MWL1 Burlington Bees

Bees Swept, But Still Playoff Bound

September 3, 2012 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Burlington Bees News Release


BURLINGTON, Iowa (9/3/12) - The Burlington Bees (67-72, 35-35) dropped a doubleheader to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (78-61, 34-36) on Mon- day, but the Bees are still headed to the 2012 Midwest League Playoffs. Despite losing their last six games, the Bees' 35 wins were enough to make the playoffs after the Kane County Cougars suffered a loss on Monday.

GAME ONE

The Bees' jumped out to a great start to the second half the season; the club won five of the first six games to open the second half. Unfortunately by losing both games of the doubleheader on Monday, the Bees lost the last six games of the regular season.

The Timber Rattlers got to game one starter Blake Hassebrock with a run in the top of the first when Cameron Garfield hit an RBI single. But the Bees were able to respond with a run in the bottom of the third inning. Max Muncy led off with a double and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly ball off of John Wooten's bat. The game was tied 1-to-1 after Wooten's first RBI with the Bees.

But the Timber Rattlers countered with three runs in the top of the third. Brandon Macias led off with a walk and reached home plate when Ben McMah- an hit a towering two-run home run over the left field wall. The inning got worse when Garfield yanked a solo home run down the left field line. The home plate ruled the ball fair, however over 1,000 fans in the seats erupted upon the controversial ruling. The Bees trailed 4-to-1 after three innings.

Hassebrock (2-2) took the loss after he pitched five innings and allowed four earned runs on seven hits. The Bees eventually lost 6-to-1 in the first seven-inning game.

The Peoria Chiefs had defeated the Kane County Cougars by the end of the Bees' first game. While the Cougars' loss guaranteed the Bees a spot in the playoffs, the Bees wanted to win game two and avoid back-to-back sweeps.

GAME TWO

Game two started much like game one; the Bees went down 1-to-0 in the top of the first in game two after Chadwin Stang hit a solo home run. The Bees earned two runs in the bottom of the first after Addison Russell hit an RBI double to plate Sam Roberts, and Wade Kirkland hit a sacrifice fly ball to cen- ter that brought Royce Consigli home. The Bees tacked on another run when Douglas Landaeta hit a sacrifice fly ball with the bases loaded in the third. Once again the Bees' had an early lead, but as with game one the lead would slip away.

David Mota allowed four runs in the top of the fourth that gave the Timber Rattlers a 5-to-3 lead. The last run scored on a wild pitch that got away from Nick Rickles. Mota failed to leave to mound to cover home plate, which led to an immediate departure. Austin House replaced Mota and eventually yielded a run in the top of the fifth on a throwing error. Chas Mye pitched in the top of the seventh and allowed two solo home runs before the day was over. Mike Garza hit a solo shot to left field and Stang hit his second home run of the game in the same direction.

Mota (3-1) took the loss in the finale after he allowed four runs (one earned). The Bees lost game two by the final score of 8-to-3.

PLAYOFF BOUND

Despite the season-worst six game losing streak, the Bees are in the playoffs. The club won 35 games in the second half of the season thanks to an outstanding effort by the pitching staff. Coming into play on Monday, the pitching staff had an impressive 3.39 ERA since July 1st. That miniscule number represented one of the Bees pitching staffs in the league in the second half of the season.

The Bees hope the strong pitching performances carry into the playoffs. The Bees will play the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the first round of the 2012 playoffs. Game one of the first round of the playoffs is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, September 5 at Community Field. The first game of the three-game series is the only game scheduled in Burlington. Game two and three will take place at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wisconsin on September 6 and 7.

Bees' right-hander A.J. Cole (6-3) will start game one opposite righty Jacob Barnes (4-7). After the Timber Rattlers swept the Bees to finish the regular season, the Bees own a 9-10 record against the Rattlers. For more information on Bees baseball call (319) 754-5705 or visit www.gobees.com.

Check out the Burlington Bees Statistics



Midwest League Stories from September 3, 2012


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