Risley Finds Home At Top Of Lineup – Baseball at The Hive

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Miles Risley took some time off after Iowa’s baseball season ended.

He arrived earlier this week to begin playing this summer with the Burlington Bees, and it didn’t take long for him to become a big part of their starting lineup.

Risley, hitting in the No. 2 spot for the Bees, had three hits and drove in four runs in Wednesday’s 11-8 win over the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes in a Prospect League game at Community Field.

The Bees (8-6), who stayed a game behind first-place Clinton in the Northwest Division standings, got 13 hits a night after they had just four hits in a loss to Quincy.

Getting hits in key situations was something Bees manager Owen Oreskovich focused on during an early-afternoon batting practice session.

“We did a little extra hitting today on the field, got the machine out there with the guys so they could see the ball flight on the field,” Oreskovich said. “Hopefully that helped, and we keep doing that every other day or so moving forward.”

Risley, along with right fielder Jace Figuereo, joined the team this week, and their presence at the top of the order made a big difference.

Figuereo, who was in the leadoff spot, reached base in his first five plate appearances in this game, getting two hits and scoring three runs. Risley, who struck out in his first at-bat, then reached base in his next five at-bats.

“I had a lot of opportunities to drive in runners, because we just did a great job as a team tonight,” Risley said. “It’s a great opportunity hitting in the ‘2’ hole.”

Risley hit .299 with the Hawkeyes this season, tying for the team lead with 45 runs batted in while ranking third on the team in hits with 60.

Risley started all 56 games for Iowa, and he wanted to get a little rest before joining the Bees.

“It was really good,” Risley said of the time off. “My body was really sore, so it was good to take some time, rest up, fuel up, gain some weight, and then get ready to play here.”

Risley was hit by a pitch in his first two at-bats in Tuesday’s game, and finished the game 0-for-2.

“It’s good to see him only take a day to get back into rhythm,” Oreskovich said. “Hopefully he can keep that rolling.”

The Bees batted around in the fourth and fifth innings, scoring four runs in each inning while sending 10 batters to the plate.

Mason Schwalbach and Kooper Schulte each drove in two runs for the Bees. Kila Teixiera also had three hits.

Bees catcher Kila Teixiera tags out Springfield’s Enrico Veach at the plate in the third inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Bees starting pitcher Reese Ellison gave up just one run over the first four innings, but the long bottom of the fourth inning seemed to take him out of his rhythm. He was charged with three of Springfield’s runs in the four-run fifth.

“I should have probably just got (reliever) Marshall (Robinson) in there in a clean inning, especially after the long inning,” Oreskovich said. “Reese did very well over the first four innings, which he’s been doing. He fills up the strike zone, and he was doing that again tonight.”

Robinson (1-0) was the winning pitcher after finishing up the fifth. Anthony Buonaura (0-1) was the losing pitcher. Mitchell Cox got out of a ninth-inning jam — Springfield loaded the bases with two outs — for his first save.

Box score

Top photo: Burlington’s Miles Risley heads to third base on Mason Schwalbach’s single in the third inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)