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)

HOOTS 15, BEES 5: Pair Of Six-Run Innings Lead To Frustration

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

One six-run inning was costly.

Two of those? Too much.

The Burlington Bees’ 15-5 loss to the O’Fallon Hoots in Monday’s Prospect League game at Community Field was a lesson in frustration for the home team.

Bees’ pitchers gave up 14 walks and 13 hits, leading to a parade of Hoots on the bases.

O’Fallon’s six-run second inning set an early tone. The six-run fourth proved fatal.

“One is bad enough,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “The second one…”

The Bees (7-14) seemed to have weathered the first outburst. They were within 6-5 before the Hoots knocked out Burlington starter Aiden McGee.

McGee got out of the first inning by striking out the last two hitters, then O’Fallon had a seven-hit second to take a 6-2 lead. McGee responded with a scoreless third and Oreskovich was hoping he had settled in for a longer outing.

Instead, McGee loaded the bases with nobody out, ending his night. O’Fallon’s Chase Beattie then cleared the bases with a double into right-center field off reliever Adrian Nery. The Hoots (12-9) added three more runs off Nery in the inning, and it was a 12-5 lead.

“I thought (McGee) was going to be able to start that fourth inning off right, and it wasn’t the case,” Oreskovich said. “It’s tough to bring in a kid with bases loaded, nobody out, and ask him to get out of that with no damage. We just had to do a better job.”

O’Fallon added three more runs in the sixth inning with two outs. Reliever Nick Tampa hit Ethan Rossow with a pitch, then walked the next three hitters to bring in a run. John Stallcup’s two-run single closed the scoring for the game.

“We had a couple of innings tonight where we get two outs right away, and then there’s two or three walks and then a hit,” Oreskovich said. “That can’t happen. You’ve got to bear down, make a pitch. Focus on that pitch, and make it.”

The Bees got an early lead, getting two in the bottom of the first inning on Mason Schwalbach’s home run to right field. They added a run in the third when Jaden Hackbarth singled in Caleb Wulf, then got two more in the third when Kooper Schulte drove in a run, then scored on a wild pitch.

Drew Politte (4-2) was the winning pitcher.

ON DECK: The Bees play host to the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes in a 6:30 p.m. game Tuesday. Jeremy Fox (0-2, 11.57 ERA) will be the starting pitcher for Burlington.

NOTES: Schwalbach is now third in the league in home runs with five. … Burlington’s Coy Sarsfield extended his hitting streak to four games with a first-inning single. The outfielder from Iowa is hitting .400 in the last four games.

Box score

Photo: Mason Schwalbach (21) is greeted at home plate by teammates Jaden Hackbarth and Keanu Spenser after his first-inning home run. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

THE MONDAY HIVE: Bees’ Rice Shows Maturity Out Of High School

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Trent Rice is 18 years old, just graduated high school, and he admitted to some nerves coming into a situation where he has to face older, experienced players.

And then you see him racing across left field at Community Field to catch a fly ball twisting into the corner and then you realize he’ll be just fine in the Prospect League.

Rice was a late arrival to the Burlington Bees — his high school season in Michigan was just wrapping up when the Prospect League started — but he has made an impact.

Rice is batting .400, which would put him seventh in the league in hitting if he had enough at-bats to qualify, and has proven he can handle himself against the college players in the league.

“Obviously, for me, there’s a lot to learn,” said Rice, a three-time first-team All-State selection at Cardinal Mooney High School in Macomb, Michigan. “I’m the youngest guy here and I’ve never really been a part of something like this. The college kids, they’ve taught me a ton since I’ve been here.”

Rice went 1-for-4 in his first start at Clinton on June 11, starting a six-game hitting streak that included five multi-hit games.

“He was smacking the ball around all on this last road trip,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said.

Oreskovich likes Rice’s speed, which he showed in Saturday’s 8-7 win over the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp.

***Trent Rice catches a fly ball from Illinois Valley’s Louis Verona in Saturday’s game at Community Field. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)***

Rice, batting at the top of the Bees’ lineup, beat out an infield hit in the first inning, and then in the fifth inning chased down a fly ball in foul territory down the left-field line for the second out.

“There aren’t many guys who get to that ball,” Oreskovich said. “I’ve got confidence in him because he’s got confidence in himself. I didn’t even ask him if he’d ever hit lead-off. I just put him in there. He’s a mature kid, no doubt about it.”

What has helped with his confidence, Rice said, was the advice of his teammates.

“The first couple of days were rough, getting into the swing of things,” he said. “But, the guys really took me in and showed me the ropes early on. And I’m glad they did.”

“I came in late to the season, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew I would be battling uphill, and it was going to be tough. But I came in, and the guys were extremely excited for me to be here, and that helped.”

The Prospect League is for college players, but teams can have four players who have completed their high school careers and have signed a letter of intent or have a financial aid agreement with a college. Players are not eligible until after their official graduation date. Rice, who signed a letter of intent with Oakland University, and infielder Drew Gaskins, another Oakland signee, are the only high school players on the Bees’ roster.

“I was actually at work one day — I worked at a pizzeria for two months — and one of my coaches called me and asked me if I wanted to go to Burlington,” Rice said. “I had no idea what it was, but I thought if it was an opportunity for me before college, I wanted to take it.”

Rice played baseball and basketball throughout his time at Cardinal Mooney, a school of just 140 students. He was a 1,000-point scorer in basketball, and also played one season of football, as a wide receiver and cornerback.

“Baseball and basketball were my two sports growing up,” Rice said. “ I actually started playing basketball before I started playing baseball. But just everything that went with baseball in the summer, that’s what I wanted to be a part of. And my skills are geared more toward baseball.”

He is getting a lesson in the off-field side of summer baseball. Nine of Rice’s first 11 games were on the road, including a five-games-in-six-days trip that included two games in Jackson, Tenn. and single games in O’Fallon, Mo., Cape Girardeau, Mo., and Alton, Ill.

“Obviously it’s something I’ve never been a part of,” Rice said. “It’s a little tiring — the traveling, the hotels. It’s tiring for me, because I’ve never been a part of it. So it’s going to help me a lot along the way. I just have to get used to it, and keep grinding.”

It’s all about the experience, Rice said.

“I think I’m going to get a ton of growth out of this,” he said. “Not only just being around these college guys, but my skills as well. Hitting is the big thing for me. I wanted to get better at that, not only with power, but having a mentality at the plate, knowing what pitches are coming, things like that.

“It’s already helped me. I’ve seen the best pitching I’ve ever seen. It’s really going to prep me for college, for sure. Just to see the arms, the different curveballs, the different off-speed pitches, even if I don’t hit as well as I would like to, it’s going to help me out, no matter what.”

Top photo: Trent Rice is hitting .400 in his first season with the Burlington Bees. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

HOOTS 11, BEES 2: Bad Start After A Big Night

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The Burlington Bees were back at Community Field for a day game after a night in which they rallied for a win.

The momentum, though, didn’t come with them.

The O’Fallon Hoots struck for nine runs in the first three innings on the way to an 11-2 win over the Bees in Sunday’s Prospect League game.

The Bees (7-13) came back from an early 6-1 deficit to defeat Illinois Valley 8-7 in 10 innings on Saturday night.

But they quickly fell behind in this game, with a deep deficit that was much too difficult to overcome.

The Hoots (11-9) scored three runs in each of the first three innings, swatting 11 hits off Bees starting pitcher Cauy Massner (0-4), who lasted just 2 2/3 innings.

“It wasn’t our day, especially in the first three innings,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said.

Massner’s struggles left the Bees’ bullpen with a lot of innings to cover, but Chase Golden, Preston Kaufman and Bobby Helt filled their roles.

Golden gave up two unearned runs and two hits in 2 1/3 innings. Kaufman pitched a scoreless sixth inning, then Helt allowed one hit and struck out four in the final three innings.

“Chase did a phenomenal job — if a popup gets caught he doesn’t give up those two runs,” Oreskovich said. “Our bullpen essentially threw up zeros over the last six innings. They did a phenomenal job.

“I don’t want these guys to look at the score when they’re coming in. I’m bringing them in so it stays where it is. I tell all of these guys, I don’t want any more (runs), and that’s what I expect out of them coming out of the bullpen. You’re coming in to keep it where it is. We can’t go back and subtract runs. We need to keep it where it is.”

Tanner Holland drove in both of the Bees’ runs with an RBI single in the second inning and a solo home run in the fifth.

That was all the Bees could do against O’Fallon starting pitcher Matt Haley (1-2), who allowed five hits in seven innings.

The Hoots had 15 hits, including four from leadoff hitter Braedon Stokes.

ON DECK: The two teams play again at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Community Field. Aiden McGee (1-1, 6.23 ERA) will start for the Bees against O’Fallon’s Barrett Lohman (1-0, 2.45).

NOTES: Bees right fielder Coy Sarsfeld extended his hitting streak to three games with a seventh-inning single. … Bees third baseman Connor Laeng singled in the second inning for his first hit of the season.

Box score

Photo: Bees shortstop Cooper Schulte tags out O’Fallon’s Mike O’Connor on a stolen-base attempt in the fourth inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 8, PISTOL SHRIMP 7: Bickford Delivers In The 10th

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

It was a crowded infield.

A traffic jam of Burlington Bees and a wall of Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp greeted Brandon Bickford in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Bickford’s winning fly ball towered over all of that.

Bickford’s sacrifice fly scored Coy Sarsfield with the winning run as the Bees won, 8-7, in Saturday’s Prospect League game at Community Field.

Burlington (7-12) rallied from an early 6-1 deficit to win for the third time in its last five games.

“No giving up, go out and fight, win a game,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said.

Sarsfield started the inning on second base under the league’s new extra-inning rule, and moved to third on Kooper Schulte’s single to left field. Schulte moved to second on an error on the throw back to the infield, then Jackson Fisher was walked to load the bases.

That brought up Bickford, a .188 hitter this season who had a 4-for-4 game in Wednesday’s loss to the Cape Catfish.

Illinois Valley countered with a five-man infield, bringing in left fielder Louis Perona to play on the left side of the infield.

Bickford didn’t change his approach.

“I was just trying to put a good ball in play, hopefully hit it far enough that we could score and win the game,” Bickford said. “I was just looking for a ball up. Luckily I got one and put a good swing on it. And we scored.”

Bickford’s fly ball was caught by Tobey Jackson in short center field, but Sarsfield was able to get home with the winning run.

“When I first hit it, I did not think I hit it hard enough,” Bickford said. “Fortunately, we had a fast runner on third. He made an aggressive play and scored.”

Bickford struggled with his hitting to start the season, with just two hits in his first 24 at-bats. His game on Wednesday brought back some confidence.

“More of it was just working with the coaches, getting my swing back to feeling good,” Bickford said. “And getting pitches I need to hit well.”

“He had the four-hit night at Cape, and he smoked some balls at Alton (in Thursday’s 8-6 win),” said Oreskovich, the hitting coach at Mount Mercy University where Bickford plays. “It’s huge. I’ve got faith in that kid. Even though he’ll have a bad day once in a while, he always has a smile on his face. So, that was huge for him to get that hit.”

***Brandon Bickford hits a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)***

Bickford, who is from Des Moines, had 12 family members in attendance.

“It was a really cool opportunity,” Bickford said. “Some of them haven’t seen me play in a few years. Luckily we got a win, and a good hit to walk it off.”

The Bees had gotten out of the top of the 10th with some big pitches from Jake Jakubowski (1-0). Illinois Valley had Cody Kashimoto on third with one out when Jakubowski snagged a hard grounder from designated hitter Tyler Dorsch, throwing Dorsch out at first while keeping Kashimoto from scoring. After Justin Rios was hit by a pitch, Jakubowski got Jackson to ground out to end the inning.

“JJ made a big play on that grounder,” Oreskovich said. “He was really big over those last two innings.”

The Bees trailed 6-1 when the game was delayed by rain in the top of the fourth inning. They immediately struck after the 61-minute stoppage on Mason Schwalbach’s two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth, then they tied the game in the fifth with three runs, two coming on a single from Keanu Spenser and one on a single from Sarsfield.

The Schwalbach homer, along with Spenser’s solo home run in the second, provided a lift, Oreskovich said.

“Those are huge, because those are dugout boosters,” he said.

The Bees took a 7-6 lead in the sixth on Jaden Hackbarth’s RBI single, then the Pistol Shrimp tied it in the eighth on Jackson’s sacrifice fly.

Sam Corbett (0-1) was the losing pitcher.

ON DECK: The Bees, on a six-game homestand, play the O’Fallon Hoots in a 2 p.m. game on Sunday. Cauy Massner will be the starting pitcher for Burlington.

Box score

Photo: Coy Sarsfield slides across home plate with the winning run in the Burlington Bees’ 8-7 victory over Illinois Valley. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)