By JOHN BOHNENKAMP
Two games, one night, and a half-game separating the two teams.
Oh, and it might rain all day.
The Burlington Bees have never been to the playoffs in their five seasons in the Prospect League, but they get a chance to advance to the postseason after Tuesday’s 9-6 win over the Johnstown Mill Rats at Community Field.
The Bees (32-21 overall, 20-7 second half) maintained their half-game lead over Illinois Valley (31-22, 20-8) in the Northwest Division heading into Wednesday’s 5 p.m. doubleheader between the two teams at Community Field.
“Anyone who says it’s just another night is lying,” said Bees first baseman Keanu Spenser, who is in his third season with the team and has gone through some of the past struggles. “This is as big as it gets.”
“It’s fun,” said Bees manager Owen Oreskovich, who has led the team the last four seasons. “I’m excited for it. I know these guys are, too. We’re going to go into it full go, ready to go after it and win.”
The weather forecast isn’t good — the National Weather Service has forecasted an 80% chance of rain, with rainfall between a half and three-quarters of an inch. That just added to the importance for the Bees of getting this win and staying ahead of the Pistol Shrimp, who defeated Alton 11-1 Tuesday night.
“We were just, ‘Win this one and worry about what comes next,’” Oreskovich said. “We had to win tonight. Like you said about the weather, who knows what can happen tomorrow? It’s supposed to rain all day, but it might, or it might not. You never know.”
It’s why Oreskovich pieced together his pitching for this win, going to the bullpen after starter Alex Logan walked four and allowed two runs in the top of the first inning. The Bees tied the game on Spenser’s two-run home run in the bottom of the inning, but Oreskovich went to Jack Duncan (2-0) to start the second inning.
Duncan, who needed just four pitches to get two crucial eighth-inning outs in Monday’s 5-3 win over the Mill Rats, gave the Bees four innings and although he allowed three runs, gave Oreskovich some length and kept Johnstown scoreless over the fourth and fifth innings, when the Bees rallied.
“He was huge,” Spenser said. “Everybody in the bullpen did a great job, but that kept us in the game.”
Marshall Robinson got the Bees out of a second-and-third jam in the sixth without a run and then pitched a scoreless seventh, Sean O’Dowd pitched a scoreless eighth inning before giving up a run in the ninth, then Morgan Jennings got the save by getting the last three outs with the bases loaded.
“Dunc was huge,” Oreskovich said. “Marshall was huge. Sean’s first inning was really good. Then Morgan gets us out of trouble. We don’t win the game without those guys.”
The Bees slowly cut into Johnstown’s lead. Corey Boyette had an RBI single in the third inning, Lincoln Cardwell hit a solo home run in the fourth, then Burlington took the lead in the fifth on Caleb Seibers’ run-scoring single and a bases-loaded walk to Cardwell.
The Bees added two runs in the sixth when Boyette doubled to score Marcus Beatty, then Boyette scored when Kooper Schulte reached on a fielder’s choice.
Schulte’s sacrifice fly in the eighth scored Boyette with Burlington’s final run.
The stage was set for two on Wednesday.
“We had to win today, and that was our focus,” Oreskovich said. “Tomorrow is going to be fun.”
Top photo: Burlington’s Keanu Spenser (left) is greeted at home plate by Corey Boyette, Kooper Schulte and Owen Nowak after his two-run home run in the first inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
