Having lost four of five and just a day after getting blown out 3-16, the Bucks flipped the script, beating the Rochester Honkers in an utter rout, 21-10. The Bucks 21 runs is more than twice their previous season high (10) and the 17 hits ties a season high. The Bucks also had a season high with seven extra base hits. While the Bucks pitching was far from perfect in this one, it never mattered with the Bucks scoring 12 runs in the 4th inning and putting the game away quickly.
The Bucks got on the board first in this one when a single by Richard Gonzalez and an error by the Honkers shortstop allowed Thomas Lindauer to score to put the Bucks up 1-0 after the top of the 1st. The Honkers came right back in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs to take the lead and continuing the trend of the Bucks falling behind early in games. An error allowed Davis Hendrickson to score in the 2nd to cut the score to 2-3. Then the 4th inning came.
The Bucks scored 12 runs in the 4th inning, putting them up 14-3 and ending any hope of the Honkers winning this one. RBI singles by Hendrickson and Riley Good started things off for the Bucks and an error by the catcher allowed Hendrickson to score and left the bases loaded for the Bucks. Benny Roberts quickly cleared the bases with a grand slam and gave the Bucks a 9-3 lead. The Bucks continued to pour on runs in the inning and by the end were up 14-3 and were far from done.
The Honkers put up two in the bottom of the 6th to make it 14-5 but the Bucks kept scoring when Kevin Kaczmarski hit a two-run homer to make the score 16-5. The Bucks still weren’t done as they scored five more in the 8th inning with a grand slam by Kaczmarski (second homer of the night) and a homer by Freddy Villalobos, who was making his first start of the season.
A total team effort was put up by the Bucks offense, with every player scoring at least two runs, eight players getting a hit, and seven players recording an RBI. Benny Roberts and Kevin Kaczmarski led the way with five and six RBIs respectively. The Honkers certainly didn’t help their cause at all either with four errors, six wild pitches, and walking ten Bucks batters.
The Bucks pitching wasn’t at its best, as they gave up double digit runs for the fifth time in six games but it never mattered. Starter Derek Lamacchia returned to the Bucks for his first start of the season after leading the team in strikeouts last season. After a rough first inning, he gave the Bucks four straight scoreless innings and gave the Bucks time to come back and take the lead. Lamacchia finished with five innings and seven strikeouts, giving up three runs.
The Bucks next game is at Rochester tomorrow, starting at 7:05 pm. The Bucks will then return home on Wednesday for a 1:05 pm start time. Remember to follow waterloobucks.com for all your latest Bucks information.