LA CROSSE, WI – The La Crosse Loggers were defeated by the Waterloo Bucks, 14-4, in front of a crowd of 2,070 at Copeland Park.
Logger starting pitcher Andrew Regner (Winona State) took the mound for three innings, giving up five runs on seven hits.
Waterloo’s starter, Nick Hartje (Upper Iowa), pitched 3.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits.
The Bucks took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning with an RBI single from Cole Smith (Southeastern CC) and an RBI double from Evan Morrison (Grand Valley State).
The Loggers quickly responded, tying the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI triple by Matt Miura (Hawaii) and an RBI groundout from Luke Anderson (BYU).
Waterloo extended their lead in the third inning, scoring four runs. A three-RBI double by Ricky Requejo (Science & Arts of Oklahoma) and an RBI single from Danny Gavin (Gustavus Adolphus) put the Bucks ahead 6-2. They added another run in the fourth inning with an RBI groundout by Luke Finn (East Texas Baptist), bringing the score to 7-2.
La Crosse managed to score in the bottom of the fourth inning with a solo home run from Zach Wadas (TCU), cutting the deficit to 7-3.
However, Waterloo continued to pull away, scoring two runs in the fifth inning and another in the sixth, taking a commanding 10-3 lead.
The Loggers added a run in the bottom of the sixth inning on an RBI single from Matt Miura, making the score 10-4.
But the Bucks responded with two more runs in the eighth, courtesy of an RBI single by Evan Morrison and another by Ricky Requejo. Waterloo sealed their victory in the ninth inning with two additional runs, both scored on RBI groundouts.
With the 14-4 loss, the Loggers fall to a 32-34 record, while the Bucks improve to 34-31. The Loggers will look to bounce back as they head to Rochester to face the Honkers, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m.