In a seesaw game which went down to the last out in the ninth inning at Kalamazoo, the Madison Mallards (20-6) snapped the eleven-game win streak of the Growlers (19-7). The Mallards stand alone in first place in the South Division with ten games left in the first half of the season.
The Mallards clubbed three home runs but needed five innings of one-run relief work to knock the Growlers back into second place. Trevor Schwecke (UW Milwaukee) hit a two-run blast deep over the left field wall in the top of the third, and Tyler Plantier (Richmond) and David Vinsky (Northwood) went back-to-back in the fourth.
Turning Point
With the game tied 4-4 in the top of the seventh and the bases loaded, Vinsky hammered a sacrifice fly to left centerfield to score the winning run. Vinsky plated an insurance run in the top of the ninth with an RBI single for the final 6-4 margin. The bottom of the ninth inning was not without drama. Trace Norkus (North Florida) struck out the last Growler with a wicked slider to strand the tying run on base. Norkus has not allowed a run all season and earned his league leading seventh save.
Top Mallards
- David Vinsky smashed a home run, two singles, a sacrifice fly and earned 3 RBIs
- Carson Ragsdale (South Florida) pitched scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth to hold Madison’s lead
- Trevor Schwecke had two hits, scored three runs, and drove in two with his homer
- Tyler Plantier had two singles to go along with his home run (his 5th), and had six hits in the two-game series
Next Up
Madison will complete its seven-game road swing with two games in Wisconsin Rapids Monday and Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm. The Mallards will return to the Duck Pond on June 27th for a 12:05 pm start against the Rockford Rivets.
