16 runs down no big deal for Clinton

Why do I love the Midwest League?

Part of it is trying to guess which players eventually will make it to the big leagues. Part of it is games like the Clinton LumberKings and Burlington Bees had Wednesday night.

If you didn't catch it on ESPN's 'SportsCenter” or ABC's 'Good Morning America,” the clubs played one for the ages at Burlington's Community Field. The final score of Clinton 20, Burlington 17 in 12 innings told only a small portion of the story.

'That is a crazy win,” Clinton Manager Scott Steinmann told www.milb.com. 'I've never been a part of something like that.”

Believe it or not, Clinton was behind after five innings, 17-1, only to rally for the next 19 runs. The L-Kings scored six times in the sixth inning and five times each in the eighth and ninth.

Marcus Littlewood's two-out gram slam to center field in the ninth tied the game at 17-17. Justin Seager's RBI groundout and Lonnie Kauppila's two-run single in the 12th completed an amazing comeback.

Seager and Ian Miller had four hits apiece, with every Clinton starter scratching out at least one.

'I don't think so,” Seager said, when asked by milb.com if he had played in a game similar to this one. 'I don't know if anybody's ever played a game like that before.”

Out of pitchers, Steinmann turned to Kauppila - who played the first 11 innings at second base - to pitch the bottom of the 12th. He got Burlington out 1-2-3.

Clinton rallied from an eight-run hole last Saturday to beat Wisconsin. Talk about a team that never gives up.