Waterloo, IA – The Waterloo Bucks ended their longest losing streak of the season on Sunday, July 13, putting a halt to their four-game skid with a decisive 14-5 victory over the Duluth Huskies at Riverfront Stadium.

With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the second and the Bucks already ahead 2-0, Jake Bechtel mashed his team-leading ninth home run over the left field wall for Waterloo’s second grand slam of the year. The six runs put up by the Bucks in the first two innings provided them with all the run support necessary to seal this one. Bechtel finished the day with a game-high three hits and four runs scored.

Waterloo received a nice starting pitching performance from Riley Fuller as he dealt his first four and one-third innings without allowing a single hit. During that stretch, he linked together a streak of 11 consecutive outs at one point. The reliever combination of Brady Baur, Sam Hanson and Logan Boenker teamed together to allow no runs through 3.2 IP. In the process, Baur earned his second career NWL victory.

Larry Edwards, Cole Smith and Jimmy Nugent all plated two, and Smith reached a game-high five times with three walks. Marcus Heusohn and Caleb Parker each added the only other runs batted in.

The Bucks displayed patience at the plate, drawing a season-high 15 walks in the contest. Along with Smith, Parker and Patrick Mendiola both walked thrice. Meanwhile, Jake Slade doubled, walked twice, got hit by a pitch and scored two runs. He now extends his on-base streak to 20 games and is just three contests away from tying Heusohn for the longest run in that category for the Bucks this season.

Stolen bases also paved the way to a Waterloo win as Smith led the charge with three. Edwards also swiped a bag, bringing his season total to 38. He now needs just ten more to tie Lucas Moore’s single-season Bucks record of 48 from 2024.

Waterloo now heads into a four-day hiatus with the All-Star break starting now. The team will play next on Friday, July 18, as the squad takes on its alternate identity as the Iowa Sweet Corn for the third time this year with the Eau Claire Express coming to Riverfront Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:35 pm (CDT).

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