On a warm Saturday night, the MoonDogs enjoyed quality pitching and lively bats as they won their fifth straight game, defeating the Waterloo Bucks 9-2.

The MoonDogs wasted no time, putting together a two-out rally in the first inning.  After loading the bases on a walk, a Kyle Cuellar double, and a hit-by-pitch, Ethan Valdez drove in two runs on a single to right-center field.

A run by the Bucks in the top of third inning cut the MoonDogs lead to 2-1, but slugger Zac Wiley decided to widen the gap in the bottom of the inning.  After fouling off a pitch off Bucks starter Zachary Patterson, Wiley launched a two-run homer over the left field wall to make the score 4-1.

The MoonDogs got right back at it the very next inning.  CJ Schaeffer started things off with a double, followed by an Alvaro Rubalcaba single.  Daniel Amaral then drove in Schaeffer with a single of his own.  Two batters later, Toby Hanson brought home another run with a single, extending his hitting streak to twenty games, and increasing the MoonDogs lead to 6-1.

Starting pitcher Collin Floyd was the beneficiary of his offense’s outburst, but was doing just fine on his own.  Floyd pitched six innings, scattering four hits while giving up only one run.  Reliever Blake Tritch came into the game in the seventh inning and picked up right where Floyd left off, pitching two hitless innings and protecting the MoonDogs’ lead.

The home team added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, thanks to another two-run home run, this one by Cuellar.  Reliever Logan Alleman pitched the ninth inning for the MoonDogs, surrendering a run, but closing the door on the Bucks.

Every MoonDogs batter had a hit in the game, with Hanson and Cuellar adding a second.  Amaral, Cuellar, Wiley, and Valdez each contributed two RBIs.  With the victory, the MoonDogs improve to 8-3 in the second half, and will take on the Bucks again tomorrow night.