WATERLOO, Iowa — For the 10th time this summer, the Kenosha Kingfish found themselves in a one-run ballgame.

This one went the other way.

Kenosha erased an early two-run deficit, but Waterloo answered with two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and held on late to beat the Kingfish, 4-3, on Tuesday night at Riverfront Stadium. The loss dropped the ’Fish to 4-6 in one-run games this season. Kenosha is now 25-20 overall and 4-6 in the second half, while Waterloo improved to 23-22 overall and stayed in first place in the Great Plains East second-half standings at 9-2.

The night started as a pitching battle. Kenosha had traffic right away in the first, getting a Jackson Brewer single and a Waterloo error to put two aboard, but Cade Nolan worked out of trouble. Michael Guerrero matched him with a clean bottom half before the Bucks struck first in the second.

Jake Slade doubled to center field, moved around the bases and scored the game’s first run to put Waterloo ahead, 1-0. The Bucks added another in the fourth after Slade was hit by a pitch and later came home on a groundout from Dane Most, stretching the lead to 2-0.

Guerrero gave the Kingfish a chance to hang around. The right-hander worked five innings, allowing just three hits and two runs, only one earned, while striking out two. Jackson Banuelos followed with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen and struck out three, keeping the game within reach.

Kenosha finally broke through in the seventh. Gus Gregory drew a walk, Brian Gould doubled to center field and Jackson Brewer brought in the first Kingfish run on a groundout. Noah Alvarez followed with an RBI single to right field, scoring Gould and tying the game at 2-2.

The tie did not last.

Waterloo reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the eighth against Henry Johnson. Mitchell Iliff doubled to right field, and Slade followed with an RBI single to put the Bucks back in front. Later in the inning, George Baker V added a run-scoring single to left field, giving Waterloo a 4-2 advantage.

Kenosha made one more push in the ninth. Cole Ide opened the inning with a single, and Ezra Essex reached on a fielder’s choice before moving into scoring position. Gould walked, and Brewer delivered again with an RBI single to right field to pull the ’Fish within one. But Gould was thrown out at the plate on the same play, ending the threat and keeping Waterloo in front, 4-3.

The Kingfish had one final chance in the ninth after Hunter Snyder and Ethan Moore drew back-to-back two-out walks, but Sam Skarich got a strikeout to end the game and secure his fourth save of the summer.

Brewer finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Alvarez went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Gould doubled, walked, stole a base and scored a run. Kenosha finished with eight hits and eight walks, but left 13 runners on base in the loss.

The two-game series wraps up Wednesday, July 15, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. CT in Waterloo.