LA CROSSE, Wis. – The last game the Loggers and Bucks played against each other, ended in walk-off fashion. It would happen again.
The game started as a pitcher’s duel with Campbell Holt on the mound for the Waterloo Bucks (0-1, 9-26), and Micky Thompson on the mound for the La Crosse Loggers (1-0, 17-18). Holt, who struggled in the past against the Loggers dealt six scoreless innings, while Thompson pitched five innings of one-hit baseball.
It wasn’t until the seventh inning when a team would crack the runs column. It was the Bucks. With one out, Jake Wilhoit laced a triple into right-centerfield to put a runner 90 feet away from breaking the scoreless tie. But after Kyle Koerper struck out to put two outs on the scoreboard, Ryan Grabosch needed to put a ball in play to have any chance of scoring the run.
Grabosch would single to the third baseman that scored Wilhoit from third to give the Bucks a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning. However, once Holt was out of the game the wheels fell off for Waterloo.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Loggers’ Carson Hornung doubled to left simultaneously extending his hitting streak to 20 games and putting a runner in scoring position for La Crosse. However, with one out, a ball got away behind home plate. Hornung, who was now at third, broke for home. Grabosch flipped a perfect ball to pitcher Cameron Hagan to help get the Bucks out of the inning.
But in the eighth, with Aaron Treloar on the mound, a double, walk, and a wild pitch put two runners in scoring position with one out. That’s when Aidan Sweatt sent a fly ball to left, caught by Liam Critchett. But it was more than deep enough to score the runner to tie the game, 1-1.
The ninth featured a similar situation with two runners aboard and just one out. But that’s when Anthony Pron struck out the next two batters to send the game to extras for the first time this season for the Bucks.
In the 10th, extra-inning runner Andrew Rantz advanced from second to third on a past ball to put the go-ahead run 90 feet away. With Tai Walton batting with two away, another ball got past Logger catcher Blaise Priester that scored Rantz from third to give the visiting team a 2-1 lead.
The bottom of the 10th featured yet another heart-stopping inning defensively for Waterloo. After Sam Hojnar popped out to third for the first out of the inning, Luke Leto was walked, and Aidan Sweatt was hit by the pitch to load up the bases. All it then took was Josh Stevenson to line a double down the right-field line to win the ballgame for the Loggers, 3-2.
It was a heartbreaking loss, as the Bucks lost in walk-off fashion for the second time this season. Additionally, the game marked the start of the second half with the Bucks falling to 0-1 to open the half.
The Bucks have an opportunity to seek revenge tomorrow night at 6:35 p.m. from Copeland Park against the Loggers. Matt Cuzco is set to make his first start of the season. You can listen to tomorrow’s action live by tuning in at waterloobucks.com and following the “Listen to Road Games Live” links.
