Meyer Grand Slam Leads Bees to Bounce Back Victory

Burlington, IA - After surrendering the lead, the Burlington Bees (5-11) needed a hero and boy, did they get one.

Nick Meyer (Mt.Mercy University) blasted the first grand slam of the season over the left field wall to give Burlington the 7-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth in his first at-bat of the game.

Meyer did not appear in the starting lineup. He replaced Tucker Gibbar (Southeastern CC), who left his Burlington debut due to injury in the bottom of the fourth.

This was Meyer's first Bees homerun, as the Mt.Mercy product had one bomb this season for the Mustangs.

That was all the team needed, as Burlington beat the Normal Cornbelters (8-11) by the same score at Community Field June 17. This victory snapped a two game skid for the Bees and moved them to 5-4 at home.

Burlington used three pitchers in a gutsy performance from the arms. Noah Harbin (Maryville University) started the game, allowing no earned run innings with four hits allowed over four innings.

Zach Leuschen (Southeastern CC) picked up where the starter left off. His 3.2 innings were enough for the win.

Jack Duncan (Western Illinois) concluded the effort, picking up his second save with two hits over the final 1.1 frames.

The Bees offense came early, posting three runs over the first two innings of the game. Cedric Dunnwald (Mt. Mercy University) was hit by a pitch to score the opening run.

Boston Halloran (Oakland University) plated another run on an unconventional sacrifice fly, when the Cornbelters second baseman fell as he caught the ball, allowing a run to score. This tally made it a two run first inning.

Reese Moore (University of Iowa) kept it going in the second with an RBI single. Moore now has RBI's in two straight games, bringing him 10 on the year, the second most on the tem.

Burlington had another big hitting day from Landon Akers (Bellarmine), who went 2 for 3 with a run to get to a team-leading 14 hits on the season.

Burlington's effort was balanced, with nine of 10 Bee batters registering hits, and the pitching stranding eight Cornbelters on base.

The Bees stay at the hive, playing the O'Fallon Hoots (11-7) June 18 at 6:30 p.m., as the team tries to win back to back for the first time this season. The game is Pups & Pints: What IF Night (Imaginary Friends) at Community Field, with imaginary friends and dogs getting in for free.