Duluth, Minn. – The Waterloo Bucks (13-19) knocked off the Duluth Huskies (15-18) by a score of 8-1 on Saturday afternoon to pick up their third series sweep of the season. Duluth had not suffered a series defeat at home until their final series of the first half. Waterloo used six hits, seven walks and five hit batsmen to do their damage.
Max Collins got the ball for the Bucks and earned the win, tossing five innings and allowing just one run on 96 pitches. Besides two walks issued in the second inning by Collins, he was excellent, allowing five hits and striking out five. The only damage done by Duluth came on a George McIntyre double followed immediately by Blake Eckerle singling the former home in the third.
Parker Kristall started for the Huskies and worked a clean first inning before facing trouble the rest of the way. Kristall allowed a run in each of the second, third and fourth before allowing a 2-out double in the fifth leading to his removal. That double began a stretch of six straight Waterloo hitters reaching, with a single, two walks and two hit batsmen allowed by reliever Easton Miller before recording an out. That frame pushed Waterloo’s lead to 6-1 and put the game out of reach.
Tyler Glowacki and Tanner Simmons combined for four shutout relief innings for the Bucks. Glowacki struck out three in two frames, permitting just one hit and one walk. Simmons finished the game with two more solid zeroes, allowing just one walk but finishing otherwise perfect.
After Miller, Carter Boos and Dawson Brosnaham completed the game for Duluth. Boos allowed an unearned run after a pair of walks and his own throwing error, but didn’t allow a hit in two innings. Brosnaham’s lone run in a pair of innings against came thanks to a leadoff double from Caleb Seibers in the eighth.
Seibers was the offensive star – if there could be said to be just one – for Waterloo, reaching in all four plate appearances. Seibers finished 2-for-2 with the double and a single, plus two hit by pitches. He added a run and two RBI to his tally. MJ Sweeney, Zach Davis and Caleb Parker all reached three times as well for Waterloo.
Maddox Monsour doubled twice in his Duluth debut, reaching three times but being thrown out on the basepaths twice. McIntyre finished the day 2-for-3 with the home team’s only run and a walk as well. Anthony Cepeda reached twice in the loss to continue the outfielder’s hot stretch. Jalen Smith lost a seven game hit streak, although he did walk once in an 0-for-3 day.
On Deck
Duluth travels to Thunder Bay to play their final series of the first half tomorrow. Following two days off, the Huskies will begin their second half campaign with a Thursday game against Eau Claire at home, with a commute back to Eau Claire for a doubleheader on Friday, July 3rd. Thursday’s tickets can be purchased on the team website while all Huskies action both home and away can be found televised on FloSports.