Bucks Sweep Rochester In Modified Doubleheader

The Waterloo Bucks swept Rochester in a modified holiday doubleheader at Riverfront Stadium on Monday (July 4, 2016).

The Bucks snapped a three-game losing streak when they beat the Honkers 3-2 in the opener, a game that was halted by Northwoods League curfew at the start of the ninth inning on June 14th. After completing the suspended game, Waterloo took down Rochester again, 8-4, in the regularly scheduled game.

The two wins improves Waterloo’s record to 5-1 over Rochester in the SCHEELS Highway 63 Cup Standings and puts the Bucks two games behind St. Cloud for first place in the North Division. The second half-season begins on Wednesday (July 6).

In the regularly scheduled game, Rochester (7-28) got on the board right away, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. The Honkers, though, couldn't hold the lead.

The Bucks (22-13) evened the game with two runs in their half of the frame. Taylor Boyd started the inning with single up the middle and later scored on Tyler Curtis' double to left-center field. Adam McGinnis then connected for another double, bringing Curtis home to tie the game at 2-2.

After the Honkers regained the lead with a run in the second inning, Waterloo retook the lead in the bottom of the frame and never trailed again. Brody Weiss reached on an infield single before Matt Morrow moved him to third with a single to right. Boyd then drew a walk to load the bases and Lane Milligan's two-run single scored both Weiss and Morrow, putting the Bucks in front, 4-3.

Waterloo extended its lead to three with two more runs in the third. Robert Neustrom extended his season-high hitting streak to 10 games with a solo home run to right to begin the inning. Zach Weatherford followed Neustrom with a single to center and advanced to second on a groundout by Alex Boxwell. Weiss then reached on a Rochester fielding error, which also allowed Weatherford to score from second for the final run of the inning.

The Bucks tacked on two, two-out runs in the seventh. McGinnis singled to center with one out before swiping second. Two batters later, Weatherford plated McGinnis with an RBI single to center. Weatherford then stole second and third, eventually scoring on a Rochester throwing error.

The Honkers scored the final run of the game in the ninth inning. Rochester set a Northwoods League futility record with its loss to the Bucks. The Honkers and Thunder Bay both have 28 losses with one game to play before the season reaches the midway point. Both teams broke the first-half record for most losses in the first half-season on Monday, surpassing the 27-losses Duluth recorded during the first-half of the 2014 season.

Jordan Accetta (4-1) earned the win for Waterloo, yielding three runs (one earned) on eight hits in a season-high 6.1 innings. He struck out two and walked one.

SUSPENDED GAME: It took the Bucks only four minutes to dispose of Rochester and end their three-game skid in the opening game. Derek Hendrixson needed just 12 pitches to retire the three batters the Honkers sent to the plate in the top of the ninth, as Waterloo secured 3-2 victory. For complete game summary, CLICK HERE.

UP NEXT: The Bucks and Honkers conclude their two-game series on Tuesday night (July 5) at Mayo Field in Rochester, Minn. It's the final first-half game for both teams.

Story By: Jared Schlensky - Waterloo Bucks​