The Madison Mallards (19-17, 0-1) couldn’t quite keep up with the Kalamazoo Growlers (10-25, 1-0) in the first game of the second half of the regular season. The Mallards fought back several times, but were eventually topped by the Growlers 8-7.
Kalamazoo was aggressive at the plate early, and they managed four base hits in a four-run first inning. Two of the hits were bunts and one was a double. Madison starter Davis Moore (Fresno State) only lasted one inning after he reached the inning pitch limit through one frame. Matt McCarty (Louisville) replaced Moore for the next few innings. Kalamazoo succeeded in adding Growler after Growler to the base paths, but were held at bay by McCarty in the second and third innings. McCarty would finally surrender two runs in the fourth after a double from Kalamazoo’s Jeff Reidel.
Each time that Kalamazoo exploded offensively, the Mallards had an answer. After giving up four runs in the first inning, Madison hit back with three runs on three hits in the top of the second. One of those hits was a hard double down the right field line from Sam Anderson (Jacksonville). The Mallards responded to Kalamazoo’s two-run fourth inning with another three runs. This time, it was a combination of a single from Cole Daily (Notre Dame), a passed ball, and crafty baserunning that put runs on the board for Madison and tied the game at six. With Daily’s single into center field, the Madison shortstop now has recorded a hit in 16 consecutive games.
The game slowed offensively after Madison knotted the score. A two-inning cease-fire on the scoreboard was broken by a crippling two-run eighth for Kalamazoo. Three hits, one a double to left, gave the Growlers the edge over Madison. Despite, three consecutive hits for the Mallards from Doran Turchin (Illinois), Sam Armstrong, and Jeffrey Mitchell Jr. (California), Madison ended up falling short by one run in the ninth.
The Mallards drop game one of the second half, but have plenty of time to rebound. Madison will have a chance to even the count with Kalamazoo tomorrow with game two of the series at 6:05 PM CST at Homer Stryker Field. Listen in to all the action live on 106.7 FM and 1670 AM the ZONE.
