Higley, Howell help Beloit take series

BELOIT, Wisc- The Snappers' recent offensive surge continued on Monday afternoon, as they rode big days from Justin Higley and Ryan Howell to a series win over the Bees. Beloit racked up 11 hits in the 5-2 victory, which was more than enough for starter Boomer Biegalski, who pitched effectively in his sixth win of the year.

Burlington starter Luis Pena (2-5, 2.83 ERA), on the other hand, was not so effective, as he went just two innings while giving up three runs on two hits. He walked three and didn't strike out a batter. All three runs came in a big second inning for the Snappers: Ryan Howell led off with a moonshot over the left field fence, Justin Higley had a two-out RBI single, and Pena balked in a run before all was said and done. Beloit added another in the fifth inning on Andy Paz's RBI single.

That was more than enough support for Biegalski (6-4, 3.00 ERA), who shut out the Bees for the first six innings. The only two runs charged to him were on Angels No. 24 prospect Jake Yacinich's fly-ball RBI single into no man's land in the seventh inning. Biegalski ended up completing seven innings, scattering six hits while walking none and striking out five.

The Snappers received an insurance run in the eighth on Higley's RBI double. That took pressure off of the bullpen, which was dominant on Monday. Dustin Driver threw a tidy eighth inning while Armando Ruiz and Jared Lyons combined for a scoreless ninth, with Lyons notching his third save of the season.

Higley had one of his better games of 2016, going 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs; his average rose to .266 in the process. Howell and Jordan Devencenzi each had two-hit games. Burlington's offense was relatively quiet other than a three-hit day from Matt Thaiss, the Angels' first round pick in the 2016 draft.

The Snappers have an off-day tomorrow, and then start a three-game series in Dayton on Wednesday. James Naile (3-6, 2.72 ERA), who has the lowest WHIP in the Midwest League at 0.96, will go for Beloit and take on the Dragons' Tanner Rainey (2-7, 6.22 ERA).

The Beloit Snappers are a member of the Midwest League and are a fourth year Class-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Stay tuned to the team website and social media for all up to date information. For ticket information, contact the Snappers' offices at 608-362-2272 or visit our website at www.snappersbaseball.com. 

Written by: Bradley Star