BEES 5-3, GEMS 4-8: Jakubowski Starts And Closes In Win

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Jake Jakubowski finished what he originally attempted to finish by, basically, being the starter.

If that sounds a little odd, it was the situation that was presented to the Burlington Bees’ closer in Monday’s completion of a suspended game against the Quincy Gems.

Jakubowski did the job he was given by Bees manager Owen Oreskovich, striking out three of the four hitters he faced in a scoreless 10th inning, then Caleb Wulf’s bases-loaded single in the bottom of the inning gave Burlington the 5-4 victory.

The Bees couldn’t complete the sweep of the night, though, falling 8-3 in the seven-inning regularly-scheduled Prospect League game at Community Field.

Burlington (17-24 overall, 7-7 second half) stayed a half-game behind the Gems (21-22, 8-7) for the Great River Division second-half playoff spot.

Jakubowski has three saves this season, with 12 strikeouts in 12 innings to go with a 0.00 earned run average.

“He’s our guy we go to to win games,” Oreskovich said.

“I love the pressure,” Jakubowski said. “I just feel comfortable in that (role), and I prefer that.

“You know, in this game, you can’t be perfect. But in that role, you don’t have much margin for error. You try to be as perfect as you can, and that’s what I like about that.”

The Bees led 4-1 in the July 7 game against the Gems when Jakubowski entered in the ninth inning. Two errors, two hits and a hit-by-pitch led to three unearned runs. The game was halted after the bottom of the ninth because of lightning, and then a heavy rain forced the game to be suspended.

Oreskovich knew he wanted Jakubowski to pitch the 10th because of the league’s extra-inning rule in which a runner starts on second base.

“I think JJ gave us the best chance to get the three outs without letting the run score,” Oreskovich said.

Jakubowski (2-0) said he didn’t change his routine to start the night.

“I prepared the same way — played catch with my throwing partner, then threw with my catcher in the bullpen like I was getting ready to close the game,” Jakubowski said.

That previous inning from 10 days earlier was still on Jakubowski’s mind.

“I wish I had a couple of pitches back,” Jakubowski said. “The hitters had a nice game plan against me the first time, so I tried to kind of switch it up, throw the slider early in the count, and it worked out for me today.”

Jakubowski got Joe Siervo and Jimmy Koza on called third strikes for the first two outs. Harry Oden got an infield single off Jakubowski’s glove, but Jakubowski struck out Lucas Loos to end the inning.

The Bees then won the game in the bottom of the inning. Corey Boyette’s infield grounder advanced Tanner Holland, who started the inning on second base, to third. Mason Schwalbach and Keanu Spenser were intentionally walked, then Wulf drove a 1-2 pitch from Quincy reliever Andrew Fay into left field to end the game.

“We wanted to come out and start the game off strong, because we knew we had a second game and we wanted to get that win nice and quick,” Jakubowski said.

Any momentum, though, was taken away by the Gems early in the second game. They got two two-out runs off Bees starter Rem Maxwell (1-4) in the first-inning, then added a run in the third inning and four in the fourth.

Maxwell was charged with seven earned runs in 3 ⅓ innings.

“Starting pitching has got to be better, and that’s been a problem the last week and a couple of days,” Oreskovich said. “We just have to be better, plain and simple.”

The Bees got two runs in the third inning. Spenser’s sacrifice fly scored Boyette, then Schwalbach scored on a wild pitch.

Boyette drove in Connor Laeng in the sixth for the final margin.

Noah Harbin (3-0) was the winning pitcher.

NOTES: Laeng went 2-for-4 in the second game. He has eight hits in his last 15 at-bats after getting just two hits in his first 67 at-bats. … Quincy first baseman Jaison Andujar, the son of former MLB pitcher Joaquin Andujar, went 2-for-4 with a run batted in in the second game.

Photo: Bees reliever Jake Jakubowski throws in the top of the 10th inning of the 5-4 win over Quincy on Monday night. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

THE MONDAY HIVE: Bees Were Ready To Come Home

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Their seven-games-in-six-days odyssey complete, the Burlington Bees headed up the hill to get out of Normal’s Corn Crib and get on the bus for one final time.

The Bees split a doubleheader with the Normal CornBelters on Sunday, losing the first game 5-3 and winning the second 15-5, completing a 2-5 road trip that included more than 1,500 miles of travel, games in four different states, and one bus breakdown on an Ohio interstate that left the team stranded for almost three hours.

“That was a long trip, man,” sighed Bees manager Owen Oreskovich as we watched his team walk across the artificial turf to the outfield exit.

“It’s been a lot,” said third baseman Connor Laeng. “But to finish with a win, it feels pretty good.”

The Bees left home last Tuesday morning in first place in the Prospect League’s Great River Division and on a four-game winning streak. But after a 14-8 win at Lafayette on Tuesday night, the Bees:

— Lost 20-1 at Champion City on Wednesday.

— Lost 11-10 to Johnstown on Thursday after rallying from a 10-0 deficit to tie the game, only to give up a run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

— Lost 8-3 to Johnstown on Friday.

— Lost 8-4 to Champion City on Saturday after being stuck along the highway waiting for a new bus after their bus suffered a severe mechanical issue.

— Led 2-0 early in Sunday’s first game before giving up three runs in the third inning and two in the fourth.

Then came the second game, when the Bees struck for six runs in the second inning, then added four runs each in the fourth and fifth innings.

“I thought in most of the games, we were doing some things right, we were just behind early,” Oreskovich said. “Guys fought in that last game, and I’m glad they did that.

“The Lafayette game was really good for us, and I thought it was going to take a different turn for us this trip. We were very not good against Champion City — we got smacked around by them and I kind of lit into our guys a little bit. Then we come out in the first game against Johnstown and fell behind again.”

Laeng was one of the offensive standouts of the second game, going 3-for-5 and driving in five runs.

Laeng closed the road trip going 6-of-11 in the last three games, a bright spot in a season in which he has struggled to hit the ball. He opened the season without a hit in his first 35 at-bats, and he had just two hits all season heading into the road trip.

“Obviously I didn’t get off to a good start,” Laeng said. “But it was nice to finally find some holes.”

Such a cold streak left Laeng looking for answers.

“It’s been tough,” Laeng said. “Talked a lot to my parents, talked to a lot of different people.

“It was a grind, I won’t lie.”

This whole week was a grind for every Bee. And yet, Burlington comes home 6-6, a half-game out of the division’s second-half playoff spot. They see the two teams ahead of them in the standings for that spot — Quincy and Illinois Valley — five times in the next five days.

The Bees complete a suspended game with Quincy on Monday at Community Field before playing a seven-inning regularly-scheduled game. They play host to Illinois Valley on Tuesday, then after an off-day play at Illinois Valley Thursday and Friday.

“We’re still in a good spot,” Laeng said.

Then he smiled.

“Just looking forward to getting home,” Laeng said.

“Let these guys get into the beds they’ve been sleeping in all season and relax a little bit,” Oreskovich said. “Then let’s get back at it tomorrow.”

BEES 7, CORNBELTERS 3: Taking Momentum On The Road

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Aiden McGee had to think about what was his longest baseball road trip so far in college.

“Went up to Crookston, Minnesota,” said McGee, a pitcher for the Burlington Bees who plays his college baseball at Minnesota State University in Mankato. “That’s about seven or eight hours from Mankato. That was quite the trip — we actually played a tripleheader that day because the weather wasn’t cooperating.”

The Bees are about to head out on quite the road trip. After Monday’s 7-3 win over the Normal CornBelters in a Prospect League game at Community Field, the Bees leave town on Tuesday to begin a seven-games-in-six-days trip that will take them to four states and on a bus for more than 1,500 miles.

The Bees play Tuesday night at Lafayette (Indiana), Wednesday against the Champion City Kings (Springfield, Ohio), Thursday and Friday against the Johnston (Pennsylvania) Mill Rats, back to play Champion City on Saturday, and then a doubleheader against the Cornbelters in Normal, Ill., on Sunday.

Burlington will take plenty of momentum on the road. The Bees (14-18 overall, 4-1 second half), on a four-game winning streak, lead the Great River Division by a half-game over first-half champion Clinton.

“I feel like everything right now with this team is, ‘Let’s go, full go,’ Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “The momentum helps, obviously. Right now I feel like we’re in a pretty good place. Hopefully we can stay this way.”

McGee (2-2), a reliever all season for Minnesota State, has been working as a starter for the Bees. He threw five innings in this game, his second longest start of the season — he threw six innings in a 4-1 win at Jackson on June 17. McGee allowed just four hits and four walks to go with four strikeouts.

“I’ve only had one other start of five or six innings, so I’m glad I was able to get it going, put some zeroes up,” McGee said.

It’s been an education with his new role, McGee said.

“Just using my off-speed earlier, and then my fastball will stay through five or six innings,” he said. “That’s probably been the toughest part is locating the off-speed for strikes early on, because if I throw a fastball every time I’ll be gassed by the second (inning).”

***Burlington Bees starting pitcher Aiden McGee allowed four hits in five innings. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)***

The Bees gave McGee a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Mason Schwalbach’s RBI single and Caleb Wulf’s sacrifice fly, but Normal (18-16, 3-4) came back with two runs in the second inning.

“Early on, the fastball was working,” McGee said. “Second inning, a couple of them got away from me, so I went to the cutter and I was using that to get ahead. Started to get some soft contact, some fly balls, defense was working for me, and the bats kept going. Everything came together.”

The Bees’ offense picked up McGee with a run in the second on Jaden Hackbarth’s single, and then added three runs in the third.

“I know they’ve got my back,” McGee said of the offense. “I was a little upset giving up two after we scored two. It was right back to a tie game.”

McGee settled in after the second inning, allowing just a third-inning single and two walks in the fifth.

“McGee worked out of some stuff there early, really dug deep, worked through it, and did a hell of a job there,” Oreskovich said. “His first couple of innings, he was getting 3-2 counts on seemingly everybody. We kept telling him, ‘Hey, you’ve got to get ahead early.’ Make them put the ball play and get themselves out.”

Nick Tampa, Drew Martin and Jake Jakubowski finished the game for the Bees, allowing just one run and two hits over the final four innings.

The Bees had 10 hits, including three from Hackbarth, who drove in three runs, and two from Tanner Holland and Keanu Spenser.

Now it’s time to hit the road.

“It’s going to be a lot, a lot of baseball in six days,” McGee said. “So we’re going to need everyone, and I think we’ve got everybody in the right mindset to do that.”

“Bus leaves at 10 a.m.,” Oreskovich said, smiling.

NOTES: Corey Boyette has started his time with the Bees with a six-game hitting streak, batting .333 in the stretch. … Schwalbach has a five-game hitting streak (.381). … Spenser has a five-game hitting streak (.400). … Hackbarth is hitting .600 over the last three games.

Photo: Bees third baseman Brandon Bickford scores one of his two runs in Monday’s game. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

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)