Bees Outlast TinCaps in Marathon
(Burlington-IA)- 18 innings is what it took for the Burlington Bees to take the series finale in Fort Wayne 7-5 thanks to a strong effort on the mound from outfielder Mark Shannon and infielder Ryan Dalton.
For the first time in five games, the Burlington Bees scored first thanks to a Ranyelmy Mendoza solo shot to left to put the Bees on top 1-0 in the second.
Bees' starter Ryan Etsell kept the Tin Caps off of the board until the sixth inning, when Fort Wayne scored two runs, thanks to a pair of Bees errors, giving the Tin Caps a 2-1 lead.
Angel Rosa would answer for the Bees, shooting in RBI single into left scoring a pair and the Bees regained their lead at 3-2 in the seventh.
The Bees and Tin Caps continued to go back and forth as Fort Wayne knotted the game up in the eight with a run off Bees reliever Alan Busenitz.
The game remained a back and forth affair all the way till the 18th inning. For the third time in extra innings the Bees took the lead as Ranyelmy Mendoza drove in the sixth run of the game for the Bees with a sac fly. Ryan Dalton would then single in the seventh run, giving the Bees a 7-5 lead in the 18th and would hang on for the win, improving their record to 7-5.
Outfielder Mark Shannon (1-0) worked three innings picking up the win, while first baseman Ryan Dalton (1) picked up the save.
The Bees' continue their six game road trip tomorrow night in Cleveland, starting a three game series with Lake County at 6:05 PM central time. Clint Sharp will make his third start of the season for the Bees.