WATERLOO, Iowa — The Stingers fell in the season finale with the Waterloo Bucks Wednesday evening. They were unable to overcome the deficit gained due to Waterloo's five-run second inning, eventually falling 8-3.

In the first inning, the Stingers scored two runs thanks to Danny Rodriguez (Bethune-Cookman) driving in one with a double and Caleb Ledbetter (Montevallo) driving in another with a single.

Rodriguez finished the day 3-for-5 and increased his season total to 42 RBI.

In the sixth inning, Luke Becker (Kentucky) drove in the Stingers' third run of the day when he pulled a single into right field.

On the mound, the Stingers were led by Jacob Mertz (Southwestern Illinois). Mertz went four scoreless innings without allowing a hit, working toward an ERA of 1.28 after three appearances. He has now given up only one earned run in seven innings on the mound. 

Today's Center for Diagnostic Imaging player of the game was Jacob Mertz. 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.

The Stingers are now 20-12 on the second half and 38-30 overall. They move to third place in the second half and still hold onto a wild card spot for the 2017 playoffs.

They travel to Thunder Bay, Ontario to face the Border Cats in four games beginning tomorrow. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CT and the Stingers' starter is still to be determined by Willmar manager Bo Henning. You can listen live for free at WillmarStingers.com.

In the event the Stingers qualify to host a playoff game, you can visit WillmarStingers.com or follow @WillmarStingers on Twitter for ticket and scheduling information.

The 2017 Stingers season is presented by Marcus Construction. For more coverage of the Stingers, visit the West Central Tribune online at www.wctrib.com.