The Madison Mallards conquered the Wisconsin Woodchucks 4-2 on Saturday at Athletic Park and have started off the season with a perfect 5-0.

With the victory, the Mallards are alone at the top of the Great Lakes West and are the only undefeated team remaining in the entire Great Lakes division. Madison took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning off an error by the Chucks’ first baseman.

In the second, the Mallards added another pair of runs after Jordan Stephens (Miami Ohio) and Timo Schau (Southern Wesleyan) knocked back-to-back hits and both later scored to open a 3-0 advantage.

The Woodchucks made it a tight contest and brought the winning run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Madison’s Leon Davidson (North Carolina A&T) shut the door with a strikeout and secured the team’s fifth victory of the summer.

Turning Point

In the bottom of the third inning, the first two Woodchucks both reached safely. Mallard catcher Rhyne Stanley (North Carolina A&T) flashed his cannon arm and gunned both runners down trying to steal third to quell the threat and give the Mallards some breathing room.

Top Mallards

• Trevor Marreel (Washburn) tossed five strong innings on the mound and earned his first victory of the summer for the Mallards. Marreel did allowed one run and gave up just one hit while striking out six Woodchucks.
• Stephens led the Mallards’ offensive box score. He finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, an RBI, and he scored a run.
• Deylen Miley (Bellarmine) had a strong relief outing, pitching 3+ innings. Miley came on in the sixth and struck out three before being lifted in the ninth inning.

Next Up

The Mallards and Woodchucks square off again on Sunday to close a three-game road trip for Madison. First pitch at Athletic Park is slated for 3:05 p.m. Hear every pitch of the 2019 Mallards’ season live on The Zone, 96.7 FM and 1670 AM.