WATERLOO, Iowa – The Larks are in a rut.
The bats cannot pick up speed as the Larks drop game one to the Waterloo Bucks by a final score of 5-0. The loss is the fourth straight for the Larks, tying their longest losing skid of the season.
For the second game in a row, Zachary Patterson had the Larks’ number. After throwing 6.2 scoreless innings in Bismarck on July 24, Patterson picked up right where he left off.
Patterson threw five scoreless innings in this ballgame while allowing just three hits and only walking one.
The Bucks got to Larks starter Tyler Steele in the second inning. Deion Thompson tripled to lead off the inning. Keaton Presley scored Thompson with an RBI single, and Nicola Mislinski added a two-RBI single later in the inning. A pair of Bismarck errors moved runners into scoring position, altering the outcome of the inning.
Waterloo added one in the third inning. Brandon Gutzler started things off with a high, booming double to left. Thompson doubled to left later in the inning, and Zach Malis brought Gutzler home with an RBI groundout. Malis’ 36th RBI of the season put the Bucks ahead 4-0.
The Larks committed three errors while Steele was on the bump, causing him to throw extra pitches and battle through tough situations. Despite the challenges, Steele managed to get through six innings.
Steele surrendered four runs, but just two were earned. He allowed eight hits, but also struck out six and only walked one. All in all, a solid start for Steele after some early trouble.
Joe Spradlin, a righty from the University of Jamestown, relieved Steele and made his Larks debut in the seventh. After a walk and a pair of Luke Waldek errors at shortstop, the Bucks had the bases loaded with nobody out.
Charlie Concannon drew a walk to score Mislinski, making the score 5-0. Spradlin settled in after the early hiccup and retired the next three Bucks hitters to keep the damage at a minimum.
Out of the bullpen, the Bucks relievers followed in Patterson’s footsteps. Jacob Nelson, Brandon Downey, and Matthew Perea combined to throw the three innings after Patterson exited.
Together, the trio allowed just three hits, struck out four, and walked only two.
The Larks threatened in the eighth inning when they got to Downey, the only time in the game they managed to get a runner to third base. With one out, the Larks loaded the bases and put some late-inning pressure on the Bucks.
Noah Sadler popped out in foul territory for the second out, and the Bucks made a pitching change. The left-handed Perea came in to face Scooter Bynum, and managed to set Bynum down swinging to end the lone Bismarck threat.
Ryan Dunne worked a clean ninth inning to lockdown the 5-0 Bucks victory. The win moved the Bucks to 9-14 in the second half and 33-26 overall as they still hunt for a playoff spot. The Larks drop to 10-13 in the second half, 26-32 overall.
Patterson was the winning pitcher of record, his second win in as many starts against the Larks. Steele took a tough loss after a gritty performance.
Newt Johnson and Ryan Anderson stayed hot. The duo combined to go 5-for-8 on the game, recording five of the team’s six hits.
The Bucks were led by Deion Thompson. Thompson went 3-for-4 with a double, two triples, and a run scored. In the fifth inning, Thompson hit a towering fly ball to left field that hit the top of the ball and bounced straight up in the air and back into play.
Another inch may have put Thompson on the fast track to a cycle. He would have been 3-for-3 with a double, triple, and home run at that point. Either way, Thompson had himself a solid game at the plate.
The two teams meet again tomorrow for a Sunday afternoon game at Riverfront Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 pm.
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The Bismarck Larks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, 180 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.bismarcklarks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Larks as your favorite team.
