Burlington Takes Over Late to Handle Springfield
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Burlington Bees | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 14 | 0 |
|
Springfield Lucky Horseshoes | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 1 |
Springfield, IL – With the game tied 6-6 going into the sixth inning, the Burlington Bees (11-7, 22-21) scored 10 of the final 11 runs to defeat the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes (6-8, 17-22) by a final score of 16-7 at Robin Roberts Stadium on July 16. Burlington got the scoring started in the first as Christian Graves (Mount Mercy) doubled in Juan Fernandez (SCC) to make it a 1-0 game. Blake Gaskey (Northern Illinois) escaped a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the first inning before Springfield tied the game in the second on a solo home run from General Schofield.
A Fernandez two-run triple and a Rowen Bergeron (LSU-Eunice) single allowed the Bees to take a 4-1 lead in the top of the third, but the Shoes would respond immediately, with a four-run bottom of the third to take their first lead of the game at 5-4. In the top of the fourth, Burlington retook the lead as Dalton Miller (Georgia-Gwinnett) homered to tie the game before Fernandez's singled in Kade Knock (Mount Mercy). Springfield would tie the game at six in the bottom half of the inning following a leadoff double.
The rest of the game was dominated by the Bees, beginning in the top of the sixth. RBIs from Lane Spieker (Mount Mercy), PJ Hamel (McHenry County), and Miller allowed the Bees to take a 9-6 advantage. Burlington would go on to put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh as Knock hit a solo home run before Bergeron tripled in two runners. Knock, Graves, and Tanner Reinartz (Huntington) would all record RBIs in the final two innings to allow Burlington to plate 16 runs. Ramzy Rodriguez (Mesa CC) was the winning pitcher, his first of the year. The lefty went 2 2/3 innings, allowing just one run while striking out five. Jaylan Patterson (Hawaii-Pacific) pitched 2 1/3 scoreless frames out of the bullpen to close the game.
Burlington improves to 7-1 in their last eight games and are two games back of first place in the Northwest Division in the second half. The Bees two-game road swing continues tomorrow in Alton, as first pitch against the River Dragons is set for 6:30 pm at Lloyd Hopkins Field.