WATERLOO, IA – The Willmar Stingers defeated the Waterloo Bucks tonight, 6-3.

With this win, the Stingers find themselves back at .500 as the Bucks become the first team in the Northwoods League with double-digit losses.

Sam Malec received his first win this season after his three-run, four-strikeout, performance in seven innings. Matt Dreher came in the eighth and pitched two scoreless innings to obtain Willmar’s first save of the year.

For the second game in a row, The Stingers were able to score in the top of the first as Joey Walls sent a runner home to make the score 1-0. After Willmar scored another run in the second on a double steal, Joey Walls would send another runner home in the fourth on a sacrifice fly.

Waterloo would respond in the bottom of the fourth as they scored their first run, 3-1. The Bucks would go on to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh after A.J Shaver and Cameron Cromer both sent runners home.

The Stingers wouldn’t stay down for long. In the following inning, the Stingers doubled their run total thanks to a Brett Bateman sacrifice fly and a two-run single from Drey Dirksen. No more runs came in for the remainder of the game as Willmar went on to win 6-3.

Dirksen would finish the game 3-4 with 2 RBIs making him tonight’s MinnWest Technology Campus Player of the Game. Dirksen has been the definition of “on fire” this season. After tonight’s game, his league-leading average has jumped to .529.

The Willmar Stingers travel to St. Cloud tomorrow to take on the Rox in a home-and-home series starting in Joe Faber Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.