By JOHN BOHNENKAMP
Fans aren’t getting nine innings of baseball at Community Field these days.
Not that Burlington Bees manager Owen Oreskovich is complaining.
The 16-6 win over the Thrillville Thrillbillies in Wednesday’s Prospect League game was the third consecutive home win for the Bees that was decided by the league’s 10-run rule.
“I’m OK with that,” Oreskovich said, smiling.
This game ended after 6 ½ innings. Last Friday’s 27-17 win over Quincy was done in eight innings, as was the 15-4 win over Springfield the next night.
It’s not that the fans aren’t getting value for their tickets, considering the run production in all three games. The Bees had 15 hits in this game, with six players getting two or more hits.
The hits are coming from up and down the lineup. Marcus Beatty, hitting second, was 4 for 5 with three runs batted in. Caleb Seibers, hitting sixth, hit two home runs. Kila Teixeira, hitting seventh, went 3 for 3 and drove in two runs.
“I hope it stays like that,” Oreskovich said. “It’s very important — if we need somebody to bunt anywhere in the lineup, we can get one down and then we’ve got guys to drive the run in. It’s huge, the lineup we have right now, and hopefully we keep doing what we’re doing.”
“Just a lot of us have the mindset of putting the ball in play, making something happen, moving guys around,” said Teixeira, who is hitting .333 this season. “I hit for the situation. Whatever happens, happens after that.”
Teixiera is on a seven-game hitting streak, hitting .414 in this current stretch. Teixiera, who is from Hawaii Pacific, didn’t see any game action in the college season, but has filled in different roles for the Bees this summer.
“Coming out here to play, I’ve had fun,” Teixiera said. “I didn’t play this season, but I’ve come here wanting to show what I can do. I’ve got nothing to lose, so I just leave it all out there.”
“He puts together great at-bats, and he’s good with two strikes, too,” Oreskovich said. “It’s awesome to see.”
The Bees (26-21 overall, 14-7 second half) took a 3-1 lead in the third inning on back-to-back home runs by Corey Boyette and Seibers and a run-scoring single from Lincoln Cardwell.
The Thrillbillies tied the game in the top of the fourth inning, then the Bees broke the game open with seven runs in the bottom of the inning. They added six runs in the sixth, then held on to the 10-run rule in the seventh despite Thrillville getting three runs and having runners in scoring position with two outs.
Five Bees were hit by pitches, bringing their league-leading total to 100.
Michael Schaul (2-0) was the winning pitcher. Ty Anderson (0-1) took the loss.
Box score
Photo: Bees left fielder Marcus Beatty makes a leaping catch in Wednesday’s 16-6 win over the Thrillville Thrillbillies. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
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Published
July 24, 2025
