Kalamazoo, Mich. – On a rainy and gloomy Monday night, the Growlers took game one of their two-game set over the Madison Mallards with an 11-8 victory. In the longest game of the season for both sides at three hours and thirty minutes, the Growlers held onto a three-run lead in a wild back-and-forth ballgame.

For the seventh consecutive game, the Growlers would have to work out of an early hole as Isaiah Jackson sent an RBI single into right to give the Mallards an early 1-0 lead.

K-Zoo would answer with a run of their own in the second on an RBI single from Tyler Alrbight.

The third inning is where the ballgame would unravel. Kalamazoo would bat 10 scoring five runs on just three hits, three walks, a hit by pitch, a 7-5 line drive fielders choice, and a wild pitch. A pair of four-run frames would follow in the fourth inning as the Mallards would bat through the order with five hits all coming with two outs. Both starters’ days would be short as Sam Carlisle’s day would be done after just 3.2 innings giving up five earned runs on eight hits.

K-Zoo would tack on another crooked number in their home half of the inning scoring four off of Giovanni Canales who couldn’t record an out before he was pulled. K-Zoo’s four runs came on just one hit, two walks, a hit by pitch, and an error by the third baseman in Keenan Taylor attempting to strike down Jimmy Nati at the plate.

Holding onto a 10-5 lead, the Growlers would slow down offensively in the back half, adding on one more in the seventh on an RBI single to right from Kevin Krill. Krill would have another outstanding day going 3-5 with two singles and a double, bumping his batting average up to .343 on the year.

Madison would make the game interesting in the ninth scoring three runs but Cam Hunter would finally close the door getting Jake Holcroft to ground out to second.

K-Zoo and Madison back in action tomorrow at Homer Stryker Field with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. ET.