The Waterloo Bucks gained sole possession of second place and moved within a half-game of first in the Northwoods League's North Division race with a 13-1 victory at Rochester Monday night (June 6, 2016).

The runs are the most scored this season by Waterloo, which also recorded a season-high 15 hits in the first of eight games in the Scheels Highway 63 Cup series. Five different Bucks hitters finished with multi-hits. Blake Alexander (2), Adam McGinnis (1) and Matthew Paciello (1) each hit a home run for Waterloo.

On the mound for the Bucks, Patrick Boyle (1-0) yielded an unearned run on one hit. He struck out three and walked three in six innings.

Waterloo (5-2) plated its first run in the second inning. Tyler Curtis recorded the first hit of the night with a single to right before scoring on McGinnis’s RBI double off the base of the right-center fence.

The Bucks extended their lead to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the third. Taylor Boyd opened the frame with a single to left before Daniel Perry doubled to right, bringing in Boyd from first. After a Jake Hand ground out moved Perry to third, McGinnis reached on a Rochester fielding error, allowing Perry to score from third.

Waterloo added four more runs in the top of the fifth. Perry doubled for the second time to begin the frame before Hand singled to left, giving the Bucks runners on the corners. Hand’s single also extended his team-best hitting streak to seven games. McGinnis then plated his second of three runs on the night with a single to left, bringing in Perry. Alexander followed with a three-run blast to right field -- his second home run in as many day -- to make it 7-0.

The Honkers (2-4) got their lone run in the bottom half of the fifth. Christopher Scalisi reached on the first of four Bucks errors to start the inning. A throwing error by Boyle on a pick-off attempt moved Scalisi from first to third before scoring on a wild pitch, cutting the Bucks’ lead to 7-1.

Waterloo tacked on another run in the sixth to go up 8-1. Perry drew a two-out walk before moving up to second on a failed double steal, resulting in Colin Kreiter being gunned down at third. Perry then came into score on a wild pitch followed by a throwing error by catcher Brett Harrison.

The Bucks put up four more runs in the seventh to go up 12-1. McGinnis led off the inning with his first homer of the year to right field before Boyd drove in both Alexander and Kreiter with a double to right-center. Perry recorded the final run of the inning with an RBI single to right, scoring Boyd from second.

Paciello led off the top of the ninth with a first-pitch solo home run to left. The home run for Paciello was the third of the night and his first of the year.

Tim Mulvey retired all six hitters he faced in his Waterloo Bucks debut while Andy Muehlberger closed out the game with a scoreless bottom of the ninth.

Erik Cha (0-2) suffered his second straight loss for Rochester. The southpaw allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits while striking out six over four innings.

The Bucks and Honkers play again on Tuesday (June 7), when the series shifts from Mayo Field to Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo. The 7:05 p.m. match-up begins a three-home stand for the Bucks. Brett Solano (0-0, 5.40) is scheduled to make his second start of the year for the Bucks while Rochester sends Isaac Friesen (0-0, 0.00) to the hill.

Tuesday’s game features a Twins ticket giveaway. One fan will win a pair of tickets to an upcoming Minnesota Twins game.

Story By: Jared Schlensky - Waterloo Bucks​

More From Q98.5