Waterloo, IA – The Waterloo Bucks defeated the Mankato MoonDogs with a season-high run total at Riverfront Stadium on Sunday, June 22, winning 17-13 to snap their three-game losing streak.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Jake Slade stepped up to the batter’s box with Caleb Parker on first and the Bucks behind by one. After failing to record a hit in each of his first 15 at-bats at Riverfront Stadium, in his 16th chance, Slade did a lot more than record his first knock in Waterloo. Ahead in the count 2-0, number two launched the next pitch over the wall in left-center field, giving the Bucks the lead for good.
Relinquishing four runs in the inaugural frame, Waterloo went on to score 14 runs in innings four, five and six, attaining their tenth comeback victory of the year.
In addition to Slade’s go-ahead blast, the Bucks rocked three more home runs during that stretch. Jake Bechtel opened the scoring for Waterloo with a solo shot to left in the fourth. A couple batters later, Ethan Rossi secured his first home run of the year with a two-run homer to left. Then, the following inning, Jimmy Nugent lifted a 3-2 offering over the left field wall for his fourth home run of the year and the first Waterloo grand slam of 2025.
Kole Bradley earned the win for the Bucks, extending himself through 4.1 IP out of the bullpen. The southpaw allowed just two hits, a walk and two runs while striking out a game-high six batters. Marcus Heusohn extended his on-base streak to 23 games with his fifth-inning single.
The Bucks play at Riverfront Stadium again tomorrow as the Thunder Bay Border Cats travel in for a two-game series. First pitch is slated for 6:35 pm (CDT).