The Madison Mallards (14-12) dominated the Wisconsin Woodchucks (9-17) Sunday afternoon at the Duck Pond, winning 9-2. After falling behind early, the Mallards utilized their power hitting and crushed three home runs to take control of the game. In front of one of the largest crowds of the year, the Madison pitching staff dominated Woodchuck batters as they held them to just one hit.
Mallards starter Davis Moore (Fresno State) hurled four strong innings, allowing just two runs which both came in the first. The Madison defense gobbled up all of its chances behind Moore, who pitched to contact and induced ground ball after ground ball. Moore gave up just one hit through his four innings and racked up four strikeouts.
The Madison offense found life in the fourth inning when Doran Turchin (Illinois) and Angel Camacho (Jacksonville) knocked back-to-back singles. Right fielder Jeffery Mitchell Jr. (California) followed with a three-run bomb into the Meriter and Physicians Plus Backyard. The home run put the Mallards on the board and gave them a 3-2 lead. Overall, the middle of the order trio tallied six hits and knocked in seven of the Mallards nine runs.
An inning later, the Mallards kept adding on. Jake Matheny (Indiana) ripped a double into left field and Cole Daily (Notre Dame) knocked him in with a single. Daily would end the ballgame with a pair of hits and two runs scored. After Daily’s single, Turchin reached on a knock and Camacho followed with a two-run dinger to left field to stretch the Mallards lead to three.
During the middle innings, Madison relievers Tiegen Jones (Fresno State) and Rafi Vazquez (Coastal Carolina) combined to pitch three scoreless innings. The pair allowed zero hits and walked just one Woodchuck batter.
As the Mallards bullpen shut down the Woodchucks, the Madison offense added on. In the seventh, Daily reached on a single and Turchin crushed a two-run shot to give the Mallards a 9-2 lead. Turchin ended the day with three hits and a walk while tallying a pair of RBI.
Madison reliever Dom Savino (Albany) came in and tossed two scoreless innings to cap the 9-2 win. Savino struck out three and held the Woodchucks hitless.
With the victory, the Mallards improve to 14-12 and have now won four straight games. In the four games, Madison hurlers have not allowed more than two runs. Offensively, Camacho has been scorching hot as he has knocked in runs in four of the last five games and has hit home runs in back to back games. His hit streak now stands at 12 games.
The Mallards travel to Wausau tomorrow to face the Woodchucks for the second half of the two-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM in Wausau. The Mallards will return to Warner Park on Tuesday for a 7:05 PM game with the Kalamazoo Growlers. Listen to all Mallards games live by tuning into The Zone 106.7 FM or 1670 AM. For more Mallards coverage, visit mallardsbaseball.com.
