The Madison Mallards toppled the Kokomo Jackrabbits (0-1) 11-1 on opening night after the bats came alive in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Logan Jarvis (Belmont) hit a home run in the top of the second to quickly put the Jackrabbits on the board. It did not take long for the Mallards to respond with a run of their own and tie the game. Ryne Stanley (North Carolina A&T) secured a run for the Mallards with a home run in the bottom of the third.  Stanley came up short of a cycle after contributing a single and double as well. After the game Stanley was named Impact Player of the Night.

Three pitchers entered the game for the Mallards, each pitching dominantly during their time on the mound.

Mallards starter Lowell Schipper (University of Richmond), had a slow start to the game but managed to work through four innings, earning seven strikeouts. Coming in to start the fifth, Deylen Miley (Bellarmine) powered through three innings, punching two strikeouts. To finish the game, Tanner Bradley (Rend Lake College) pitched two strong innings, securing five strikeouts.

During the fifth inning the Jackrabbits fell apart on defense to give the Mallards a 6-1 lead. With control of the game, the Mallards scored two in the sixth with a two-run home run by E.J. Ranel (Lenoir-Rhyne). Scoring three in the seventh, the Mallards secured a 11-1 victory in front of their home crowd to kick off the 2019 summer season.  

Turning Point

The Mallards bats were quiet until the fifth inning, when Timo Schau (Southern Wesleyan) led off with a hit to get the inning started. Four-consecutive singles capped by a two-RBI single by Ranel opened the scoring in the fifth. Two batters later, Justice Bigbie (Western Carolina) added a two-RBI single of his own to make the score 6-1.

Top Mallards

•  Closing pitcher Tanner Bradley tossed a two-inning gem, hurling 5 strikeouts to end the game.
• Right fielder E.J. Ranel boosted the Mallards score after hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth.
• Catcher Ryne Stanley gunned down two baserunners stealing and hit a single, double and homerun. He came up just shy of hitting for the cycle in his first game as a Mallard.

Next Up

The Mallards take on the Kokomo Jackrabbits again tomorrow at Warner Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 and the game will feature Chet’s Car Care schedule pen giveaway and is also Wisconsin Dells Night. Gates open at 5:00 PM. For tickets and more information visit mallardsbaseball.com. Make sure to catch every Mallards game on The Zone, 1670 AM and 96.7 FM.