ST. CLOUD, MN  Adam Bray struck out Chris Paul with the tying and winning runs in scoring position to the end the ball game and save the day for the Waterloo Bucks in a 4-3 heart-stopper over the St, Cloud Rox on Thursday night.  With the win, the Bucks maintain a 1/2 game over Willmar atop the North Division while inching closer to the team's second consecutive postseason appearance.

Landon Simpson pitched seven quality innings, delivering a stand out starting pitching performance the Bucks needed on a rare night where the offense struggled. Connor McClain drove in three of the Bucks' four runs.

The Bucks were limited to only five hits despite 11 walks issued by St. Cloud pitching.

Waterloo took a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning on two-out RBI singles by Kevin Kaczmarski and McClain leaving it to Simpson and Bray to do the rest. St. Cloud would get runners into scoring position in each of final five innings but each time Simpson and Bray pitched out of trouble to keep the lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, Bray would get the first two outs before giving up a double to Morgan Phillips. A walk to Eric Loxtercamp followed and then a single by Mitchell Kranson that brought in a run to make it 4-3 and push Loxtercamp to third base.

With Paul batting, pinch runner Robert Youngdahl stole second putting him in scoring position, but Bray bore down to free Paul on a 3-2 curveball getting him looking to end the game.

The Bucks never trailed, scoring twice in the first inning when McClain's broken bat ball went over the mound and resulted in a two-run single.

St. Cloud rallied with a run in the second on a wild pitch and tied the score on a Kranson homer in the third.