The Madison Mallards (8-6, 27-22) took down the WIsconsin Woodchucks (5-10, 20-30) in 12 innings tonight at Athletic Park in Wausau, WI. The Mallards went ahead 8-7 in the top of the twelfth and held on for a win in game one of the two-game set.
The Mallards opened the scoring in the top of the fourth when Sam Armstrong (Jacksonville) knocked in a pair of runs on an RBI single. Armstrong put together a solid performance at the plate tonight as he 2-for-4 and also walked twice. He has now hit in three straight ballgames and has raised his OBP to .403.
After the Woodchucks responded with a run, the Mallards threw another crooked number on the board by scoring four in the fifth inning. After Andrew Baker (Florida) and Cole Daily (Notre Dame) reached to start the inning, Zac Taylor (Illinois) and Jeffery Mitchell Jr. (California) followed with RBI knocks. The middle of the Madison order did their job tonight as the Mallards two through six batters knocked in six combined runs. After tallying four in the fifth, the Mallards led 6-1.
However, the Woodchucks responded with two crucial three-run frames to seize the lead. Trailing 7-6, the Mallards had three innings left to respond after the huge comeback.
Andrew Buckley (California) and Logan Wonn (Jacksonville) tossed a combined 3.2 innings out of the pen for the Mallards. The performances from the bullpen kept the Mallards within striking distance. In the top of the ninth, the Mallards pulled even. After reaching on a single, Daily scored on a Mitchell Jr. groundout to knot the ballgame at seven.
The game would remain tied until the top of the twelfth when Cade Bunnell (Madison College) came through with a clutch two-out RBI double to knock in Armstrong for the game’s winning run. Madison reliever Dom Savino (Albany) slammed the door in the bottom of the inning to seal the 8-7 victory.
Savino worked a total of 2.1 shutout innings and allowed only one hit while striking out four, two of which came in the game’s final frame.
The Mallards will return to Warner Park tomorrow to face the Woodchucks at 1:05 PM. Gates are scheduled to open at 11:30 PM and the game will feature a LSM Chiropractic Stadium Cup Giveaway and also SSM Health An Apple A Day giveaway. The game is also UW Badger Baseball Alumni Night.
