Waterloo, IA – For the second time this year, the Waterloo Bucks lost the lead in the ninth inning to the La Crosse Loggers on Sunday, July 6, at Riverfront Stadium, falling 7-6.
With the score tied at two and two outs in the bottom of the third, Frankie Santiago skipped a base hit up the middle to plate Marcus Heusohn, putting the Bucks in front for the first time in the contest. Heusohn’s score increased his all-time Northwoods League run total to 137. Now, he shares the top spot in the career leaderboard for that category with former Logger Mason McCoy.
Waterloo maintained this lead until they squandered it in the last inning of the day.
Heusohn finished the contest with a game-high three hits as he has now reached base safely in 35 of his last 36 games. Santiago led the team with runs driven in at two as he picked up one RBI from both sides of the plate. His second one came on his first home run he hit as a member of the Bucks — a solo shot he fired over the right field wall to bring Waterloo within one run of the Loggers in the ninth.
Tyler Glowacki pitched two scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the Bucks, securing two strikeouts in the process. He has now punched out at least batter in each of his last 13 appearances. Brody Leyboldt also worked through multiple innings out of the bullpen as he lasted three frames while allowing two hits, two walks and two runs.
Jake Slade and Jimmy Nugent hit back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the sixth to give the Bucks their largest lead of the day at three, and Cole Smith reached base a game-high four times with a pair of knocks and hit-by-pitches.
The series concludes tomorrow, July 7, at Riverfront Stadium with first pitch slated for 6:35 pm (CDT).