For the Burlington Bees, the hits and the runs and the wins just keep on comin’.
And, now you can add pitching and defense to the mix.
The Bees won their 14th game in their last 15 attempts, this time a shortened 12-2, 7-inning affair over the Quincy Doggy Paddlers on Tuesday night at Community Field.
With the win, the Bees get closer to a possible playoff berth for the second half part of the season. Normal and Clinton are the last two teams who could possibly steal the second half title.
As they were going for the 10-run rule, the Bees utilized the skills they use during a batting practice drill where they need to bunt based on certain situations and other in-game scenarios. The discipline is paying off.
A solid crowd, listed at 800, kept their enthusiasm evident in the game, making it feel like a playoff situation.
If the Bees can get the second half title for the Northwest Division of the Western Conference, they will travel to Quincy for a one-game playoff against the same Doggy Paddlers.
On Tuesday, the Bees managed to have a sense of the moment they were in. A big inning in the seventh meant that they could go home early and get some more valuable rest. Rather than just march up to the plate and hack, Burlington continued to demonstrate its ability to play disciplined small-ball and finally get its precious 10-run advantage.
“Even though it was 12-2, it felt like there were some serious situations,” Burlington Bees Manager Owen Oreskovich said. “The fans have been great for us all summer.”
The Bees got a big night from Juan Fernandez, who went 3-for-4 with four runs batted in. Jace Figuerero went 2-for-4 and scored three runs. Fernandez’s outing propelled him up to the .400 mark from the plate.
Burlington got off to a strong start with three quick runs in the bottom of the first, but blew the game open in the third inning with a five-run outburst, highlighted by four hits, three of them for extra bases.
The Bees not only put on an offensive display, they received quality pitching from Ramzy Rodriguez, who pitched 4 1/3 innings. Rodriguez was aptly relieved by Korbin Woerley, who got the win in 2 2/3 work.
“Ramzy got a little tired,” Oreskovich said. “He had 42 pitches entering the fourth quarter and we just wanted to get as much out of him as we could. Woerley really did a fantastic job.”
Kade Knock went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs. Catcher PJ Hamel turned in another strong outing, going 2-for 3.
After a night off, Burlington (20-8) play their next two games at home. They conclude their regular season on Saturday at Quincy.
On Tuesday night, Clinton won 10-6 over Lafayette. Normal defeated Alton by the same score.
“We’ll open it up for them,” Oreskovich said of the day off. “But they need to rest their bodies. You have to take a day off when you can.”