Burlington Wins to Clinch First Playoff Berth

Quincy, IL -  The Burlington Bees (33-21, 21-7) clinched the 2025 Prospect League Playoffs July 31 at QU Stadium in a 12-2 victory over the Quincy Doggy Paddlers (16-38, 7-24). 

It is the team's first playoff berth since joining the league in 2021. The win marked the eighth straight, which is the longest streak in the Prospect League era.

The team travels to NelsonCorp Field to play the Clinton LumberKings (34-19, 16-12) in the Northwest Division Championship Game August 1 at 6:30 p.m.

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Blake Gaskey (Ohio) got the start and victory for the Bees. After allowing two in the second, he tossed five straight scoreless innings. He struck out eight in seven innings.

Burlington did not allow a baserunner past the fifth inning. Michael Schaul (Mount Mercy) tossed two scoreless innings with four strikeouts to end the game.

Cole Yearsley (Winthrop) had the swing of the year for the Bees. 

Entering the eighth winning 3-2, the lefty smashed a grand slam over the right field fence to turn it into a seven-run lead. It came with two strikes for his third long-bomb of the season.

Before that, Burlington got on the board in the second. Corey Boyette (UIS Springfield) launched his tenth homer of the season to start the inning. 

Caleb Seibers (Olney Central) followed with a hit by pitch. It was his 15th of the year.

He stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Danny Rollins (Murray State) brought him home with an RBI single. 

Jake Miller (SCC) singled to put two on.

Owen Nowak (McHenry) drove a double into left to make it 3-0.

Quincy answered with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning. The 3-2 score held until the eighth. 

Kila Teixeira (Hawaii-Pacific) singled with one out. Rollins was hit by a pitch and Miller singled again, he finished 4 for 4. 

Jace Figuereo (SCC) reached on a fielder's choice to plate the first run of the inning. A balk made it 5-2.

Nowak worked a walk to load the bases, before Yearsley's homer.

The Bees scored two in the ninth on a Kooper Schulte (Iowa) sacrifice fly and a fielding error. 

Schulte finished with the league lead in hits. Yearsley closes out the year with the lead in average and on-base. 

Burlington went 17-3 after the all-star break to clinch the playoffs. It finished with a 1.5 game lead in the Northwest Division.