Bullpen Dominates in 6-3 Win
Madison beats Kalamazoo after a six-run third inning
Madison, Wis. – The Madison Mallards (12-10, 40-18) earned their 40thwin of the summer with a 6-3 victory over the Kalamazoo Growlers (12-11, 35-22) at Warner Park on Sunday evening. The Mallards used a huge six-run third inning and ten total hits to outscore the Growlers while the Madison bullpen dominated, working 7.2 scoreless innings. The Mallards achieved a series split with the Growlers to keep their overall lead on the rest of the South Division at 4.0 games with 14 games to go in the regular season.
Turning Point
Reliever Alex Reyes(New Mexico State) entered with trouble looming in the second inning. The Growlers had totaled three runs in the inning and had the bases loaded with one out. Reyes induced an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to end the inning and keep the Growlers lead at 3-0.
Trailing 3-0 to start the third, the Mallards put together a huge rally to take control. After the Mallards scored a run on a Trevor Schwecke (UW-Milwaukee) base hit, the bases were loaded for Jake Randa(NW Florida State). The Mallards centerfielder cleared the bags and gave the Mallards a 4-3 lead with a single into right field. After two runs scored on the base hit, Schwecke hustled in on an overthrow that reached the backstop, scoring from first on Randa’s hit to grab the lead for Madison. Two batters later, Justice Bigbie (Western Carolina) delivered a two-run single, his second hit of the inning, to extend the lead to 6-3. The Mallards totaled six hits in the frame and held a commanding advantage after trailing early in the ballgame.
Top Mallards
- Alex Reyesearned the win in relief for Madison, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings while holding the Growlers hitless. Reyes struck out a pair and departed with the Mallards holding a 6-3 lead.
- After Alex Reyes contained the Kalamazoo offense, Nicholes Morales (San Jose State) entered out of the bullpen to start the fifth inning. Morales tossed 3.0 scoreless innings while striking out five and allowing just one hit.
- Designated hitter Justice Bigbie went 3-for-4 and cranked a double in the Mallards victory. Bigbie totaled a pair of RBIs and also scored a run.
- Second baseman Trevor Schwecke also went 3-for-4 with a double while knocking in and scoring a run.
- Leon Hunter entered in the ninth inning to seal the 6-3 victory and earn his second save of the season. Hunter struck out a pair of Growlers and sealed the win with a fly out to Jake Randa in centerfield.
Next Up
The Mallards hit the road to face the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders tomorrow at 6:35 PM before returning to the Duck Pond on Tuesday, July 31 for a 7:05 PM meeting with the Dock Spiders. The game features the Brew Pub Pizza sublimated pizza shirsey giveaway. Gates open at 5:30 PM and make sure to arrive early as shirsey sizes are limited based on availability. 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.
