Bucks Suffer First Loss; Edged By Lakeshore, 6-5

The Waterloo Bucks suffered their first loss of the season Thursday night (June 2, 2016).

Matt Johnson’s sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th inning gave Lakeshore a 6-5 victory over the Bucks at Riverfront Stadium. Waterloo overcame three separate deficits during the game, but wasn't able to rally a fourth time in the series opener against the Chinooks.

Lakeshore’s Joe Duncan started the 10th with an infield single. Duncan then moved to second on an errant pickoff throw by Bucks reliever Nate Spielvogel (0-1). Duncan later advanced to third on a Spielvogel wild pitch, before Kevin Riley reached on an infield single, giving the Chinooks runners on the corners. Curtis Brown followed with a walk, loading the bases with no outs. After a Hayden Senger strikeout, Johnson delivered the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly to the left side.

Lakeshore (2-1) struck first with a run in the top of the first. Duncan began the game with a single to left, before swiping second. After a Riley fielder’s choice put Duncan on third, Senger delivered the first run of the night with a two-out RBI single to center.

Waterloo (2-1) quickly countered with a run of their own in the bottom of the first. A Matthew Paciello walk followed by a Colin Kreiter infield single gave the Bucks runners on first and second. Daniel Perry then reached on an error, loading the bases. Tyler Curtis evened things up with an RBI ground out to second, bringing in Paciello from third.

The Chinooks went back in front with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth. Owen Miller opened the inning with a base on balls. After an Evan Harasta groundout moved Miller to second, Alex Woinski brought in Miller with an RBI single through the right side. Duncan then doubled to right field, giving the Chinooks a pair of runners in scoring position. Riley doubled the Chinooks’ lead with a sacrifice fly, scoring Woinski.

The Bucks quickly tied the game at 3-3 with two runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth. Curtis began the inning with an infield single, before moving to second on a wild pitch. Adam McGinnis then doubled off the center-field fence, plating Curtis from second. Jake Hand gave the Bucks runners on the corners with a single to center, before Taylor Boyd brought in McGinnis on an RBI fielder’s choice.

Lakeshore jumped back in front by two with an additional pair of runs in the top of the eighth. Riley and Brown drew back-to-back one-out walks in the eighth before Johnson belted a two-out, two-run triple off the right-field fence, giving the Chinooks a 5-3 lead.

Waterloo cut the Lakeshore lead in half with a run in the bottom of the eighth. Back-to-back one-out singles by Hand and Boyd gave the Bucks runners on first and second. Blake Alexander then grounded into a fielder’s choice, giving the Bucks runners on the corners with two outs. Paciello made it a 5-4 game with an RBI infield single to the left side, scoring Hand from third.

The Bucks ultimately forced extras with a run in the bottom of the ninth. Kreiter began the inning with his second infield single of the night. Kreiter then swiped second, before moving to third on an Austin Jones wild pitch. Three hitters later, Zack Fricke delivered the tying run with an RBI groundout to second.

Curtis and Kreiter led the Bucks offense with two hits each while Boyd and Kreiter each stole one base, improving the Bucks to a perfect 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts in 2016.

Austin Jones (1-0) was credited with the win for Lakeshore while David Sommerfeld (1) earned the save. Jones allowed one run on two hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings while Sommerfeld struck out a pair in a scoreless bottom of the 10th.

The Waterloo Bucks close out the four-game homestand on Friday night, hosting the Chinooks again at 7:05 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m.

Friday's game is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Night and Flat Screen Friday, followed by a post-game fireworks extravaganza. Fans age 18 and older can register to receive one of three free Flat Screen TV’s, courtesy of Kaplan University, while the first 500 fans will receive a free Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle mask. Fireworks will be shot off after the game.

Story By: Jared Shlensky - Waterloo Bucks