May 19, 2013
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Bees' Pitching Falters

May 28, 2012 - Midwest League (MWL) Burlington Bees

BURLINGTON, Iowa (5/28/12) - The Burlington Bees suffered through a lack luster effort against the Clinton LumberKings and lost with a 12-to-3 final score. The beating came after two games in which the Bees had an answer for every Clinton run.

In game two, Brent Powers struggled in the first inning and allowed five straight batters to reach with one out. The lefty gave up four runs in the top of the first on Sunday afternoon.

On Monday afternoon it seemed like fans experienced a case of deja vu, and the Bees once again went 4-to-0 after the top half of the first. This time it was Raul Alcantara who endured a brutal first inning. The right-hander allowed the first six batters to reach with either a base hit or a double and ultimately allowed the first seven batters to reach. The first four batters of the inning scored and Ji-Man Choi, Dan Paolini, and Steve Baron came away with the four RBIs.

Unlike Sunday the Bees didn't have an immediate answer and didn't even have a base runner until the third inning.

Things only got worse for the 19-year-old right-hander on the mound. Alcantara gave up allowed another run in the third inning and another four-run inning in the top of the fourth. The big blows came from Dillon Hazlett and Baron who each had two-run home runs in the inning. Baron's home run barely flew over the right-field wall, but with winds blowing at over 20 mph, it wasn't surprising to see most fly balls soar over the wall. Baron's home run was his second of the year and his second in as many days.

Bees' manager Aaron Nieckula left Alcantara in the game to start the top of the fifth. But the young righty gave up a leadoff home run to Ramon Morla to extend the LumberKings' lead to 10-to-1 before Nieckula finally relieved Alcantara. Overall, Alcantara (3-5) pitched 4.1 innings and allowed 12 hits, ten earned runs, and three home runs in the loss. For the second straight day, Ramon Morla hit a home run and the Bees' starter allowed three home runs.

The Bees scored their first home run on a home run by Eliezer Mesa. Mesa's second home run of the year is also his second in the last six games. Coming into the game Mesa was hitting .400 in the last five games. The Bees would score again in the sixth inning after an error by the second baseman, and again in the seventh on a solo home run by Douglas Landaeta. Landaeta led off the seventh with his team-leading fifth home run help the Bees make the score 10-to-3. Landaeta came into the game hitting .302 when leading off an inning.

But the Bees couldn't maintain the seven run deficit. Jonathan Joseph and Chas Mye each allowed a run in their work out of the pen. The Bees eventually lost 12-to-3 in game three.

The Bees play game four on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. For information on Bees baseball and promotions, call (319) 754-5705 or visit www.gobees.com.

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Midwest League Stories from May 28, 2012


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