Green Bay punches ticket to Great Lakes Championship Game with walk-off two-run homer from Kendal Ewell (Illinois-Chicago) to defeat Madison
Ashwaubenon, Wis.- In game two of the Great Lakes West sub-divisional round of the Northwoods League Playoffs Monday night, the Green Bay Rockers defeated the Madison Mallards 5-4 in walk-off fashion, punching their ticket to the Great Lakes Championship Game which is set for Wednesday in either Traverse City or Kalamazoo.
Led by two homers from Kendal Ewell (Illinois-Chicago) the Rockers earned a walk-off victory to punch their ticket to the Great Lakes Championship Game, with the two home runs earning the walk-off victory over Madison in front of an electric crowd at Capital Credit Union Park.
Maddox Long (Harding University) started the night off strong with a scoreless top of the first, and he continued the early domination heading into the top of the second, retiring them in order 1-2-3 to take the contest into the third with the score remaining at 0-0.
The Rockers scored the first run of the ballgame in the bottom of the third on an RBI double from Cooper Kelly (Kansas), handing Green Bay the 1-0 advantage through three innings of play at Capital Credit Union Park.
Madison however quickly responded in the fourth with a three-run homer off the bat of Keenan Taylor (Purdue), making it a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth with the Rockers looking to respond once again in the middle innings.
Long came back with two more strikeouts in a scoreless fifth inning for the Rockers starter, but the Rockers offense could not score in the bottom half of the frame, keeping it a 3-1 lead for Madison going into the sixth in Ashwaubenon.
After each team went scoreless in the sixth inning of play, Kendal Ewell (Illinois-Chicago) delivered the second biggest hit of the game with a two-run homer to right, evening up the score at 3-3 approaching the eighth, with the Rockers now regaining the momentum heading into the homestretch of the contest.
Faulkner threw another scoreless inning in the top of the eighth, keeping the Mallards off the board once again, as Green Bay would look for the lead in the bottom of the eighth with it still evened up at 3-3.
Following a scoreless bottom of the eighth by the Green Bay offense, Madison took the lead in the ninth on an RBI single from Jackson Tucker (St. John’s), giving the visitors a 4-3 lead, but a strikeout from Henry Chabot (Chapman) kept it just at a one-run deficit with the Rockers needing one to tie it up and two to walk it off.
After a two-out single from Sam Polk (Washington University-St Louis), Ewell stepped up to the plate with a runner on first, and on the first pitch of the at-bat, Ewell delivered a game winning two-run walk off homer to send Green Bay home with a 5-4 victory and a spot in the Great Lakes Championship Game Wednesday in either Traverse City or Kalamazoo.
The Rockers now await their opponent in the Great Lakes Championship Game which will be played on the road Wednesday regardless of the opponent. Fans are encouraged to stay tuned to social media for further updates.
Visit www.greenbayrockers.com or call the ticket office at 920-497-7225 to reserve your seats today. The Rockers front office and Team Apparel Fan Shop at Capital Credit Union Park are located at 2231 Holmgren Way in Ashwaubenon. Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm.
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The Green Bay Rockers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, over 325 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.greenbayrockers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rockers as your favorite team.