Waterloo, IA – After a leadoff triple by second baseman Kurtis Muller (Iowa) that led to a sacrifice fly, the Madison Mallards (11-7, 30-22) held a 1-0 lead until the Bucks (10-9, 20-32) scored in the bottom half of the eighth inning on an RBI by Troy White (Northern Illinois) to send the game into extra innings.
The crowd of better than 1,500 was treated to a pitching duel through the first nine innings until Madison broke open the game with a string of singles accompanied by a couple walks in the top of the tenth inning that led to three unanswered runs that gave the Mallards the 4-1 victory.
After pitching a scoreless ninth inning, reliever Zach Cooper (Central Michigan) struck out five batters in two innings but a couple walks and timely hits accounted for the right-handed pitchers first loss of the season.
At the plate, the Bucks were guided by leadoff man Tyler Robbins (Des Moines Area CC) and left fielder Pat Stover (Santa Clara) who tallied a pair of hits apiece.
The Bucks conclude their two-game series with the Mallards on Sunday afternoon at 3:05. Gates open at 2:05 for Casey’s General Store Sunday that will feature Dog Day at the Ballpark powered by KWWL. Dogs and their owner may purchase tickets at the gate for 10 dollars with five dollars of each sale being donated to the Cedar Bend Humane Society in Waterloo.