Just over a week left in the year 2015. Time to countdown the top 10 games of 2015. As usual, there were plenty of great games to choose from this season, here is the list, followed by a quick recap why each game made our top 10 list.
List of top 10 games in order by date:
- 4/10 – Iowa native Jake Yacinich walk off single vs Wisconsin
- 4/12 – Ryan Seiz walk off homer, giving Bees 4-0 record
- 5/7 – Bees score 7 runs in second inning after argument over lights
- 5/12 – Bees’ offense erupts for 8 runs in 4th inning at Kane County
- 5/26 – Andrew Daniel drives in a career high 7 runs in win over Beloit
- 5/28 – Wade Wass ends tension filled series with Beloit with walk off homer
- 6/7 – Bees homer four times in one inning in loss at Great Lakes
- 6/18 – Bees out last Cedar Rapids 2-0 in 11 innings.
- 8/5 – Anderson throws 7.2 scoreless innings in win over Fort Wayne
- 9/6 – Taylor Ward ties game in 9th with homer, Mateo walk off double vs Wisconsin.
Now on to the countdown, starting with number 10!
10. You get a home run, you get a home run, and you get a home run!
Let’s start with the only loss on the list, June 6th at Great Lakes. The Burlington Bees went into the top of the third inning trailing by the score 2-0 after the Loons scored two runs in the first inning. The reason this game found it’s way onto the list is because the Bees went on to hit four home runs in the inning. With the wind whipping out to left field all afternoon long, Brandon Gildea started the inning with his first home run of the season, putting the Bees on the board. Jake Yacinich soon fallowed suit with his first homer of the season. After Natanael Delgado homered, Ryan Seiz capped off the inning slugging the Bees’ fourth long ball of the frame.
Fran Whitten added the Bees’ fifth homer of the game later on, but the Bees were out slugged by the Loons, losing 9-8.
9. No lights, no problem!
Early in the season the Bees seemed to score their runs in bunches. On May 7th against the Peoria Chiefs, the Burlington Bees put seven on the board in the second inning at Community Field. What made this game memorable was the lights! After what turned out to be a cloudy evening, the lights were turned on in the middle of the inning. After Peoria Manager, Joe Kruzel, argued the lights should not be turned on mid inning, thus potentially giving the Bees an advantage at the plate in the bottom half of the inning, the lights were turned back off. The Bees didn’t seem to mind, scoring seven runs in the inning on their way to a 9-0 win over the Chiefs.
8. Swinging away in Chicago land
This Bees’ big inning came on the road, as the Bees scored eight fourth inning runs at Kane County on the morning of May 12th in a Bees 13-6 win over the Cougars. The Bees knocked out 19 hits in the game, earning a much needed victory of the defending Midwest League Champion Kane County Cougars. Michael Hermosillo and Erick Salcedo both led the way for the Bees, each picking up four hits in the win. Overshadowed by the offense that day was Jake Jewell who threw four innings of relief, striking out seven, allowing just one run, earning the save.
7. Anderson holds down Caps
Bees’ starting pitcher Justin Anderson just seem to get stronger as the season wore on. On August 5th, Anderson threw 7.2 scoreless innings against the Fort Wayne Tin Caps. Anderson struck out five batters walking just one, earning his seventh win of the season. Anderson went on to throw and eight inning outing later in the season but received a no decision.
6. Andrew Daniel has a day!
Bees’ second baseman Andrew Daniel drove in a career high seven runs in a Bees 15-6 win over the Beloit Snappers on May 26th at Community Field. Daniel went 3-for-5 with a triple and a home run. Zach Houchins also helped the Bees with a pair of home runs.
Daniel breaks Bees out with seven RBIs
5. Someone has to score eventually
It took until the top of the eleventh for a team to score on June 18th in Cedar Rapids, as the Bees scored two runs in the top of the 11th inning, on their way to a 2-0 win over the Kernels. Andrew Daniel gave the Bees the lead in the top of the frame with a bases loaded bloop single and then Jake Yachinich added an insurance run, scoring a wild pitch. Bees’ pitchers Jake Jewell, Alex Klonowski, Jordan Piche, Eduardo Paredes and Tyler Carpenter combined for the 11 inning shutout.
4. Wass has last laugh
In a heated series with the Beloit Snappers, Wade Wass got the last word, smacking a walk off home run, to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Bees a 6-5 win over the Snappers. Wade also a drew a walk in the Bees’ win.
3. Iowa boy does good
Former Iowa Hawkeye and Des Moines, Iowa native, Jake Yacinich was the hero for the Bees back on April, 10th. Yacinich drove home the winning run in the ninth inning, with a line drive single to center, scoring Caleb Adams, giving the Bees a 4-3 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. It turned out to be the first of two walk off wins in the season opening six game home stand for the Burlington Bees.
2. Seiz goes yard twice, Bees stay perfect
After opening the 2015 season with a three game sweep of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the Burlington Bees had to come from behind against the Kane County Cougars on Sunday April 12th at Community Field. After taking a 3-0 lead in the third inning, the Bees saw the lead vanish thanks to a five spot by the Cougars in the fourth inning. After tying the game, with a pair of runs in the sixth inning, the Bees went on to win in the ninth inning thanks to Ryan Seiz’s second home run of the day, giving the Bees a 6-5 win, upping their season opening win streak to four games.
1. Ward, Mateo, ballgame
With both teams eliminated from post season contention, the Burlington Bees and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers played their second to last game of the season on Sunday, September 6th at Community Field. The Bees and Timber Rattlers played a scoreless game until the ninth inning when Wisconsin scored two runs to take a 2-0 lead. The Bees got the bats going in the bottom half of the ninth. With one out, Ayendy Perez launched a triple to center and then came home to score when Taylor Ward launched his first home run with the Bees, tying the game at two. After back-to-back singles, Steven Mateo gave the Bees a walk-off winner, lacing to double off the wall in left center, giving the Bees a 3-2 win.
There are our picks for top 10 games of 2015, can’t wait to see what next year has in store!
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