Tag: baseball

BEES 10, LUMBERKINGS 4: Reinartz Learns To Adjust In The Middle Of The Lineup

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Tanner Reinartz is getting his first full lesson in the difference between wood bats and metal bats.

Reinartz, playing for the Burlington Bees in the Prospect League this summer after a big first season of college baseball, has struggled a bit with the adjustment.

Wednesday’s 10-4 win over the Clinton LumberKings might have been the breakout game for the right fielder from Rochester, Indiana.

Reinartz had two hits and drove in four runs hitting in the No. 3 spot in the Bees’ lineup.

“It was great,” Reinartz said of his night. “I’ve been struggling at the plate. I’ve been getting a lot of cage work, tee work. It paid off tonight.”

Reinartz hit 15 home runs and drove in 60 runs this season at Huntington University, an NAIA school in Indiana. He hit .338 with a 1.210 OPS.

But Reinartz came into this game hitting .207 with the Bees. It’s his first season in a wood-bat league, although he said he did play in a couple of wood-bat tournaments before.

“The swing weight is completely different from an aluminum bat, and the barrel’s a lot smaller,” Reinartz said. “Your misses are misses. With an aluminum bat, you can end-cap a ball and it leaves the yard, but with a wood bat it’s a single.”

“It was good to see him have a game like this,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “I know he can hit the ball, I’ve seen him do it in (batting practice), that’s why I’ve got him hitting where he’s at.”

The Bees (4-4) struck early against the LumberKings (3-5). Leadoff hitter Foti Rigopoulos singled on the first pitch of the first inning, then Juan Fernandez followed with a double. Reinartz then singled to drive in both runners.

Bees right fielder Tanner Reinartz hits his second two-run single of the game. (Steve Cirinna Photography)

Reinartz then had a two-run single as part of the Bees’ seven-run fifth inning, a heavy-traffic inning that Oreskovich said shows the balance of Burlington’s lineup.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who had good at-bats,” he said.

Fernandez drove in two runs. Lucas Krebs drove in two runs hitting out of the fifth spot in the lineup.

Oreskovich got another good pitching night. Starter Riley Fuller allowed just one earned run in four innings. Ty Mikkelsen (1-0) allowed one run in two innings. Jaylan Patterson threw two shutout innings, then Jake Weissenberger pitched a scoreless ninth.

Nick Hartje (0-1) was the losing pitcher.

The Bees are now 3-0 at home, settling into their season after a five-game road trip to the eastern part of the league.

“It’s just a desire to win, come out with these boys every day and grind,” Reinartz said. “I’ve known these guys for a week, and they’re like brothers to me.”

UP NEXT: The Bees play at Quincy on Thursday night before returning home for games Friday and Saturday against the O’Fallon Hoots.

Photo: Bees manager Owen Oreskovich (left) talks to Tanner Reinartz at third base during the seven-run fifth inning in Wednesday’s game. (Steve Cirinna Photography)

BEES 8, LUMBERKINGS 7: Back Home, And Bonded

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

It was one of those anything-that-could-go-wrong-did road trips for the Burlington Bees.

It may have set the tone for the rest of the Prospect League season.

The Bees were back at Community Field for Tuesday’s Kids’ Day afternoon game against the Clinton LumberKings, and after a challenge from manager Owen Oreskovich responded with an 8-7 come-from-behind win.

The Bees (3-4) trailed 6-0 going into the bottom of the sixth inning, then scored five runs in that inning before adding three runs in the seventh.

Burlington went 1-4 on a road trip that took them to Ohio, Pennsylvania, and then a stop for one game in Normal, Illinois. The number of things that went wrong are too numerous to mention, but it was enough to bond a team in its first week together.

“One of the things I learned was we got a lot closer,” Oreskovich said. “Our dugout acts like a team that’s been together a lot longer than a week and a half. Today I learned if you challenge them a little bit, they can take it, which is really good. Sometimes you don’t see that in the summer.”

That challenge came after a three-run third inning in which Clinton (3-4) scored all of its runs without a hit, and a three-run fifth in which the Lumberkings sent nine batters to the plate.

“I kind of got into them a little bit in the dugout,” Oreskovich said. “Kind of challenged their toughness a little bit. Wanted to see more out of them. I thought we needed to be a little tougher. It took an inning for that to come into effect.”

The Bees’ sixth inning started with back-to-back singles from Troy Peltz and Lucas Krebs. Milo Kelley loaded the bases when he was hit by a pitch with one out. Adam Kudronowicz followed with a single to drive in Peltz.

“They really looked like they got locked in there,” Oreskovich said of how his team responded to his challenge. “They played tough and hard the rest of the game. Troy’s (hit) fell, and then Krebs’ (hit) fell. I think we needed to see that. We didn’t get much of that the last two games (of the road trip).”

Foti Rigopoulos was hit by a pitch to bring in the second run. Juan Fernandez followed with a two-run single and Tanner Reinartz followed with an RBI single, and the Bees trailed 6-5.

Kudronowicz’s one-out double in the seventh inning tied the game, then Kole Sonnenberg drove in two runs with a single to give the Bees an 8-6 lead.

Clinton got a run back in the ninth on Jackson Mishler’s solo home run to left field, but Bees reliever Jake Weissenberger retired the next three hitters to secure the win and pick up his first save of the season.

Quentin Holmes (1-0) was the winning pitcher after throwing 2 ⅓ shutout innings. Connor Diiulio (0-1) took the loss.

The two teams play again at Community Field in Wednesday’s 6:30 p.m. game.

Photo: Burlington’s Troy Peltz steals second base in the fourth inning of Tuesday’s game at Community Field. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 9, CORNBELTERS 3: The Introduction, And Now The Road Trip

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

It was quite the introduction.

Now comes the getting-to-know-you part of the season for the Burlington Bees.

The Bees opened the Prospect League season on Tuesday night with a 9-3 win over the Normal CornBelters at Community Field.

It’s going to be a while before they’re home again, though. The bus leaves at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday for a five-day road trip to Springfield, Ohio, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and then a one-game stop on the way home to play at Normal on Sunday.

Five games, 1,468 miles.

“They’re going to get to know each other,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “And I’m going to get to see them, see what they can do. We’re going to be spending pretty much every hour together, so we’re going to get to know each other.”

“It’s going to be important for us to get bonded, to feel each other out,” said first baseman Kila Teixeira, one of three players returning from last season’s team. “Getting to know each other’s names, so we can communicate better on the field. So I think it’s going to be really good for us.”

The Bees made a statement early, scoring four runs in the first inning, then were backed by a procession of five pitchers who kept the CornBelters from mounting an offensive challenge.

“It was good to see some guys, see what they’re capable of,” Oreskovich said. “The pitchers did a good job. We struck out a lot (13 times), but some of these guys haven’t had a lot of at-bats this season, so we have to work the kinks out.”

Teixeira had the big hit in the first inning. A hit batter and three walks led to Burlington’s first run in the inning, then with the bases loaded and two outs Teixeira knocked everyone in with a single that was then misplayed by Normal center fielder Dylan Coty.

Teixeira, who hit .314 with the Bees last season, had just 11 at-bats this season at Hawaii Pacific.

“I’ve been waiting for an opportunity the entire season to play,” he said. “It just felt amazing to get that hit. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

“He’s been in this league, and he’s seen the pitching and knows what to expect,” Oreskovich said. “So that’s awesome he could get the big hit for us.”

Kolt Kurzman, batting ninth in the Bees’ lineup, drove in two runs with a third-inning single that gave Burlington a 6-0 lead.

Normal scored two runs in the fourth inning, then the Bees extended their lead to 7-2 in the sixth inning when Troy Peltz’s single scored Tanner Reinartz.

Burlington got its final two runs in the eighth on bases-loaded walks to Teixeira and Lucas Krebs.

Bees starting pitcher Tate Slagle threw two shutout innings. (John Lovretta photo)

Oreskovich used five pitchers. Starter Tate Slagle and relievers Mitchell Cox, Kyle Prebil and Zach Troxel each pitched two innings, then Quentin Holmes pitched the ninth.

Now the Bees hit the road.

“It’s definitely a little different than last year,” Teixeira said of the team. “A lot of different guys, a lot of different cultures. It’s great to get to know them, and it will be great to get to know them better on this trip.”

Top photo: Kila Teixeira clears the bases with a first-inning single. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

After Bees’ 2025 Playoff Run, Oreskovich Wants To See Winning Continue

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The body language was what Burlington Bees manager Owen Oreskovich wanted to see in his first team meeting on Sunday.

“They seemed excited yesterday about everything,” Oreskovich said. “When we were talking about winning, I saw a bunch of head nods. We’ve got a bunch of guys from winning programs, and that’s  going to be a main focus with this group.”

The Bees open the Prospect League season with Tuesday’s 6:30 p.m. game against the Normal CornBelters at Community Field. It’s the sixth season for the franchise in the college summer league, but it’s the first time the Bees are opening the season coming off a playoff appearance the season before.

Burlington went 33-21 last season. They went 21-7 in the second half to win the Northwest Division, then lost to the Clinton LumberKings in the first round of the playoffs.

That run was just fuel for Oreskovich, who enters his fifth season as the Bees’ manager.

“That meant a lot, especially to this town,” Oreskovich said. “It meant a lot to me, but to give back to this town and to these fans who support us, it meant the world. All of those guys on that team mean a lot to me. They’re still brothers, they still send each other messages in the group chat. It’s really cool.”

Oreskovich said his time with the Bees has been an education — his college baseball job is hitting coach at Mount Mercy University.

“I’ve learned a lot here — I don’t really know where to start,” he said. “How to take care of people is one thing. How to manage a team is another. But really building a culture is something I’ve learned, and that has happened here. That happened last summer. It was kind of like the first summer where we’ve had that.

“The culture I would want is a family-like culture, where guys are going to work hard every single day they come in, but also have that want and will to win. That’s exactly what that team had last year, and I’m going to work the hardest to build that here this year as well.”

Oreskovich has put together a 40-player roster — “I had a lot more than 40 interested,” he said, laughing — although some players have still not finished their spring college seasons and will arrive in the next couple of weeks.

“Hopefully all of these guys want to be here all summer,” Oreskovich said. “I know some guys have some commitments in the second half. When I get guys in the summer, I expect them to come here, play hard, and I’m going to give them a good time.”

It is mostly a new team. Only three players from last season — pitcher Mitchell Cox, infielder Kila Teixeira and outfielder Jace Figuereo — are currently on the roster.

“Having a couple of guys from last year come back, that means a lot,” Oreskovich said. “A bunch of those guys we had last year were older. But I’m excited about this group. It is a little younger group — we have a couple of juniors. They might have to learn a little bit. But we have guys from winning programs, and that matters. They know how to go about their business, and I expect the same thing out of them.”

Oreskovich hadn’t decided on an Opening Day starting pitcher as of Monday afternoon, but he has a deep pitching staff of 22 players.

“That’s the earliest thing I focus on,” Oreskovich said of how he put together this roster. “Sometimes that’s hard with coaches not wanting to place pitchers (with summer league teams) early on in the year. But that’s kind of the main thing I focus on right away. That was something I did last year, that maybe I wanted more pitchers than the average team would have. But it matters if you have six starters — those guys are throwing once every six days, seven days. Keeping them fresh is something I care about, too. It’s really nice to have that many guys.”

The progression of the franchise extended to the postseason in 2025. Oreskovich would like to have a deeper run.

“We’re going to have fun, but we’re going to go about our business and work hard and win baseball games,” he said. “I haven’t met too many people in the world who like losing, and I sure as heck do not.”

Photo: Burlington Bees manager Owen Oreskovich (right) celebrates a home run with Cole Yearsley last season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Bees’ 2026 Roster Full Of Newcomers

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The Opening Day roster for the 2026 Burlington Bees has a few familiar names from past teams.

But the bulk of the roster, up to 39 players as of Monday, is made up of newcomers to the Prospect League team.

Three players — pitcher Mitchell Cox (0-0, 4.76 ERA), infielder Kila Teixeira (.314, 18 RBIs) and outfielder Jace Figuereo (.356, 11 RBIs) — return from last season’s team that went 33-21 and advanced to the playoffs.

Nine players are from NCAA Division I programs.

The Bees open the season May 26 at home against the Normal CornBelters.

A breakdown of the roster. Statistics are through Monday.

PITCHERS (21)

Will Baumhardt (McHenry County) — 1-0 with a 7.59 ERA

Norm Cherrett (Randolph-Macon) — 1-1 with a 3.30 ERA

*-Mitchell Cox (Bethany Lutheran) — 0-0 with a 1.35 ERA

Jack Cozzi (McHenry County) — 0-0 with a 4.76 ERA.

Riley Fuller (Evangel) — 3-4 with a 6.15 ERA, making 12 starts. Struck out 55 in 60 innings 

Patrick Geary (Mesa CC) — 1-2 with a 5.23 ERA, making six starts. Struck out 30 in 41 ⅓ innings.

T.J. Hauser (Coastal Alabama) — 5-3 with a 5.40 ERA, making 12 starts. Struck out 48 in 56 ⅔ innings

Quentin Holmes (Bethany Lutheran) — 1-0 with a 4.22 ERA

Talon Jennings (Olney Central) — 3-3 with an 8.82 ERA. Struck out 40 in 33 ⅔ innings.

Kade LaCoste (LSU-Eunice) — 6-2 with 4.66 ERA. Made seven starts.

Bryce Loker (South Dakota State) — Incoming freshman

Ty Mikkelsen (Iowa) — 0-0 with a 16.20 ERA in nine appearances.

Jaylan Patterson (Hawaii Pacific) — Pitched in one game this season, did not record an out.

Kyle Prebil (McHenry County) — 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA

Ramzy Rodriguez (Mesa CC) — 1-2 with an 8.16 ERA. Made four starts.

Edwin Sanchez (Coppin State) — 0-0 with a 15.63 ERA in six appearances.

Spencer Spinks (Triton) — 0-2 with a 14.66 ERA in six appearances.

Aiden Terronez (Illinois-Chicago) — 1-1 with a 6.45 ERA. Struck out 34 in 22 ⅓ innings.

Owen Thomson (Oakland) — 2-0 with a 6.52 ERA. 

Zach Troxel (Indiana Wesleyan) — 2-2 with a 7.34 ERA

Quinn Wilfong (Florida State-Jacksonville) — 2-2 with a 10.89 ERA

CATCHERS (3)

Johnnie Ankenbruck (Huntington) — Hit .063 in 30 games.

P.J. Hamel (McHenry County) — Hit .352 with 18 home runs and 53 RBIs

Milo Kelley (Iowa) — Did not play this season.

INFIELDERS (7)

Rowen Bergeron (LSU-Eunice) — Hit .217 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs

Juan Fernandez (SCC) — Hit .295 with 5 home runs

Gage Handzel (Winthrop) — Hit .143 in 20 games

Dalton Jones (Olney Central) — Hit .205 in 16 games, with 2 home runs and 14 RBIS

Lucas Krebs (Illinois) — Did not play this season

Dalton Miller (Georgia Gwinnett) — Hit .320 in 29 games

*-Kila Teixeira (Hawaii Pacific) — .091 in seven games.

OUTFIELDERS (4)

*-Jace Figuereo (Quincy) — Hit .410 in 45 games

Troy Peltz (Iowa Western) — Hit. 240 in 22 games.

Tanner Reinartz (Huntington) — Hit .338 with 15 home runs and 60 RBIs

Matthew Simmons (Wabash Valley) — Hit. .286 in six games

UTILITY (4)

Adam Kudronowicz (Iowa Western) — Hit .308 in 19 games

Kolton Kurzman (Mount Mercy) — Hit .176 in 13 games

Foti Rigopoulos (Illinois) — Did not play this season

Tate Slagle (Iowa) — Played in 17 games.

Photo: Outfielder Jace Figuereo is one of three returning players to the Burlington Bees this season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Countdown To One: Rain Condenses Bees’ Chances

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Only a half-inning was played before Wednesday’s doubleheader showdown between the Burlington Bees and the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp sank in the muddy depths of Community Field’s right-field turf and warning track.

A sudden heavy rain that hit right after the Bees scored two runs in the top of the first inning led to a delay of more than 90 minutes before umpires ruled that the field was unplayable.

Instead of two games that could have determined the second-half champion of the Prospect League’s Northwest Division, the two teams went their separate ways with the Bees holding a half-game lead over the Pistol Shrimp with Thursday’s regular-season finales to be played.

The Bees (32-21 overall, 20-7 second half) play at Quincy (16-37, 7-23), while Illinois Valley (31-22, 20-8) plays host to first-half division champion Clinton (33-19, 15-12). A Bees win or an Illinois Valley loss would clinch the first playoff bid in Burlington’s five seasons in the league.

“We wanted to play them today, show them that we deserve it for real,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said after meeting with his players in the dugout following the announcement of the cancellation. “But we’re going to go out there tomorrow with the same mentality.”

The Bees were the visiting team in the first game, which was a make-up of the June 25 game at Illinois Valley that was rained out, and struck quickly for a 2-0 lead. Cole Yearsley’s double scored Jace Figuereo, then Yearsley scored on Corey Boyette’s sacrifice fly.

But rain started to fall as the Bees took the field for the bottom of the inning, then it began pouring as Illinois Valley’s Lucas Smith stepped to the plate. Plate umpire Preston Childers waved the teams off the field as Bees staff members and players, with some help from a couple of Illinois Valley players, got the tarp on the field.

The rain stopped within 15 minutes, but after the tarp was removed, there was standing water along the warning track in front of each team’s dugout, and a large area in right field behind where the infield ended was swampy. The two teams decided to wait 90 minutes to try to play again, but the field failed to dry.

“I mean, it really rained hard there,” Oreskovich said. “We did whatever we could. We got the tarp on right away. But right field is a problem, and the warning track was a problem. That’s just real life. There was nothing we could do.”

Even if the game had been able to restarted, it likely wouldn’t have gotten finished — more rain fell 90 minutes after the game was called off.

The outfield had already taken a half-inch of rain overnight — the infield had been tarped after Tuesday’s win over Johnstown.

Now it’s all about one game.

“We’re going to be foot on the gas pedal as soon as we get on the bus tomorrow,” Oreskovich said. “We’re going to be rocking, ready to go in there and get a win to get into the playoffs.”

Photo: Bees players Jace Figuereo (24), Mitchell Cox (40), Raul Gil (15) and Jack Duncan (32) help get the tarp on the field as a heavy rain falls on Community Field during the first game of Wednesday’s scheduled doubleheader. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 9, MILL RATS 6: Setting Up The Showdown

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Two games, one night, and a half-game separating the two teams.

Oh, and it might rain all day.

The Burlington Bees have never been to the playoffs in their five seasons in the Prospect League, but they get a chance to advance to the postseason after Tuesday’s 9-6 win over the Johnstown Mill Rats at Community Field.

The Bees (32-21 overall, 20-7 second half) maintained their half-game lead over Illinois Valley (31-22, 20-8) in the Northwest Division heading into Wednesday’s 5 p.m. doubleheader between the two teams at Community Field.

“Anyone who says it’s just another night is lying,” said Bees first baseman Keanu Spenser, who is in his third season with the team and has gone through some of the past struggles. “This is as big as it gets.”

“It’s fun,” said Bees manager Owen Oreskovich, who has led the team the last four seasons. “I’m excited for it. I know these guys are, too. We’re going to go into it full go, ready to go after it and win.”

The weather forecast isn’t good — the National Weather Service has forecasted an 80% chance of rain, with rainfall between a half and three-quarters of an inch. That just added to the importance for the Bees of getting this win and staying ahead of the Pistol Shrimp, who defeated Alton 11-1 Tuesday night.

“We were just, ‘Win this one and worry about what comes next,'” Oreskovich said. “We had to win tonight. Like you said about the weather, who knows what can happen tomorrow? It’s supposed to rain all day, but it might, or it might not. You never know.”

It’s why Oreskovich pieced together his pitching for this win, going to the bullpen after starter Alex Logan walked four and allowed two runs in the top of the first inning. The Bees tied the game on Spenser’s two-run home run in the bottom of the inning, but Oreskovich went to Jack Duncan (2-0) to start the second inning.

Reliever Jack Duncan gave the Bees four innings and picked up the win. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Duncan, who needed just four pitches to get two crucial eighth-inning outs in Monday’s 5-3 win over the Mill Rats, gave the Bees four innings and although he allowed three runs, gave Oreskovich some length and kept Johnstown scoreless over the fourth and fifth innings, when the Bees rallied.

“He was huge,” Spenser said. “Everybody in the bullpen did a great job, but that kept us in the game.”

Marshall Robinson got the Bees out of a second-and-third jam in the sixth without a run and then pitched a scoreless seventh, Sean O’Dowd pitched a scoreless eighth inning before giving up a run in the ninth, then Morgan Jennings got the save by getting the last three outs with the bases loaded.

“Dunc was huge,” Oreskovich said. “Marshall was huge. Sean’s first inning was really good. Then Morgan gets us out of trouble. We don’t win the game without those guys.”

The Bees slowly cut into Johnstown’s lead. Corey Boyette had an RBI single in the third inning, Lincoln Cardwell hit a solo home run in the fourth, then Burlington took the lead in the fifth on Caleb Seibers’ run-scoring single and a bases-loaded walk to Cardwell.

The Bees added two runs in the sixth when Boyette doubled to score Marcus Beatty, then Boyette scored when Kooper Schulte reached on a fielder’s choice.

Schulte’s sacrifice fly in the eighth scored Boyette with Burlington’s final run.

The stage was set for two on Wednesday.

“We had to win today, and that was our focus,” Oreskovich said. “Tomorrow is going to be fun.”

Top photo: Burlington’s Keanu Spenser (left) is greeted at home plate by Corey Boyette, Kooper Schulte and Owen Nowak after his two-run home run in the first inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 5, MILL RATS 3: Harris’ Long Outing Helps Extend Division Lead

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

His pre-game meal and the 105-degree heat index didn’t make for a good combination for Burlington Bees starting pitcher Danny Harris.

Four pitches into Monday’s start against the Johnstown Mill Rats at Community Field, Harris bent over, sick, behind the Community Field mound.

Two batters into the inning, after he went over to cover first base on a ground out, Harris came back to the mound and, well, the contents of his meal were evacuated into the grass.

“I did not think I was going to throw up,” Harris said. “I thought it was just jitters and then it was like, ‘OK, I guess I’m going to throw up.”

With that out of the way, Harris stayed a while on the mound. He threw 7 ⅓ innings in the 5-3 win that helped the Bees extend their lead in the Prospect League’s Northwest Division.

The Bees (31-21 overall, 19-7 second half) have a half-game lead on Illinois Valley, just two nights before the two teams play a doubleheader at Community Field.

The Bees extended their winning streak to six games, and have won nine consecutive home games as they head into the final three days of the regular season.

“It’s a good start (to the week),” Harris said. “We’ve never had six wins in a row, now we’ve done that. We just want to keep it going.”

Harris kept going after his early gastric distress. He allowed just one run over the first seven innings before giving up two runs in the eighth.

“About halfway through that game, I thought, ‘We’re going to stick with him,,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “He was getting his outs. Not a lot of (strikeouts), but he was getting his outs. And it’s hard to take a guy out when he’s getting his outs.”

“It was just grit, work ethic,” Harris said. “It was, ‘How bad do you want to go out there and compete for your team and get a win?’ I’ve got to get a chance for my guys to make the playoffs.”

Oreskovich said he kept an eye on Harris’ health.

“He was all good,” Oreskovich said. “We were getting him iced up, getting water in him.”

Harris (4-1) allowed six hits and struck out three, getting double plays in the fourth and sixth innings after the Mill Rats got their leadoff hitters on base. He got first-pitch strikes on 17 of the first 24 hitters he faced.

“I was trying to live down in the zone,” Harris said. “Compete, get strike one, and then attack because it’s easier to get them out when they’re on their heels. I was just trying to be efficient — a groundout is the same as a strikeout.”

The Bees had a three-run seventh inning to take a 5-1 lead, and the length of the inning made Oreskovich think about taking Harris out.

“I wanted to see what he had in him,” Oreskovich said.

Harris gave up singles to Brady Gavula and Brennon Seigler, with both runners moving up on Kuyper Lashutka’s sacrifice bunt. Jace Essig’s single up the middle brought in both baserunners and ended Harris’ night.

“He was really good,” Oreskovich said.

Jack Duncan came in and retired the next two hitters on just four pitches, then Braeden Sunken pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his seventh save.

“That’s what we need out of those two, and we’re going to need that this week,” Oreskovich said.

The Bees took a 1-0 lead in the first when Cole Yearsley singled and scored when Kooper Schulte’s fly ball to right field was turned into a three-base error.

Johnstown tied the game in the third inning on Cooper Rasmussen’s sacrifice fly, then the Bees took the lead back in the fifth when Jace Figuereo scored on a wild pitch.

Schulte and Owen Nowak had run-scoring singles in the seventh, and Corey Boyette scored on a wild pitch for the Bees’ final run.

Box score

Photo: Bees starter Danny Harris went 7 1/3 innings in the 5-3 win over Johnstown on Monday. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

THE MONDAY HIVE: Schulte Gets Back To His Roots, On And Off The Field

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

A day after going 0-for-5 in a 5-4 loss at Normal, Burlington Bees shortstop Kooper Schulte was mowing the grass behind the Community Field outfield fence.

A few hours later, after going through his normal pre-game routine, Schulte was in uniform and back at his usual position.

It’s been a summer of long days for Schulte, who along with being one of the top hitters in the Prospect League is working as an intern with the Bees, getting a full view of baseball from the playing side and the business side.

“Some days are harder than others, like when I work here in the morning and then have to play a game that night,” said Schulte, who will be a senior on Iowa’s baseball team this fall. “But honestly, it’s better for me to get up in the morning and get going than it would be for me to sleep in and be lazy.”

It hasn’t affected his play. Schulte, who opened the season getting five hits and hitting for the cycle in the 12-5 win over Quincy on May 27, is seventh in the league in hitting at .345. He has four home runs and 20 runs batted in and is tied for fifth in the league with 11 doubles, one of the reasons why he was selected to the league’s All-Star Game.

“I’m really happy,” said Schulte, who hit .268 with the Hawkeyes this season, going 0-for-12 in his final seven games. “Coming here from Iowa, I thought I needed a new start. I’m just doing things a little bit different this summer, and it’s worked out for me. Hopefully I just keep going the rest of the summer.”

It is Schulte’s second season with the Bees — he hit .373 in 2023 before a hand injury ended his season — but he’s learning about the other side of the game through the internship is doing for Iowa, where he is majoring in sport and recreation management.

“Mainly I work with the grounds crew,” Schulte said. “I get here around 10 a.m., work on the field, mow the field, work on the base paths, set up for (batting practice), all the fun stuff.

“I’ve learned quite a bit, actually. Like different ways to take care of the field. (Assistant general manager/director of stadium operations) Blaise (Rosson) has been teaching me a lot — when I ask questions, he always has answers to it. I’ve been working a little bit with operations too, like social media stuff, restocking the concession stands, and stuff like that.”

“Every single day, he’s here in the morning doing his internship stuff, and then he’s going in the (batting) cages to get in work, then he goes and gets lunch and comes back and does more work,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “He’s one of the hardest workers — he might be the hardest worker I’ve ever been around or coached. And he’s a phenomenal player as well.”

If anything, Schulte said, the summer has helped him get back to being the player he knows he can be.

“It’s just been better mentally, more than anything,” said Schulte, who is living at home in nearby New London. “I’m playing with some guys I’ve played with in the past, whether it’s been with the Bees or at Southeastern (Community College). Maybe just being back at home was important, but it’s also been more about being competitive and getting back to who I am. I needed to get back to my roots, know what makes me good and keep doing that.”

Bees manager Owen Oreskovich (left) congratulates Kooper Schulte after his triple in the season opener against Quincy. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Schulte said his first year with the Hawkeyes taught him a lot.

“That first year, I learned the competition at the Division I level is pretty good,” he said. “I learned that I’ve got to stay on me, not listen to the outside noise or anything like that. Know what works for me, and stick to it. Trust the process.”

Schulte also has been working with his father, Justin, who is Southeastern’s head baseball coach.

“His dad raised him right,” Oreskovich said. “His dad is an incredible coach, and did an incredible job with him.”

Oreskovich said Schulte is one of the leaders in the clubhouse.

“He always speaks up, he’s always giving the pre-game speech,” he said. “He gets on guys when he has to, and he leads by example as well.”

“It’s something I wanted to do,” Schulte said. “I’m going to be a senior next season. So it’s my goal to be one of the leaders.

“I just want to be the person that I am this summer, taking it into fall (with the Hawkeyes) and then into the spring. Be competitive, be the guy that pushes my teammate, things like that.”

Top photo: Burlington Bees shortstop Kooper Schulte is batting .345 this season while also working for the team as a summer intern. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 11, DOGGY PADDLERS 1: Clarkson Deals In The Heat

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Kael Clarkson’s first two innings set up his last four.

Clarkson allowed one run in a hot day’s work, and Caleb Seibers drove in five runs as the Burlington Bees defeated the Quincy Doggy Paddlers 11-1 in 6 ½ innings in Sunday’s Prospect League game at Community Field.

The Bees (30-21 overall, 18-7 second half) kept the lead over Illinois Valley in the battle for the second-half playoff spot from the Northwest Division. The Pistol Shrimp defeated Clinton 9-5 on Sunday, so Burlington remained percentage points ahead in first place in the division.

Clarkson (3-2) retired the first six hitters he faced, then pitched his way out of trouble in the rest of his six-inning stint. The quick work he made in those first two innings was important considering the game was played on a day when the heat index hit 100 degrees at game time.

“It really helped with my confidence,” Clarkson said. “It gave me a lot of confidence not getting crazy tired early in the game, so I could go longer into the game.”

Clarkson said the battle with the heat was more mental than physical.

“Making sure you tell yourself that you’re OK, that you’re not tired, even though you are,” he said. “That’s what helped me. Just staying positive and just trying to work through the heat. Getting quick innings is a big part of that.”

The lone run Clarkson allowed came in the third inning, when Quincy’s Jimmy Koza singled in Jack Linenfelser. But Clarkson left runners on first and third to end the inning when he struck out Tommy Harrison, starting a trend that would continue the rest of his outing.

Quincy had runners on second and third with no outs in the fourth inning, and first and second with no outs in the fifth and sixth innings, and didn’t score either time. Clarkson got two infield popups to end the fourth, a double play to end the fifth, and a strikeout and an infield popup combined with a runner thrown out trying to steal third to get out of the sixth.

“The defense always makes great plays,” Clarkson said. “They always have my back. And when I’m in those jams, I just try to get outs, get weak contact, let them work, and they’ll help me get out of all that.”

“He just beared down and dug deep there,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “That’s what you want to see out of these guys. Sometimes you don’t get that this late in the summer, but he went out and got out of trouble.”

Clarkson struck out five and walked two.

“My change-up was really working — I think I threw 12 in a row at one point,” Clarkson said. “All of my strikeouts came on changeups.”

The Bees scored six runs in the first inning, with Seibers’ two-run home run to left field capping the outburst. Burlington didn’t score again until the fifth inning, when Keanu Spenser scored on a wild pitch, then set up the 10-run rule with a four-run sixth inning that included Seibers’ three-run double down the left-field line.

Caleb Seibers (second from left) is congratulated after his two-run home run in the first inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

“We had that big start, but we needed to keep putting pressure on them, although we did get some runs late, which was good to see,” Oreskovich said.

Spenser and Kooper Schulte each had three hits for the Bees, who had 16 hits.

Jared Marty (2-6) was the losing pitcher for Quincy.

The Bees, who have won eight consecutive home games, play host to a two-game series with the Johnstown Mill Rats starting Monday. They close the home part of the regular-season schedule with Wednesday’s doubleheader against Illinois Valley.

“We’re all pretty excited right now,” Clarkson said. “We’re very confident we can win the rest of this week and get into the playoffs.”

Top photo: Burlington Bees starter Kael Clarkson gave up one run in six innings in Sunday’s win over Quincy. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)