The Waterloo Bucks (6-1) stole a season-high eight bases while Daniel Irisarri (4-for-4, R, RBI, SB) went 4-for-4 as part of a 7-1 win over the Minnesota Mud Puppies (1-4) on Sunday evening, their fifth straight win. Waterloo continues to hold at least a 3.0-game lead in the Great-Plains East first half standings. Incredibly, the Bucks’ pitching staff allowed just three hits for the second straight game.

Harrison Cook started on the hill for Waterloo, going 4.2 innings of one-run baseball while scattering two hits and three walks with four strikeouts. The righthander piled up 10 whiffs on 79 pitches and provided the Bucks with a gutsy effort despite not having his sharpest secondaries.

Tynan Shahidi (1-for-3, R, 2B, SF, SB) got things going in the third with a leadoff double yanked down the left field line, stealing third then scoring as Irisarri legged out an infield single with two down in the frame. Minnesota got one back in the fifth, setting the stage for a big Bucks sixth.

Chris Seng (0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 R, 2 SB) opened the sixth with a walk, going to second on Irisarri’s third hit of the ninth. The former stole third, then Gabe Garcia (1-for-4, R, RBI, SB) poked an RBI single down the right field line to plate him. Irisarri went first-to-third on the knock and scored on a Max Jung-Goldberg (1-for-3, BB, R, RBI, SB) single laced to left. Emi Gonzalez (0-for-3, SF, RBI) and Shahidi brought home Garcia and Jung-Goldberg with sacrifice flies, capping off a four-run inning.

Curren Larson didn’t need any more than that in relief, firing 3.1 shutout frames and striking out four while allowing just one hit and walking two. The flamethrowing righthander induced seven whiffs on 44 pitches and worked at a 63.6% first-pitch strike rate.

Seng led off the seventh by drawing another walk, then Irisarri smoked a single into left on a beautifully executed hit-and-run that advanced the Bucks’ centerfielder to third. Irisarri took off for second, drawing a throw that allowed Seng to fly home for Waterloo’s sixth run.

The seventh and final tally came in the eighth as Liam Critchett (1-for-3, BB, R, 2B) doubled into left and scored on a Paul Steffensen (1-for-4, RBI, SB) RBI single tattooed to right.

Aaron Treloar closed things out with a scoreless ninth, striking out two.

Waterloo’s defense starred throughout the evening, as Gonzalez threw out two basestealers, Steffensen made a tremendous running grab and Critchett flashed the leather plenty of times at the hot corner.

The Bucks and the Mud Puppies wrap up their series and the homestand on Monday at Riverfront Stadium with a 6:35 p.m. CST first pitch.