The Madison Mallards (14-15, 33-31) relied on stellar pitching and a huge offensive performance from Zac Taylor (Illinois) to take down the Kalamazoo Growlers (11-17, 20-42), 9-3. Madison starter Tyler Dyson (Florida) hurled an absolute gem and Taylor finished 4-for-4 and a triple short of the cycle.
Throughout the early innings, Dyson did an exceptional job of commanding the strike zone. Dyson struck out the leadoff batter in four of the seven innings he pitched in. Overall, Dyson never gave the Kalamazoo offense much hope to get rolling.
Meanwhile, the Madison offense broke through right away to give Dyson crucial run support. With two down in the first, Zac Taylor ripped a double that was followed by a Sam Armstrong (Jacksonville) RBI single. Doran Turchin (Illinois) then came through with a run-scoring double to give the Mallards an early 2-0 lead. The two-out outburst gave the Mallards offense some early momentum.
Two innings later, Taylor cranked a solo home run to left field to extend the lead to three. Taylor had a phenomenal game at the plate as he was 4-for-4 with the home run, two doubles, and a single. Taylor also added three stolen bases to his spectacular all-around performance.
Madison second baseman Tommy Bullock (UNC-Charlotte) also went yard when he crushed one out to left in the top of the seventh. His solo shot made it 4-0, Mallards.
With the four-run lead, Dyson continued rolling on the mound until the seventh inning. Dyson allowed a two-out double that was followed by an RBI bloop single. Nonetheless, Dyson exited after a stellar 6.2-inning outing in which he struck out eight and issued only one walk. Earning the win, Dyson now owns a 4-0 record this summer with Madison.
After Dyson exited a 4-1 ballgame, Rosenblum-Larson entered to work out of the seventh inning. He induced a pop-out to end the Growlers scoring threat. Madison would go on to add five runs in the bottom of the eighth, two of which came on an RBI double from Armstrong. The Mallards clutch bats in the late innings let Madison sail to a big 9-3 victory.
Tomorrow, the Mallards are back for another at the Duck Pond as they take on the Lakeshore Chinooks at 6:35 PM. Gates are scheduled to open at 5:00 PM and the game will feature Gorilla Movers of Madison James Madison bobblehead 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.
