The Waterloo baseball team dropped a 9-5 contest to conference rival Highland in a “Battle of the Bulldogs” at the Class 3A Salem Sectional last Wednesday night, ending its season at 24-13.

After a shaky start, Waterloo narrowed Highland’s lead down to 5-3 before a four-run sixth inning for Highland put the game away.

Junior Noah Thaggard was the starting pitcher for Waterloo. Highland plated four runs off of him in the first inning, but Waterloo answered with two unearned runs in the same frame.

With Highland still leading 4-2 in the third, Waterloo’s Ben Maurer hit a hard liner to center with a runner on that was snagged on a highlight reel catch by Highland’s Andrew Winning.

Trailing 5-2 in the fifth, Waterloo had runners on first and second base with no outs when Highland’s catcher picked off Maurer at second base.

Down 9-3 in the seventh inning, Waterloo tried to make a comeback. A single by Cole Kaiping drove home Kane Osterhage and Eric Kaiser, who had reached base, and the ‘Dogs cut the lead to 9-5. But the magic ended soon after, and the season came to an end for Waterloo.

“We just couldn’t execute in certain situations,” Waterloo head coach Mark Vogel said. “There were three or four plays that turned the game in Highland’s favor, and in the postseason against a good team like that, that is all it takes.”

Vogel pointed to the fifth inning pickoff and an infield collision on a pop fly in the first inning as costly plays.
“Still, with all of that, to be one hitter away from having the tying run come to the plate in the seventh inning shows the heart of our kids,” he said.

Waterloo’s season included a share of the Mississippi Valley Conference title and a regional championship.

The Bulldogs lose four seniors who were part of 92 victories for the program during their time at WHS: Ryan Aycock (.413, 30 runs scored, 16 stolen bases), Corey Vogel (6-1, 2.05 ERA, 47 strikeouts), Christian Schmidt (.269, two home runs) and Brett Degener (.345, 14 stolen bases).

“They’ve continued the tradition of success we’ve had here in Waterloo,” Vogel said. “I told them thanks for everything. This is a family. This is a baseball town, and they were a big part of it. They will be missed.”

Still, there are plenty of Bulldogs set to return who gained valuable postseason experience for next spring, including juniors Tyler McAlister (.458, seven home runs, 33 RBIs and 3-3 record on the mound), Osterhage (.391, 45 runs, 21 stolen bases), Thaggard (5-3, 3.04 ERA) and Aaron Laskowski (5-0, 2.22 ERA), along with sophomore Hayden Bender (.346) and others.

“We’ve definitely got a bright future,” Vogel said. “We hope to be right back in the thick of it next year.”