errors in the inning and five in the game.

“We’ve been on that side before, making five errors in a game,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “It’s not fun, but that’s what happens when you put the ball in play. You make the other teams make plays.”

The Rockabillys (9-15) didn’t make plays and Gaskey, the Bees’ starting pitcher, was the beneficiary of all of that offense, which allowed him to stay calm through five innings of work.

Fifteen hitters later, he had a 10-2 lead.

“It’s definitely a little bit rewarding to be able to go out there the next inning to know that I got run support and I could just do my thing,” said Gaskey, who struck out four and allowed just two earned runs.

“Gaskey did a hell of a job,” Oreskovich said. “Our offense backed him up, putting the ball in play.”

Gaskey didn’t give up a run in the third and fourth innings, then after allowing a two-run home run to Dalton Rudd in the fifth inning, retired the last three hitters he faced.

“Really, it was just being able to throw strikes with the fastball and the slider,” Gaskey said. “I was able to throw strikes with my change-up, but I was leaving it up and I knew I wouldn’t be successful with it. I just worked with what I had, tried to get first-pitch outs.”

Gaskey’s outing helped conserve the Bees’ bullpen with a doubleheader against Springfield scheduled for Thursday. The game was shortened to seven innings because of the poor air quality that left a smoky haze over the ballpark.

“(Going five innings) was really important, especially since it was a seven-inning game,” Gaskey said..

The Bees kept pounding the Rockabillys. They scored five runs in the fourth inning, an outburst that included Keanu Spenser’s second grand slam of the season.

Spenser, who added a run-scoring double in the fifth inning, is now batting .300 for the season and is tied with Mason Schwalbach for the team lead in home runs. Spenser has a four-game hitting streak, hitting .353 in the streak.

“He’s seeing it well right now,” Oreskovich said. “He doesn’t let any bad at-bat affect him, and that’s a really good thing he has.”

Will Schnepf (0-2) was the losing pitcher. Only two of the runs he allowed in the second inning were earned.

ON DECK: The Bees and Springfield play a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday’s game between the two teams was postponed because of the poor air quality.NOTES: Oreskovich said the hazy conditions didn’t seem to cause problems for his team, but said visibility got worse as the sun set. “I didn’t see those last couple of fly balls,” he said. “Somehow the outfielders did.” … Jackson third baseman Carter Vrabel, the son of Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, was 0-for-4 in the game and scored a run.

Photo: Bees starter Blake Gaskey picked up the win, allowing two earned runs in five innings. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)