Rochester, Minn. — After being routed in game one of the series, the Waterloo Bucks wasted no time responding Wednesday night, jumping on Rochester starter Matt Milke early and never looking back in an 8-2 victory at Mayo Field.
Milke’s first pitch of the game struck Collin Brightwell, immediately putting Waterloo in business. Brightwell quickly made the Honkers pay. Two batters later, he launched a no-doubt home run over the right-field wall to give the Bucks a 2-0 lead. Caleb Parker followed with a solo blast of his own to right, and after another hit batter, Joey Coluzzi ripped an RBI double to cap a four-run opening inning.
Rochester threatened to answer in the bottom half. Back-to-back singles and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with one out, but Waterloo starter Ben Berzonski escaped the jam by striking out Ezekiel Mendoza to preserve the early four-run advantage.
Milke settled in after the rocky first, erasing another leadoff hit batter with the help of a strong throw from Owen Neutz to catch a runner attempting to steal before retiring the next two hitters. Both pitchers then found a rhythm as the game settled into a defensive battle over the next several innings.
The Bucks mounted another threat in the fourth when Yuya Furuta doubled with two outs and Tayvon Homolar followed with a walk. A fourth hit batter of the night loaded the bases, but Mendoza tracked down a popup in foul territory to end the inning and keep Rochester within striking distance.
The Honkers finally broke through in the fifth. Nick Bowron provided the spark with a solo home run to right field, trimming the deficit to 4-1 and giving Rochester its first run since the opening frame.
Milke continued to keep the Bucks quiet into the seventh, recording two quick strikeouts to begin the inning. However, back-to-back walks and a single loaded the bases and forced manager Jason Jacome to turn to the bullpen. Vaughn Johnson inherited the jam with two outs but hit Brightwell with a pitch, forcing home another run to extend Waterloo’s lead to 5-1. Johnson limited the damage by inducing a flyout to end the inning.
While Waterloo added insurance, Berzonski continued to dominate the Rochester lineup. The right-hander retired the Honkers in order in the seventh before handing the offense another opportunity to add on.
The Bucks delivered in the eighth. Coluzzi opened the inning with a double before Homolar drove him home with another two-base hit. Two walks and another RBI single followed as Waterloo stretched its advantage to 8-1.
Berzonski exited after seven and one-third innings, allowing just two runs while striking out eight.
“I think my biggest problem was just free bags, and I just really focused on pounding the zone,” Berzonski said. “When you do that, you can find out their approaches, find their holes, and then just go off of that.”
Rochester picked up one final highlight in the ninth when Cooper Kruk crushed a leadoff solo home run to right field, but the comeback never materialized as the Bucks secured the split with an 8-2 victory.
Waterloo manager Darrell Handelsman credited his team’s clean play as the key to the win.
“We didn’t let them really kind of get excited about anything. We didn’t make any errors. We didn’t throw the ball over the yard,” Handelsman said. “So I think when you do that, that’s the recipe to win no matter where you play.”
The Honkers return to Mayo Field on Monday for a 6:35 p.m. first pitch against the La Crosse Loggers.
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