By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Keanu Spenser finished autographing a bat, one of his last acts in the Burlington Bees’ season.

He smiled.

“Amazing way to end the season,” Spenser said. “Couldn’t ask for a better one.”

The Bees said goodbye to the Prospect League season with one of their better wins of the summer, a 10-4 win over the Quincy Gems on Saturday at Community Field.

Spenser had three hits, including his first triple of the season, scored three times and drove in two runs. Cedric Dunnwald had four hits, including his first triple of the season, and drove in three runs.

The Bees closed the season with back-to-back home wins over the Gems and the Clinton LumberKings, the two Great River Division representatives in the league playoffs, which start Sunday. Burlington finished 15-15 in the second half, 25-32 overall.

“I’m super proud of these guys,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “They gave it their best in the last game of the year. It was fun.

“Nice to get a win.”

Caleb Wulf’s RBI single in the fourth inning gave the Bees a 4-3 lead, and they just kept adding runs — two in the fifth, two in the sixth, and two in the eighth.

Spenser and Dunnwald were with the team from beginning to end, and they appreciated the opportunity.

“It’s the first time I’ve experienced anything like this,” said Spenser, who hit .304 with 10 home runs and 42 runs batted in. “Completely different than any baseball I’ve ever played. It’s been an absolute blast. Couldn’t ask for anything better.”

“It was great. We had a great group of guys,” said Dunnwald, who hit .239. “I was one of the few who stayed the whole summer, so it was great to end that way, with a win. It’s always good to end that way.”

Dunnwald closed strong, hitting .316 in the final week.

“I felt like the last couple of weeks I was starting to figure stuff out,” Dunnwald said. “I felt like my swing had progressed. I felt like tonight everything went my way. It felt good.

“I think I’ve just got to soak in what I’ve learned this summer. That’s what it’s all about.”

Jared Townsend (1-2) was the winning pitcher in relief, pitching two scoreless innings.

Oreskovich used five pitchers, bringing in Preston Kaufman to get the final out, a broken-bat grounder that ended the night.

Oreskovich tried to sum up the season.
“I love these guys,” he said. “I’ve got a great group of guys here. I’d do anything for them, they would do anything for me.”

The players stuck around on the field after the game, saying their goodbyes.

Spenser, who is from Arizona, took in the last moments.

“Headed home in the morning,” he said, still smiling. “It’s been a lot of fun.”

Photo: Keanu Spenser slides into third base on his third-inning triple. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

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)

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)

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Ian Wolski traveled a long way to make an impact in his first game with the Burlington Bees.

The catcher from Hawaii Pacific was involved in plenty of key moments, and certainly one quirky moment, in the Bees’ 10-8 win over the Quincy Gems in Wednesday’s Prospect League season opener at Community Field.

Wolski had a three-run home run in the Bees’ five-run first inning and threw out two baserunners on inning-ending plays.

“It was amazing,” Wolski said. “All I can ask for — home run, throwing guys out. I did my job and I’m proud of that.”

Wolski’s first game impressed Bees manager Owen Oreskovich.

“He’s a competitive kid,” Oreskovich said. “He worked his tail off the whole game today, and I greatly appreciate that from him. I’m excited for the summer with that kid, absolutely.”

Wolski, who hit .357 in his freshman season at Hawaii Pacific, delivered one of the first big hits of the season for the Bees, who took advantage of early wildness from Quincy starting pitcher Peyton Clampitt.

Clampitt walked Connor Laeng to open the inning, then hit Jaden Hackbarth with a pitch. Mason Schwalbach’s double scored Laeng, then Keanu Spenser was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Brandon Bickford’s sacrifice fly gave the Bees a 2-0 lead with Wolski coming up.

Wolski got a 2-2 fastball from Clampitt, and sent it out over the left-field wall.

“With that count, I was just looking to put something in play,” Wolski said. “It made an impact on the crowd, which was what we wanted to do.”

That inning had the Bees in control for the rest of the game.

“I think it set the tone very well for the guys, especially the guys who didn’t get to play a lot this year,” Oreskovich said. “The nerves with some of the guys, you could see it in their face at the beginning of the game. After that, it was basically like, ‘OK, I can breathe. I’m good to go.’”

The Gems had runners in scoring position in all but one inning, and the Bees always seemed a way to stop the traffic.

Wolski was involved in ending two of those innings, throwing out Quincy’s Jimmy Koza trying to steal second base in the fourth inning, and throwing out Lucas Loos on a steal attempt of third in the eighth.

“He’s got a hose on him back there,” Oreskovich said.

Wolski, who grew up in Rancho Cucamonga, California, was a teammate this season of pitcher Steven Escarcega, who played for the Bees last season.

“Our coach knew it was a good program here,” Wolski said. “So here I am.”

Wolski was also involved in one of the night’s strangest plays, when his bat came apart when he struck out swinging in the fourth inning. Wolski was left holding the knob of the bat, and walked back to the dugout looking at it, trying to figure out what happened.

“That’s never happened to me,” he said, laughing. “I don’t know if there was something broken inside of it, but I didn’t see a crack or anything.”

Jaden Siemer was the winning pitcher and Adrian Nery got the save in a game in which the Bees used five pitchers.

Starting pitcher Rem Maxwell gave up three hits and four walks in three innings. Siemer and Nery each threw two innings. Ryan Donley and Nick Tampa each threw one.

“That wasn’t actually the plan, but it turned out that way,” Oreskovich said, noting the Bees gave up 12 walks and hit two batters. “We’re going to have to limit the free bases.”

It was a good way to start the season, Wolski said.

“It’s all up from here,” he said.

NOTES: The Gems didn’t arrive at the ballpark until 45 minutes before the first pitch. The team bus left Quincy at 2:30 p.m., but during the 70-mile trip the bus twice had to stop for mechanical issues. … The Bees had just eight hits. Tanner Holland was the only Burlington hitter with two hits. … Attendance was 1,801.

UP NEXT: The Bees play host to the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Jacob Zahner, a Burlington High School graduate, will be the starting pitcher for the Bees.

Box score

Photo: Bees catcher Ian Wolski watches his first-inning home run. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)