Madison, Wis. – The Madison Mallards picked up their 12thstraight win on Thursday night at the Duck Pond, this time a 5-1 victory over the Green Bay Bullfrogs that was secured by strong pitching performances and timely hitting in the late innings. Madison starter Sean Leland (Illinois) hurled a gem, allowing only one run on four hits. Leland pounded the strike zone and pitched to weak contact all evening as the righty needed only 74 pitches to last 7.0 innings and earn the win. Meanwhile, the Mallards spotted him two runs on RBI knocks by Jake Randa (NW Florida State) and Drew Ober (UNC Charlotte) in the fifth inning.
Turning Point
Mallards reliever Jonah Smith (Creighton) entered for Leland in the eighth inning with Madison holding a 2-1 lead. Smith quickly found himself in a jam, facing Alejandro Gonzales with runners on second and third with one out. Smith struck out Gonzales before inducing an inning-ending pop-up to preserve the one-run lead.
The Mallards carried the momentum into the bottom of the eighth as Jake Randa (NW Florida State) ripped a leadoff double into the right field alley. After David Vinksy (Northwood) reached on a fielder’s choice when the Bullfrogs failed to record an out, Madison centerfielder Jayse McLean (NDSU) ripped a two-run triple down the right field line, stretching the Madison lead to three. Jesse Forestell (Western Michigan) added an RBI single and Madison held a 5-1 lead heading to the ninth.
Top Mallards
- Madison first baseman Jake Randa racked up a pair of hits including his key double to lead off the eighth inning. Randa was the only Mallards to collect multiple hits in the win.
- Mallards shortstop Jack Blomgren (Michigan) worked a number of strong at bats in the victory, drawing two walks and ripping a base hit.
- Mallards reliever Nicholes Morales (San Jose State) entered with one out and two men on in the ninth inning then picked up two strikeouts to seal the win. Morales earned his first save of the season.
Quoteables
Field Manager Donnie Scott on his confidence in the team’s bullpen…
“It’s unreal what they’re doing. I have confidence in all of them. But if we do run into a little trouble, there’s somebody to back them right up. We’ve got a bunch of guys who can finish the ballgame for us.”
On Sean Leland’s strong start…
“He just fills up the strike zone. He turned it up a couple notches whenever he needed to but I mean, 75 pitches in seven innings, that’s pretty good, and I think that’s where he landed. Very efficient.”
Next Up
The Mallards take on the Green Bay Bullfrogs tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at the Duck Pond looking for their 13thstraight win. The game will feature the Zooperstars! and gates will open at 5:30 PM. For tickets and more information visit mallardsbaseball.com.
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The Madison Mallards are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 170 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via theNorthwoods League portal. For more information, visitwww.mallardsbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Bullfrogs as your favorite team.
