The Madison Mallards (35-16, 7-8) played an outstanding all-around game to defeat the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (22-28, 7-8) at Historic Witter Field Thursday night.  The Mallards offense delivered several clutch two-out hits, and Madison hurlers got important outs with Rafters runners in scoring position. The Mallards did not gain a comfortable lead until they plated four insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning.

 

Madison jumped on top in the first inning 3-0 with two outs.  A lead-off single by Garrett Kueber (Austin Peay), a two-out RBI double by Tyler Plantier (Richmond), and a two-run home run bomb by David Vinsky (Northwood) provided a lead which Mallards pitchers would never surrender.  Starter Sean Leland (Illinois) earned the win with six innings of three-hit, one-run ball, while notching seven strikeouts.

 

Turning Point

 

After narrow escapes in the bottom of the seventh and the bottom of the eighth, the Mallards held a 5-3 lead going into the ninth inning against the Rafters top reliever Mason McReaken, who had only allowed one earned run all summer in 26 plus innings.  Jesse Forestell (Western Michigan) scored the insurance sixth run on a wild pitch, and then Jake Randa (NW Florida State) put the game away with a bases clearing three-RBI double, which gave Madison the final 9-3 advantage.

 

Top Mallards 

 

• Jake Randa cracked two doubles to increase his league leading tally to 20 on the summer

 

• Jonah Smith (Creighton) and Leon Hunter (North Carolina A&T) stranded the tying run on base in both the seventh and eighth innings.   

 

• David Vinsky had three hits including his home run and a double, and scored twice

 

• Jesse Forestell had two hits, a stolen base, and drove in two critical runs with a missile up the middle which increased the Mallards lead from 3-1 to 5-1 in in the top of the sixth inning

 

Next Up

 

The Mallards return home Friday night, July 20, at 7:05 pm for their last meeting of the regular season against the Rafters.  Madison holds a 6-1 advantage over Wisconsin Rapids in the seven games played this summer. Friday night will be Wisconsin Lottery Night with in-game entertainment presented by the Pyrotechniq Fire Troupe. Tickets for tomorrow and playoff tickets for the Mallards first round home game Monday August 13 are on sale at Warner Park or at madisonmallards.com.