WATERLOO, Iowa—It took seven games for Willmar's pitching staff to record its first shutout of the season, but the starters and bullpen have now combined for blank slates in four of the last seven games. Another shutout came Tuesday night on the road in Waterloo, as Brady Anderson threw seven shutout innings in a 3-0 win over the Bucks to give Stingers their fourth win in a row.

With a pitcher's duel throughout the first several innings of the game, the first mistake of the game provided the Stingers (11-4) with the only run they would need to win. Willmar went hitless through the first four innings, but still tallied the first run of the game in the fourth without even using a hit. Leadoff man Dan Motl began the fourth with a walk and moved to second when Sean Beesley got hit by a pitch. Casey Hughston then came to the plate and sent a ball on the ground to the left side of the infield that looked like it might be a twin killing off the bat. But the relay from Bucks' second baseman Jake Riffice bounced away from their first baseman near the fence along the right field line, far enough away to allow Motl to score the deciding run from third base.

That was all Anderson would need on the mound, having run into the most trouble of the night in the bottom of the third inning before the Stingers scored their first run. After giving up a single to start the third, Anderson got the next batter Ryan Nagle to pop his sacrifice bunt attempt into foul territory for the first out. Riffice, though, followed with a double down the line in left to put two on with only one out, giving the Bucks (8-7) their best scoring chance of the night. But Anderson answered with a strike out and a groundout to second base to stomp out the rally and get out of the inning, and scattered six total hits over his seven innings while striking out three. 

The Stingers would tack on another run in the fifth inning again without needing a hit. Alex Borglin reached first on a walk to start the inning and then stole second and third base on successive pitches. On the steal of third, Waterloo catcher Zack Soria's throw skipped into left field on which Borglin came into score. Then in the seventh inning, a sharp single up the middle by Frankie Rios drove Max Dutto in from second base to give the Stingers a three-run cushion. 

After Brantley Claunch worked a scoreless eighth inning in relief for Anderson, Garrett Anderson came on in the ninth and shut down the Bucks in order to secure the win for his older brother and record the save.

Catcher David Parrett led the Stingers with his 2×4 performance at the plate. With the win the Stingers also moved back into a tie for first with the St. Cloud Rox.

The 2014 season is presented by Charter. For more coverage of the Stingers visit the West Central Tribune's website at wctrib.com.

Tonight’s Center for Diagnostic Imaging player of the game was Brady Anderson. CDI is your local medical imaging provider. It’s your choice where you go for medical imaging, for MRI, CT, mammograms and pain injections, choose CDI. Visit online at myCDI.com/CentralMN.