Defensive miscues plagued the Madison Mallards (11-3) on Monday against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (7-7) and the Rafters clinched a series sweep with a 12-1 victory. The Mallards committed a season-worst eight errors in the field.

The Rafters scored in every inning but one and jumped ahead 1-0 in the first inning after an RBI double from Osvaldo Tovalin (Azusa Pacific). They added four more runs in the third inning after three Mallard errors and a balk, capped by a two-run home run from Richie Schikofer (Rutgers).

Rapids extended its lead to 6-0 in the third inning on a run-scoring double play from Rich Ciufo (Brown). In the fourth, the Rafters tacked on another pair of runs off a two-run home run by Jake Dunham (Northern Illinois) to make it 8-0.

After an RBI groundout from Anthony Galason (Elon) in the sixth inning, the Rafters led 9-0.

The Mallards spoiled the shutout in the seventh, when Drew Williams (San Jose State) scored on a ball in play by Austin Blazevic (SEMO), cutting the defecit to 9-1.

However, the Rafters added three more runs over the next two innings on RBI singles from Schiekofer and Dunham before a solo home run Edarian Williams (UNLV) brought the game to its final score of 12-1.

Mallards starting pitcher Quinn Gudaitis (Illinois Wesleyan) was given the loss after 3.2 innings pitched. Only two of the eight runs to score on Gudaitis were earned. Rafters’ starter Jack Sinclair (UCF) picked up the win after tossing six shutout innings.

Turning Point

In the bottom of the second inning, the Rafters took advantage of defensive miscues and drilled a home run to create a 5-0 cushion. The Mallards’ offense was unable to produce down the stretch.

Top Mallards

• Williams paced the Mallard offense with a 2-for-4 night at the plate, he also scored the lone run of the game for the Mallards.
• Brian Weissert (Fordham) was again strong in relief, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning. Weissert did allow one run, but picked up three strikeouts during his two innings on the bump.
• Timo Schau (Southern Wesleyan) was the only other Mallard with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4 at the plate.

Next Up

The Mallards finish their three-game road swing with their first trip to Green Bay of 2019. First pitch between the Mallards and the Booyah is set for 7:05 p.m. from the brand-new Capital Credit Union Park in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin. Hear every pitch of the 2019 Mallards’ season live on The Zone, 96.7 FM and 1670 AM.

The Madison Mallards are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 26-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 200 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (MIA). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.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.