Madison, Wis. – The Madison Mallards (7-5, 26-21) completed a sweep of the Kenosha Kingfish (5-6, 27-19) on Sunday evening at the Duck Pond with a 9-2 win. Mallards outfielder Zac Taylor (Illinois) delivered a go-ahead grand slam that pulled the Mallards away from the Kingfish.
In the early going, the ballgame was controlled by both starting pitchers. Mallards starter Tyler Dyson (Florida) tallied three strikeouts in the game’s first two innings. Despite allowing a few base knocks and a run in the third, Dyson made a quality outing as he worked five innings and racked up five strikeouts.
Opposing Dyson, Kingfish starter Mitch Boyer also pitched well in the early going. After surrendering a run in the first, Boyer worked two scoreless frames to keep the game knotted at one. However, Boyer ran into some trouble in the bottom of the fourth.
With two down and the bases juiced, Taylor crushed a 2-2 pitch into the Meriter and Physicians Plus Backyard. The grand slam gave the Mallards a 5-1 lead and control of the ballgame. Taylor has now homered in back to back games and has knocked in seven runs over his last ten at bats. Taylor’s clutch two-out dinger was the turning point in the ballgame.
Following Dyson’s five innings of one-run ball, Mallards reliever Andrew Buckley (California) entered and worked a pair of scoreless innings. Buckley allowed only one hit and issued one walk while keeping the Mallards lead intact. In the bottom of the seventh, the Mallards offense was able to pad the lead. The inning was highlighted by an RBI base hit by Mallards second baseman Matt Elsenpeter (NDSU). Elsenpeter’s knock gave him his first hit and RBI with Mallards.
After the big seventh inning, Dom Savino (Albany) worked two innings and secured the 9-2 Mallards win. Madison has now won three straight ballgames and rides a hot streak into the all-star break.
The Mallards will resume play on Thursday, July 20th at Warner Park for a game against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. First pitch is set for 7:05 PM and gates are scheduled for 5:30 PM. The game features Brew Pub Pizza Night with a sublimated baseball giveaway. Listen to all Mallards games live by tuning into The Zone 106.7 FM or 1670 AM. For more Mallards coverage, visit mallardsbaseball.com.
