An eight-run outburst in the later innings powered the Waterloo Bucks (31-33, 11-17) to an 8-4 win over the Thunder Bay Border Cats (21-41, 7-20) on Friday night.
In the sixth, Mike Nyisztor led off with a walk and stole second. Patrick Ferguson laced the first Bucks hit of the game into right, moving Nyisztor to third. Waterloo’s second baseman promptly raced home and scored during the ensuing at-bat.
Waterloo starter Luke Mattson earned his second win of the season with 5.1 frames of scoreless four-hit, two-walk baseball while striking out five.
Morgan Hostetler led off the seventh with a solo home run to right, his first of the summer. Jake Christianson and Nyisztor each drew walks, then Bennett Hostetler poked an RBI single to left-center. Ferguson worked a walk to load the bases, Blake Wagenseller drew a bases-loaded walk and Dylan Phillips lifted a sacrifice fly to deep right. Alonzo Rubalcaba lined a run-scoring single to cap a five-run frame, handing Waterloo a 6-0 lead.
Ferguson and Phillips added to the Bucks’ advantage with RBI singles in the eighth.
Jimmy Smiley earned his fifth save of the summer by retiring all four men he faced, striking out three and inducing a groundout.
The Bucks head home on Saturday to take on the Mankato MoonDogs at 6:35 p.m.