'Junior' plays By John Marx Staff sports writer A man-sized effort from the one they call "Junior" was all the QuadCity Angels needed Friday night. Led by four hits and walk from Ruben Amaro Jr., the Angels copped an 8-4 win over the Waterloo Diamonds before a 4,349 gem of a gathering at John O'Donnell Stadium Friday night. The win moves Q-C to 3-4 in the second half of the Midwest League season, while Waterloo drops to 2-5. "He is our catalyst," Angels' manager Eddie Rodriguez said of Amaro. "You'll notice when Ruben has an off night our offense is kind of slow-paced. He knows what to do and how to make things happen offensively. Plus he can play every position on the field." The Angels struck first with a sin- big role in Q-C gle run in the home half of inning No. 1. A Beban Perez single, mixed with an Amaro double and a Mike Musolino ground out had the Halos on the board. But Waterloo hit starter Mark Holzemer for a two-spot in the top of the second to take a one-run advantage. The hometowners then struck for three in bottom of the second to regain the lead 4-2. Singles by Perez, Jeff Oberdank and big two-run single by Musolino keyed the uprising. Musolino, the Angels' All-Star catcher, managed four RBIs for the night. "Moose i is coming on," said Rodriguez. "He's really doing the job behind the plate and with the bat. He deserved the A selection and has been a key for us lately." After Waterloo hit for run the top Angels' win of the third, Q-C upped the ante to 6-3 with two in the third. A Claudio Carrasco single and an Oberdank triple sparked the surge. But the Diamonds would cut the margin to 6-4 with one in the sixth. Then in the bottom of the sixth, a two-run outburst sparked by Amaro put the Angels up 8-4 and in the winner's circle. Holzemer, who struggled through five-plus innings, picked up his sixth victory, while Bruce Vegley and John Marchese did solid work from the bullpen. Marchese was most impressive, fanning four batters in his two innings. Both teams tangle tonight at 7:30 when the Famous Chicken comes to town. All-Star right-hander Glenn Carter gets the Q-C starting mound assignment.
