Madison, Wis. –  The Madison Mallards (8-8, 35-16) cruised to a 7-1 win over the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (7-9, 22-29) on Friday night at Warner Park. Heavy rain moved into the area just before the eighth inning, causing the game to be called after seven frames. Tyler Plantier (Richmond) crushed a pivotal grand slam in the bottom of the third, highlighting a six-run frame and propelling the Mallards to their sixth straight win.

Turning Point

Mallards starter Ryan Kutt (Illinois) found himself in a jam in the top of the third inning, facing a bases loaded situation with one out. First baseman David Vinsky (Northwood) made a key snag on a hard groundball and threw home to retire the lead runner at the plate. Then, Kutt induced a groundball to end the frame and escape the threat.

In the bottom of the third, the Mallards loaded the bases after hits by Cal Greenfield (Florida), Trevor Schwecke (UW-Milwaukee) and Jake Randa (NW Florida State). Then, the Mallards home run leader Tyler Plantier stepped to the plate and demolished a grand slam off of the scoreboard beyond the left centerfield fence. The Mallards added two more runs in the inning on RBIs by Drew Ober (UNC-Charlotte) and Justice Bigbie (Western Carolina). The Mallards went on to work out of two more bases loaded jams, escaping the fourth unscathed and allowing just one run in the fifth.

Top Mallards

• Third basemanTyler Plantier finished the night 2-for-3 with 4 RBI after his pivotal grand slam. Plantier leads the league with 12 homers this summer.
• Centerfielder Jake Randa went 3-for-4 at the plate, scoring two runs and adding on to the Mallards lead with a solo shot in the fifth inning to make the score 7-1.
• Outfielder Drew Ober went 3-for-4 with a double and knocked in a run in the Mallards victory.
• Starting pitcher Ryan Kutt tossed 5.0 innings of one-run ball, allowing six hits and striking out a pair. Kutt earned his fourth win of the season
• Reliever Alex Reyes worked a pair of perfect innings while striking out four.

Next Up

The Mallards are back home again tomorrow for a matchup with the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders at 6:05 PM. Gates will open at 4:30 PM and the game will feature post-game fireworks presented by Zimbrick Honda. For tickets and more information visit mallardsbaseball.com. Make sure to catch every Mallards game on The Zone, 1670 AM and 96.7 FM.

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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 Mallards as your favorite team.