WATERLOO, Iowa – Willmar jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the second inning, but for the third-straight day the Waterloo Bucks earned a come-from-behind victory, 8-6, at Riverfront Stadium Sunday afternoon.
The Stingers (0-5) pounced initially with a four-run second inning to claim the early advantage. With two on and one out, Karl Sorensen (St. Cloud State) hit a double to left to plate Michael Suchy (Florida Gulf Coast) for the first run of the game. After Greg Fettes (Kentucky) earned a walk, Brady Anderson (Florida Gulf Coast) brought home Steven Brault (Regis) from third on an RBI groundout. One batter later, Mitch Rowan (San Francisco) ripped a double to left-center field to score Sorensen and Anderson to give the Stingers a 4-0 lead. Rowan now has three RBIs on the year, all of which have come with two outs in the inning.
After Waterloo (5-0) tallied a run in the bottom of the second inning, the Stingers responded immediately with a run in the third thanks to a leadoff single by Forrestt Allday (Central Arkansas) and an RBI base hit by Brault. Brault finished the contest 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for his second-straight three-hit day.
However, Waterloo controlled the rest of the game after the middle of the third inning, scoring seven unanswered runs, including a four-run fifth that gave the Bucks the lead for good, 7-5. The Bucks used three-straight singles and a walk to fuel the inning that saw eight different hitters come to the plate and Waterloo overcome a 5-3 deficit. The Bucks’ rally helped them move to 5-0 for the team’s best start to a season in the franchise’s 18-year history.
Down 8-5 heading into the ninth, Allday tried to key one last rally by lining a double down the left-field line. Allday advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Suchy (Florida Gulf Coast) to give him his fourth RBI of the year. For the third-straight day, the Stingers outhit the Bucks, but ended up losing the contest.
Willmar will continue its five-game road trip by traveling to Rochester, Minn., for a two-game series against the Honkers. Monday’s game begins at 7:05 p.m.
The 2012 season is presented by Charter. For more information on your Willmar Stingers be sure to visit the West Central Tribune at www.wctrib.com.
