By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Justin Schulte got to manage a different team this weekend.

Schulte, the head baseball coach at Southeastern Community College in West Burlington, was the interim manager of the Burlington Bees for three games while manager Owen Oreskovich was attending a wedding.

It was a new experience for the veteran coach.

“It’s hard doing it for three days, but I want to do it right if I’m going to do it,” Schulte said after the Bees lost a Prospect League doubleheader to the Clinton LumberKings on Saturday night at Community Field.

The 3-2 loss in eight innings in the first game and the 11-6 loss in the second game dropped the Bees (9-8) three games behind the LumberKings (12-5) in the Northwest Division standings.

“We just didn’t do enough to win,” Schulte said. “The guys played hard. They’re a good group.”

Schulte went 1-2 in his time in the dugout — the Bees won 16-12 at Quincy on Thursday night.

“We played really good the other night — had a couple of bad outings out of the bullpen, but guys really played well offensively,” Schulte said. “Had some good innings tonight, but not enough. I thought we hit the ball extremely well tonight, just a lot of balls right at people.”

The Bees rallied from 2-0 deficit in the first game, tying the game in the sixth inning on Corey Boyette’s solo home run to right-center field.

Clinton scored the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth on Nick Venteicher’s single. Burlington had runners on first and third with one out in the bottom of the inning, but Clinton reliever Camden Clevitt struck out Mason Schwalbach and Miles Risley to end the game.

Will Schufrieder (2-1) was the winning pitcher.

The Bees took an early lead in the second game with a four-run second inning. Kooper Schulte, Justin’s son, tripled to right-center field to put Burlington up 2-1. Jace Figuereo and Cole Yearsley added run-scoring singles.

Clinton tied the game in the third inning, then took control of the game with a six-run fourth inning that was capped by Colin Coonradt’s three-run home run.

Burlington got its final runs in the fifth inning on bases-loaded walks by Dash Denton and Figuereo, but couldn’t get any closer.

Rylen Blair (1-0) was the winning pitcher. Zane Frese (0-2) took the loss.

Schulte appreciated the experience of managing the team.

“They’re here to play,” he said. “I actually spent a little time with them with early work the last couple of days, working with the infielders, talking to the pitchers. I’ve enjoyed that.”

Photo: Burlington’s Corey Boyette celebrates his home run in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader against Clinton. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Miles Risley took some time off after Iowa’s baseball season ended.

He arrived earlier this week to begin playing this summer with the Burlington Bees, and it didn’t take long for him to become a big part of their starting lineup.

Risley, hitting in the No. 2 spot for the Bees, had three hits and drove in four runs in Wednesday’s 11-8 win over the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes in a Prospect League game at Community Field.

The Bees (8-6), who stayed a game behind first-place Clinton in the Northwest Division standings, got 13 hits a night after they had just four hits in a loss to Quincy.

Getting hits in key situations was something Bees manager Owen Oreskovich focused on during an early-afternoon batting practice session.

“We did a little extra hitting today on the field, got the machine out there with the guys so they could see the ball flight on the field,” Oreskovich said. “Hopefully that helped, and we keep doing that every other day or so moving forward.”

Risley, along with right fielder Jace Figuereo, joined the team this week, and their presence at the top of the order made a big difference.

Figuereo, who was in the leadoff spot, reached base in his first five plate appearances in this game, getting two hits and scoring three runs. Risley, who struck out in his first at-bat, then reached base in his next five at-bats.

“I had a lot of opportunities to drive in runners, because we just did a great job as a team tonight,” Risley said. “It’s a great opportunity hitting in the ‘2’ hole.”

Risley hit .299 with the Hawkeyes this season, tying for the team lead with 45 runs batted in while ranking third on the team in hits with 60.

Risley started all 56 games for Iowa, and he wanted to get a little rest before joining the Bees.

“It was really good,” Risley said of the time off. “My body was really sore, so it was good to take some time, rest up, fuel up, gain some weight, and then get ready to play here.”

Risley was hit by a pitch in his first two at-bats in Tuesday’s game, and finished the game 0-for-2.

“It’s good to see him only take a day to get back into rhythm,” Oreskovich said. “Hopefully he can keep that rolling.”

The Bees batted around in the fourth and fifth innings, scoring four runs in each inning while sending 10 batters to the plate.

Mason Schwalbach and Kooper Schulte each drove in two runs for the Bees. Kila Teixiera also had three hits.

Bees starting pitcher Reese Ellison gave up just one run over the first four innings, but the long bottom of the fourth inning seemed to take him out of his rhythm. He was charged with three of Springfield’s runs in the four-run fifth.

“I should have probably just got (reliever) Marshall (Robinson) in there in a clean inning, especially after the long inning,” Oreskovich said. “Reese did very well over the first four innings, which he’s been doing. He fills up the strike zone, and he was doing that again tonight.”

Robinson (1-0) was the winning pitcher after finishing up the fifth. Anthony Buonaura (0-1) was the losing pitcher. Mitchell Cox got out of a ninth-inning jam — Springfield loaded the bases with two outs — for his first save.

Box score

Top photo: Burlington’s Miles Risley heads to third base on Mason Schwalbach’s single in the third inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Keanu Spenser’s reason for playing a third Prospect League season with the Burlington Bees is quite simple.

“It’s just another amazing year in Burlington,” the first baseman said. “It’s hard to say no, to not come back to this place. I mean, the atmosphere, the fans, the host family, the coaches and everything, are just amazing.”

Spenser grew up in Arizona, and is currently playing at Hawaii Pacific, but the Midwest has become his summer baseball home. He has hit .299 in his career with the Bees, with 13 home runs and 56 runs batted in.

“I like the thump in his bat,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “He can hit a home run at any point in time. And he normally hits well with runners in scoring position as well, puts the ball in play more in that situation. So that’s something I really love about him.

“But even when he’s not playing, he means a lot to this team. He’s always talking in the dugout, getting guys fired up. It’s just important to have guys like that on your team. He’s a great dude.”

Spenser hit .304 with a .978 OPS in 45 games with the Bees in 2023, with 14 doubles and 10 home runs. He only played six games last season, but hit .353.

This season, Spenser is hitting .256 with three home runs, but it’s an important summer for him after his season at Hawaii Pacific, where he hit .091 in nine games.

“I didn’t play that much, really,” Spenser said. “We had a few All-Americans on the team. We just had a really good year, and that was the hand I was dealt. But, I mean, I love it over there. The team is great, the coaches are great, and I really like it.

“This summer is huge just to get back into the swing of things, get that confidence back and obviously, just be playing as much as I can. I’m working on everything, mainly just my approach at the plate, just trying to stay more aggressive, trying to take it to the pitcher instead of the pitcher coming to me.”

“I think it’s very important,” Oreskovich said. “The at-bats he’s going to get can show his coaches he can do it, especially with the wood bat. He can show he’s still got it, and that’s huge for him going forward.”

Spenser appreciates the opportunities, as a hitter, that the Prospect League provides.

“It challenges me a lot,” he said. “I mean, you get to see a wide range of arms every single year, from Division I, D-2, D-3, NAIA, and (junior-college) guys. There’s a lot of talent in this league and it challenges you.”

Spenser likes being one of the veteran players in the clubhouse, and getting a chance to play with familiar teammates from the last couple of seasons.

“The better chemistry you have as a team, it’s more fun to play every night,” Spenser said. “It just makes your team that much better, because everybody knows each other, you can goof around a little bit, and everybody relaxes and has fun.”

Spenser has the same host family, Steve and Alyssa Stewart, and that has made a difference as well.

“They are like a second family for me,” he said. “I keep in touch with them when I’m not here playing, and they were excited when I told them I was coming back. All of the host families are great — they mean a lot to this team.”

It is like home for Spenser.

“Honestly, I mean, for me, it’s been some of the most fun baseball I’ve ever played in my life,” he said. “And every year just gets better and better.”

Top photo: Keanu Spenser celebrates after his home run in the Burlington Bees’ season opener against Quincy. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

A ninth-inning rally couldn’t erase the eight innings of zeros for the Burlington Bees on the Community Field scoreboard.

The Bees put together a last-chance eruption for the second consecutive night, but couldn’t complete the comeback in a 4-3 loss to the Clinton LumberKings in Saturday’s rain-delayed Prospect League game.

It’s only the second time this season the Bees (6-4) lost two consecutive games, but it knocked them out of first place in the Northwest Division as the LumberKings (6-3) took over the top spot.

“We’ve got to be better at the plate,” said Bees manager Owen Oreskovich, whose team scored twice in the ninth and had the tying run at the plate in Friday’s 6-3 loss to Clinton. “We can’t (rally in the ninth inning) every game.”

The game started 30 minutes late, delayed by a late-afternoon rain, but Burlington’s bats didn’t wake up until after the sun went down. Clinton starting pitcher Chance Key (2-0) scattered five hits and struck out six in six innings, then reliever Dean Phillips struck out four over two innings.

The Bees got to reliever Camden Clewett in the ninth. They loaded the bases with one out, then got their first run when Nolan Grawe scored on a wild pitch. Clewett struck out Cole Yearsley for the second out, then Dash Denton singled to left field to score Ryan Skwarek and Dylan Shepherd. Caleb Seibers then hit a slow grounder to Clinton shortstop Drew Terpins, whose throw to first base beat Seibers by a half-step, and the game was over.

The Bees had an early chance to score off Key, with runners on second and third and two outs in the first inning, but second baseman Austin Mallee made a diving catch on Kila Teixiera’s line drive to end the inning.

Their next best chance came in the sixth, trailing 1-0. Keanu Spenser led off the inning with a double, but Key struck out Corey Boyette and Teixiera, and got Grawe to ground out to end the inning.

“Give (Key) credit, he’s pretty good, but that’s not an excuse for him to throw zeros for six innings,” Oreskovich said. “I mean, we had opportunities in the first couple of innings, and we just got to do a better job. It seems like we got away from our approach that we had in the first seven games, being aggressive in counts with runners in scoring position. We’re just not doing that right now, and we’ve got to get back to that.”

The Bees got five good innings by starter Kaelen Carlson (0-1), who allowed just four hits, struck out three, and didn’t allow a walk.

“He was filling up the strike zone,” Oreskovich said. “That’s what we ask of these guys, and making pitches when he has to, if he does walk a guy, he’s coming back and going after that next guy, and he’s not even worried about that anymore. Our pitchers have done more than enough for us to win those last two games. We’ve just got to be better at the plate.”

The Bees play a doubleheader at Quincy on Sunday.

“We’ve got to go down there, get a couple of wins, and get this thing going again,” Oreskovich said.

Photo: Burlington Bees second baseman Ryan Skwarek tags out Clinton’s Brytton Clements in the second inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

There were some flaws hidden in the Burlington Bees’ five-game winning streak that proved costly in Friday’s 6-3 loss to the Clinton LumberKings.

They had overcome some of their mistakes — errors in the field and struggles at the plate early in the game — in their current run, but those mistakes played a big role in their loss in the Prospect League game at Community Field.

The Bees (6-3) had their lead in the Northwest Division cut to a half-game over the LumberKings (6-4). The two teams play again on Saturday night.

The Bees have been a come-from-behind team during the streak, but couldn’t produce a comeback in this game — they scored two runs but left two runners on base.

“We had errors again that led to runs,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “And it seems to be a continuing thing. Hopefully that’s going to clean up with the more games these guys are playing on these fields, especially being at home, but we just got to get better at that. We have to be making quality pitches when we have to. And if our offense was doing what they were doing in the ninth inning earlier, that takes a little pressure off the pitchers.

“That’s something I’ve been kind of telling these guys in the last couple days. You know, we’ve won some tight games, but, you know, we can make them not tight if we’re just better earlier in the game.”

The Bees had eight baserunners in the first four innings, but could only get one run, and that came on a throwing error.

“They see it, and obviously they know that we can’t give up and we won’t give up, so by getting those two in the ninth and having the tying run at the plate, we showed that,” Oreskovich said. “But you know, we can make it easier on ourselves by just being better earlier in the game.”

Clinton’s first run was unearned because of an error, and the Bees committed two more errors in the sixth inning, but neither of those baserunners scored. Burlington is tied for second in the league for most errors with 21.

The LumberKings took control of the game late. James Hackett hit a solo home run off Bees reliever Erick McKendry in the seventh for a 3-1 lead, then Jalen Martinez pounded a three-run home run off Kaimana Burgo in the eighth.

The Bees made the game close in the ninth. Cole Yearsley singled to lead off the inning and scored on Nolan Grawe’s double. Conor Fitzpatrick singled with one out to score Grawe, but Ryan Skwarek and Mason Schwalbach had back-to-back flyouts to end the game.

Will Schufrieder (1-1) was the winning pitcher. Zane Frese (0-1) took the loss.

NOTES: Schwalbach joined the Bees on Friday. He played for them in 2023, hitting .335 with seven home runs. “He texted me, said he had nowhere to play,” Oreskovich said. “That’s an offer I wasn’t going to pass up.” … Bees starting pitcher Danny Harris allowed just one unearned run over four innings, allowing four hits and striking out four.

Photo: Bees shortstop Nolan Grawe tags out Clinton’s Brett White as White attempted to steal second in the first inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)