The Mariners’ 7-2 road trip wasn’t the only surprising news in the the organization — the Class A affiliate in Iowa, the Clinton LumberKings, rallied from a 17-1 deficit to score 19 unanswered runs to beat the Burlington Bees, 20-17, in 12 innings Wednesday night.
From a report by MLB.com, Justin Seager, Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager’s little brother and the designated hitter, drove in the go-ahead run in the 12th. He had four hits and scored three times.
The comeback against the Angels’ affiliate began in the sixth with six runs to close to 17-7. Clinton scored five times in the eighth AND the ninth to force the game into extras. After Seager broke the tie, second baseman Lonnie Kappuila had a two-run single. The insurance was helpful since he was called on as an emergency pitcher in the 12th — first time on the mound since high school. He saved the game with a 1-2-3 inning.
“Being up by one and knowing I was going to have to pitch when I haven’t pitched in five years, I really wanted to get us some extra runs,” Kappuila told MiLB.com. “I was really glad that I was able to get that hit.”
Clinton four days earlier had an impressive comeback, rallying from eight down by scoring five times with two outs in the ninth inning to beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 16-13.
“That is a crazy win. I’ve never been a part of something like that. The closest thing is four days ago,” LumberKings manager Scott Steinmann told MiLB.com. “(Another comeback) says a lot. They weren’t giving up. They stayed in it the whole time.
“I tell them to keep competing and have professional at-bats, and I just stay out of the way and let them do it. That’s all them. We start to string together a couple of little hits in the sixth, and you could kind of feel it turning. That’s when it was really exciting.”
Left fielder Tyler O’Neill, the Mariners’ No. 19 prospect, went 1-for-6 with a double and two runs.
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Refuse to lose! Better yet, call these guys up!!!