Madison, Wis. – The Madison Mallards (9-6, 28-22) dominated in all phases of a 13-2 win over the Wisconsin Woodchucks (5-11, 20-31) at Warner Park on Sunday afternoon. Every Madison batter reached base and the Mallards pitching staff only allowed four total hits in the team win.
The Mallards fell behind 1-0 after just two batters in the top of the first. However, Mallards starter Tyler Dyson (Florida) would quickly settle in after allowing the initial run. Dyson worked five total innings and only allowed one hit after the first frame. Dyson tallied six strikeouts and didn’t issue a single free pass as he went on to earn his second win of the season.
“Once I got back to attacking guys it went well. I was just trying to make them hit my best stuff. My stuff got better after that first batter. I got behind against the first few batters and I just can’t do that or they’re going to hit it,” Dyson explained. “I just got back to attacking and that’s how I settled in.”
After the first inning Woodchuck run, the Mallards quickly responded. Cole Daily (Notre Dame) drew a leadoff walk and Mallards centerfielder Zac Taylor (Illinois) followed with a two-run shot over the left field fence to put the Mallards in front. Taylor finished the ballgame 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.
With the game tied at two in the third, the Mallards executed with runners on base again. After three Mallards reached base to start the inning, Jeffery Mitchell Jr. (California) and Thomas Smart (Oakton) used back-to-back sacrifice flies to put the Mallards in front, 4-2. Mitchell Jr. was just beginning his huge ballgame as he ended the day with three runs batted in.
After adding another run in the fourth, the Mallards busted the game open in the bottom of the fifth. Following a Mitchell Jr. RBI single and walk by Smart, Madison first baseman Sam Armstrong (Jacksonville) crushed a three-run dinger into the third level of the Great Dane Duck Blind Suites beyond the right field fence. The bomb gave the Mallards a seven-run lead and the Madison offense would go on to add four more in the inning. After five, the Mallards led 13-2.
In the sixth, the Mallards bullpen picked up right where Dyson left off. Matt McCarty (Louisville), Riley Pawelski (Madison College), and Luke Schilling (Illinois) combined to toss four scoreless innings to seal the 13-2 win. The group only allowed one hit and Pawelski managed to strikeout three Woodchucks. Overall, the Madison pitching staff held the Woodchucks to just two runs on four hits.
The Mallards head to Fond du Lac to face the Dock Spiders tomorrow night at 6:35 PM. The Mallards will return to the Duck Pond on Wednesday, July 26th for a matchup with the Rockford Rivets. Listen to all Mallards games live by tuning into The Zone 106.7 FM or 1670 AM. For more Mallards coverage, visit mallardsbaseball.com.
