Rockford, IL – The Waterloo Bucks came to Rockford to face the Rivets for the first time in either team’s history, and take the first game of two at Rivets Stadium, 7-5.

When the Bucks bat first, good things happen and that’s exactly what came to play today. In the top of the first inning, left fielder Larry Edwards Jr scored on a Ben Wilmes fielder choice and that would be all the scoring until the top of the fourth, when an error from Rivet’s starter Zach Longshore allowed first baseman Marcus Heusohn to score and the other two Bucks runners to advance. A few batters later, Kooper Schulte’s fielder choice scored DH Luke Finn to make it a 3-0 Bucks game.

Bucks started Kyle Beaty had an incredible outing going into the fifth where the first Rivets scored their first run—Beaty’s day ended after one out in the bottom of the sixth inning. His final line for this start is 5.1 innings pitched, only allowing two runs on four hits.

Rockford took the lead and held it, 5-3, going into the top of the eighth inning when the Bucks offense put up four runs from a Tagger Tyson RBI single, an Evan Morrison two-run double, and an Edwards Jr sac-fly.

The lead was 7-5 Bucks heading into the ninth, but the Rivet bats showed the league again why they were first-half champions and came away with a game-one win.

The Buck and Rivets will face off for Game Two of this road trip tomorrow at Rivets Stadium for the first pitch at 6:35 PM.