By JOHN BOHNENKAMP
The Burlington Bees were getting hits and Tate Slagle was putting on a show.
Then came the sixth inning.
What started out was the kind of game that Bees manager Owen Oreskovich has been wanting to start the second half of the Prospect League looked like a lot of the ones over the last couple of weeks, as the Clinton LumberKings rallied for an 8-5 win on Sunday at Community Field.
The Bees built a 5-0 lead as Slagle kept the LumberKings hitless over five innings, but Clinton began rallying in the sixth. The LumberKings scored three runs in the sixth, then added three more in the seventh, two coming on Isaac Sobieszczyk’s home run to left field. Two more runs scored on Gavin Awbrey’s eighth-inning home run, and the Bees (11-16 overall, 0-2 second half) lost for the third consecutive time and the fifth time in the last seven games.
The Bees had a 3-0 lead after the first inning. Adam Kudronowicz’s sacrifice fly scored Jace Figuereo, then Tanner Reinartz hit a 423-foot two-run home run to left-center field.
Burlington added two runs in the third. Kudronowicz’s single scored Juan Fernandez, then Dalton Miller hit a sacrifice fly to score Lucas Krebs.
Slagle, a freshman from Iowa, dominated the LumberKings through the first five innings. He struck out six and walked one before running into trouble in the sixth. Jaylen Ziegler reached on an error, then Slagle hit Cole Lanclos with a pitch. Awbrey’s single to center field was the first hit of the game, and hit scored Ziegler. Karson Grout grounded into a fielder’s choice to bring in Lanclos, then Sobieszczyk walked to end Slagle’s day.
Jai Jensen (2-0) was the winning pitcher. Jake Weissenberger (0-3) was the losing pitcher. Andrew Theiss picked up his third save.
The Bees have Monday off before beginning a three-game series at Illinois Valley on Tuesday.
Photo: Tanner Reinartz watches his first-inning home run. (Photo by Steve Cirinna)
Published
June 29, 2026
