LumberKings' Morales can't be stopped

Some baseball players go through an entire career without recording a two-game stretch like the one that Jhombeyker Morales has put together for Class A Clinton.
The Mariners prospect followed a 3-for-3 effort by going 4-for-4 with a walk-off single that gave the LumberKings a 5-4 victory over Kane County on Wednesday night at Ashford University Field.

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"He's hunting fastballs and isn't missing them," Clinton hitting coach Dave Flores said. "He's got a great approach right now. He's using the middle of the field and attacking good pitches and is getting good results because of that."
Morales had been mired in a 1-for-16 funk but responded with his strongest stretch of the season. Over his last seven contests, the utility player from Venezuela is batting .565 (13-for-23) with three doubles and five RBIs. 
"He's always had a good track record of hitting, going back to Venezuela. He's always hit wherever he's gone," Flores said. "He went through a little rough spot there where he wasn't getting consistent playing time. He's our utility guy and now he's playing every day because of injuries and numbers and is applying his consistent approach, and it's working for him now that he's getting consistent at-bats."
Flores lauded Morales not only for his approach at the plate but for how he's handled the responsibility of being the LumberKings' utility man, seeing time at first base, second, third, shortstop and right field.
"[Seeing a player like that] get hot gets everybody up," the hitting coach said. "It's important for him to finish strong. He's an important asset for our team. He's played all over the field. He's played the utility role well and fills in wherever he can and he's had a good attitude about it.
"The biggest key for him is to make sure he's swinging at good pitches and when he does, he's on time for them and ready to do damage. Earlier on in the year, he was chasing off-speed down and elevated fastballs, but right now he's zoned in on getting a good pitch and he isn't missing them."
Morales started his night by batting Kane County starter Emilio Vargas for five pitches before ripping a single to center field. His next at-bat played out differently but yielded the same result as the 23-year-old jumped on the first pitch for another base hit to center. 
Following a sacrifice in the sixth, Morales tied the game, 4-4, with an RBI double to left in the eighth. 
"He was the right guy to come up at that time," Flores said. "Everyone has a lot of confidence in him and when he stepped up to the plate we all knew he could get the job done." 

With the game still knotted, Morales came up with the bases loaded and one out in the 10th. He delivered for the eighth at-bat in a row, this time with a walk-off single to center. 
"He did a good job of taking the first two pitches for balls," Flores said. "He took a good first-pitch slider down and then got a fastball down for a ball. He put himself in a good position to hit and got back to the mind frame of attacking the fastball and he got one and drove it right back up the middle for the game-winner."
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Morales improved his slash line to .257/.308/.346 with a homer and 28 RBIs in 60 games.
Louis Boyd chipped in two hits and scored twice out of the ninth spot in the lineup for Clinton, while Yojhan Quevedo had two hits and an RBI.