By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

It’s been a while since Jack Duncan has thrown a pitch in a game.

His first two innings in the Prospect League with the Burlington Bees were a good start.

Duncan, a pitcher from Western Illinois University, threw two shutout innings and struck out four in the Bees’ 6-3 loss to the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp on Thursday night at Community Field.

Duncan threw just 2 ⅓ innings for the Leathernecks this season and hadn’t pitched since March 13 after injuring his knee. But his command was strong — two of his strikeouts were on called third strikes — and he helped keep the Bees in position to battle back in the late innings.

“It was good to get back in the swing of things,” said Duncan, a Macomb, Illinois native who is making the 50-mile drive to Burlington every day.

It’s not the easiest drive — “A lot of back roads,” Duncan said — but it’s something he wants to do as he prepares for next season.

Duncan came to Burlington on the advice of WIU teammate Chase Golden, who is in his second season with the Bees.

“You know, I heard a lot of good stuff,” Duncan said. “Chase, he really enjoyed it, really enjoyed playing for (Bees manager Owen Oreskovich). And it’s close to home. It’s Prospect League baseball, too. So, there were a lot of things I liked about it, too.”

Oreskovich liked what he saw from Duncan.

“He got ahead, and he threw strikes,” he said. “That’s something I like as a coach, especially in summer ball. Made pitches when he had to, got his outs. That’s all you can ask from a guy.”

Duncan threw 36 pitches, 23 for strikes.

“It felt good to be in the zone,” he said. “Just getting ahead of the counts, getting that first strike. I was able to flip my curveball in there, just to keep guys off balance. And just trusting my defense, too.”

It was an otherwise frustrating night for the Bees, who committed three errors and allowed just one earned run.

The 14 strikeouts from Burlington hitters didn’t help, either.

“Strikeouts, booting two balls that led to four runs … yeah, those things happen, but it’s tough,” Oreskovich said. “Our pitchers gave up a few hits (14), but they worked their tails off to not give up more runs.

“That’s a disappointing game right there.”

The Bees were down 6-2 after Joseph Stagowski’s three-run home run in the fifth inning, but got a run in the eighth when Luke Bragga scored on a throwing error and had the tying run at the plate with one out. But Illinois Valley reliever Jackson Peeler struck out Scotty Savage and Kinnick Pusteoska to end the inning, then struck out the side in the ninth for his first save of the year.

“That was a momentum killer there in the eighth,” Oreskovich said. “You’re so close, everyone’s excited. And then nothing happens.

“They got their hits to fall, so tip the cap to them. But we never let anything happen to get something to fall. We’ve got to be better early in the count, ready to hit. If you hit balls at guys, and those are outs, that happens. But you’ve got to make them make a play. That many strikeouts, you’re not even making them make a play.”

Anthony Solis (1-1) was the winning pitcher. Jacob Zahner (0-2) took the loss.

Duncan hopes his first work was the beginning of a good summer.

“I want to get innings,” he said. “Just bettering my off-speed pitches, working on my command, be ready for next season.”

Photo: Burlington Bees pitcher Jack Duncan threw two shutout innings in the 6-3 loss to Illinois Valley on Thursday night. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)