Waterloo, IA – The Express used a three-home run day and relentless offense to outlast the Bucks in a 12-10 shootout. Hollon Brock mashed a home run and tallied five RBIs and Jake Busson mashed his own three-run home run to lead the way in a sweep of Waterloo in the doubleheader on Monday night.

After falling behind early in the first game, Waterloo roared out to a lead in the bottom of the first inning in game two of the split doubleheader. Larry Edwards singled to lead off the day, then stole second and third. After Zach Davis walked, Edwards came in to score on a dropped third strike to put the Bucks in front 1-0. Next, Jake Slade was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Caleb Parker, who laced a single to center to jump the lead to 3-0. One batter later, Dane Most lifted a sacrifice fly to center to grow the lead to 4-0. 

In the top of the third inning, Eau Claire homered their way to the lead. After a single and a walk, Hollon Brock mashed a three-run home run to left to slash the edge to 4-3. Two more walks set the table for Jake Busson to launch his own three-run bomb to left to catapult the Express ahead 6-4. 

In the top of the fourth, Eau Claire padded their lead. Anthony Martinez crushed an opposite-field solo home run to right to lead off the inning and make it 7-4. Later, two hit by pitches and a walk loaded the bases for a fielder’s choice to bring a run in to force the lead to 8-4.

In the top of the fifth, the Express increased their edge. AJ Marchetti doubled to start things off, then Mikey Muniz walked. With two down, Brock lined a single to plate the pair to to put Eau Claire into double digits 10-4.

In the last of the fifth, the Bucks got a run back as Edwards tripled and scored on a groundout to chip the lead to 10-5. 

In the top of the sixth, the Express broke it open. To open the inning, Martinez doubled and scored on Jaxon Schumaker’s single to bring the lead to 11-5. After a steal, Sawyer Stein lifted a sac fly to first to bring in Schumaker to make it, 12-5. 

Although Waterloo put four runs on the board in the last of the sixth and one more in the eighth, the deficit was too much to overcome as the Express swept the doubleheader on Monday with a 12-10 victory in the nightcap.

With the loss, the Bucks go to 23-29 on the season and 9-9 on the season. Game three of the four-game set is penciled in for 6:35 pm Tuesday night. Owen Coffman makes his second Bucks start. Eau Claire’s starter is TBD.