The Waterloo Bucks (11-9) pounded out 16 hits and received six multi-hit games in an 11-5 over the Thunder Bay Border Cats (6-14) late Saturday evening.

Lorenzo Elion (3-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI) opened the scoring with a two-run double down the right field line in the first. The Bucks’ third baseman created another run by reaching on a single in the third inning. Tapping a soft grounder back to the mound, Elion’s speed forced a rushed throw from the pitcher that sailed up the line and allowed Dylan Phillips (2-5, 3 R, 2 RBI, SB) to score. Elion crossed home two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Jake Gitter (2-3, BB, 2 RBI, SF).

The Bucks piled on a five-run fourth, beginning with back-to-back hits by Matt Campos (1-4, R) and Mike Nyisztor (2-5, R) before Bennett Hostetler (2-4, BB, 2 R, SB) drew a walk to load the bases. Phillips rapped a two-run single to left, watched Hostetler come in on a wild pitch, then himself scored on an RBI double off of Alex Ronnebaum’s (3-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI) bat. Gitter wrapped up the frame with an RBI single.

Following a four-run Thunder Bay sixth, Ronnebaum blasted a two-run homer to right, effectively snuffing out the Border Cat’s hope of a momentum swing.

Zach Jones earned his third win of 2019 with 5.0 innings of four-run baseball, scattering four hits and three walks while striking out four. After Waterloo’s first reliever was unable to escape the sixth, Jimmy Smiley (2.0 ip, H, HBP 3 K), Will Christopherson (1.0 ip, K) and Brett Lockwood (1.0 ip) combined for four innings of scoreless relief, retiring 12 of 14 batters faced.

The Bucks and Thunder Bay continue their series on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. in Waterloo.

Box Score