CEDAR FALLS - At last, the Cedar Falls baseball team has a winning streak.

Waterloo East, meanwhile, continues to labor through the summer.

After dropping 16 of their first 19 games, the Tigers notched their second consecutive win Thursday night with a 15-5, six-inning triumph over the Trojans at the Robinson Dresser Complex.

"I don't know if this means we've broke out of anything, or if we've just got a little more confidence," Tigers' coach Jack Sole said. "It's something we need going into the next couple of weeks."

Cedar Falls (5-16, 3-11 MVC) has scored 25 runs in the past two contests after tallying only 17 during its six-game losing skid.

In addition to its nine hits, Cedar Falls capitalized on six walks and three hit batsmen.

Jeff Conrad, who has struggled much of the season and came into the game hitting a meager .226, blasted a three-run homer in the first inning to jump-start the offense. Conrad, however, does have seven hits in his last six games.

"I've spent a lot of time in the cage, working with three coaches and trying to figure out what's going on," Conrad said. "Confidence had a lot to do with it. I'm up there now looking to hit something hard."

If Conrad can start to swing a hot bat, the Tigers believe their season can turn around.

"He was in a slump early, but he's just rocking it now," winning pitcher Nick Addington said. "If he's hitting, we're hitting. It keeps us going."

The Tigers broke the game open with a seven-run second inning. Matt Hart and Joe Schwickerath had run-scoring hits in the frame.

"I feel like we're starting to click," said Addington, who was sharp for the first three innings before allowing four runs in the fourth, his final frame. "We're getting in a rhythm and getting it together late in the season."

Conversely, East (1-19, 0-12) saw its losing streak reach 17 games.

The Trojans mustered four runs on four hits in the fourth inning, but offset that with three errors and erratic pitching.

"We can't wait until the fourth inning to do it," East coach Cory Goldsmith said. "We're still striking out too often and swinging at bad pitches."

Twenty games into the year, Goldsmith said being inexperienced is no longer an excuse.

"The guys have played enough ball now," he said, "and they know what they need to do and what's expected of them.

"It's been a tough season. We've got a lot of guys staying upbeat, but you get stuck in a rut. Just like winning, losing is contagious."

The teams meet again today at 3:30 p.m. in a sophomore-varsity contest at East High.

Waterloo East 000 410 - 5 7 3

Cedar Falls 370 005 - 15 9 2

Mike Thompson, Corey Frickson (3) and Josh Edgar; Nick Addington, Sean Boss (5) and Taylor Miller. WP - Addington. LP - Thompson.

2B - Frickson (E); Boss (CF). HR - Jeff Conrad (CF). Multiple hits - Frickson 2, Colton Rathe (E) 2; Matt Hart (CF) 2, Joe Schwickerath (CF) 2. Multiple RBI - Conrad 4, Hart 3, Schwickerath 3.