LumberKings Put Pedal To Floor Late To Win Tenth Straight
Beloit, WI - Locked in another tie game in the late innings, the LumberKings offense would surge late to keep their nine game winning streak alive. Clinton (82-46, 43-15) registered two runs in the seventh, three in the eighth, and one in the ninth to cruise to a 7-1 win over Beloit (53-74, 21-37) their tenth straight win and their 18th in their last 19 games. This is the longest winning streak for the LumberKings since 2012, when they won ten straight games to finish the 2012 season.
With the score knotted at one in the seventh, Alex Jackson ripped a single to left against Snappers starter Dustin Hurlbutt (3-4) to start the inning. Conner Hale then grounded out to second, but Jackson moved up on the play. James Alfonso then flew out to right, but Rafael Fernandez would come through huge. Fernandez lined a ball to second that hit the top of second baseman Jesus Lopez's glove and popped out, rolling into right center field. The play was charged as an error on Lopez, but Jackson scored to give the LumberKings the 2-1 lead. Ricky Eusebio then walked, and Chris Mariscal added on with a single to left that scored Fernandez, leaving the tally at 3-1 after the inning.
After Ronald Dominguez (3-4) pitched a scoreless seventh, the LumberKings would bust the game open in the eighth. Logan Taylor and Gus Craig began the inning with back to back singles, and Alex Jackson walked to load the bases. Conner Hale would hit into a double play, but it brought home Taylor to end the lead to 4-1. That brought up James Alfonso with two outs, and he took a hanging curveball from Rob Huber and destroyed it over the left center field fence for his third home run of the season, making it a 6-1 LumberKings lead. Logan Taylor would add on the final run of the game with an RBI double in the ninth, making the score 7-1. Taylor finished the night 4 for 5, recording his second four hit game of the year.
The LumberKings for the third straight game would put up a run in the second inning. Alex Jackson started the frame with a rip to left field, but left fielder Robert Martinez was playing so far back, Jackson decided to go for second. Martinez's throw was off line, and Jackson reached second safely. Conner Hale then wasted no time and singled into center field on the first pitch he saw from Snappers starter Dustin Hurlbutt. It scored Jackson easily to give the LumberKings the early edge.
Beloit would respond in the third with the long ball. The Snappers after having the first two men retired in the first and second innings by Nick Wells reached base on an error and a single respectively in those two innings. Wells got the first two men he faced in the third, but an inside pitch to Edwin Diaz was belted over the left center field wall to tie the game at one.
Clinton had a chance to respond in the fourth, as a leadoff single from Logan Taylor got to second with nobody out on a passed ball from Jose Chavez. However, nobody could get him home. Alex Jackson with one out hit a deep drive to left center field that died at the wall and into the glove of center fielder Skye Bolt.
Beloit though had their chances to take the lead in both the fourth and the fifth. With two outs in the fourth, Nick Wells walked Ryan Howell, and a single to follow from Robert Martinez moved Howell to third. Wells though jammed Jesus Lopez and got him to foul out to first to end the fourth. In the fifth, Jose Chavez cranked a double into the left field corner, but Wells retired the next three in order to keep the game tied. Wells left after five innings, allowing just the one run. Ronald Dominguez earned the win with four scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
The LumberKings look to tie the franchise record for wins tomorrow as they play their penultimate game of the year against the Snappers. Kevin Gadea (3-0, 1.43) goes for Clinton, while Beloit counters with Boomer Biegalski (8-7, 3.50) First pitch is at 7 PM, with the Iowa Pork Producers Pregame Show hitting the airwaves of WCCI 100.3 FM at 6:45. You can also listen to the game online at www.lumberkings.com.