The Madison Mallards (19-8) earned a series split against the Wisconsin Woodchucks on Sunday with an exciting 6-5 victory.

The Mallards opened the scoring in the top of the first inning. With a runner on second, Drew Benefield (Louisville) roped an RBI single through the infield to open a 1-0 lead.

In the second, the Woodchucks evened the score 1-1 on a ball in play by Kaeber Rog (FIU)

Madison tacked on a pair of runs in the fourth inning, powered by three hits in the frame. Logan Michaels (Virginia) kept his hot streak at the plate going, notching an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Andre Nnebe (Santa Clara) picked up his first RBI of the summer with a sacrifice fly of his own later in the frame to give the Mallards a 3-1 cushion.

In the sixth, the Woodchucks trimmed the Mallard lead. TJ Reeves (Alabama) poked through a two-out RBI single to drive home a run and cut the score to 3-2.

The Mallards responded in the eighth inning. Benefield launched a solo home run well over the wall to lead off the frame. With two out, Nnebe continued his strong day with a towering two-run home run down the left-field line and pushed the lead to 6-2.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Woodchucks got the first two runners of the frame on. A few batters later, Angel Tiburcio (FIU) drilled a three-run home run to make it a one-run, 6-5 contest. Ultimately, the Mallards held onto the victory, clinching back-to-back outs after the home run.

Mallards’ starting pitcher Lowell Schipper turned in another quality night on the mound, tossing six lockdown innings. The right-hander gave up just three hits and picked up seven strikeouts en route to his third win of the summer. Miles Gayman (Barry University) was given the loss for the Woodchucks.

Turning Point

In the top of the eighth inning, the Mallards pushed across three crucial runs to open a four-run lead, powered by two home runs in the frame. Madison now has 21 home runs as a team just 27 games into the 2019 season.

Top Mallards

• Benefield continued his great season offensively, going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. He blasted his team-high eighth home run of the season in the eighth inning.
• Nnebe had his best offensive day as a Mallard, going 2-for-3 with a team-high three RBI on the afternoon
• Drew Williams (San Jose State) turned in a productive afternoon at the dish with a 3-for-4 game offensively. Williams strong at-bats boost his batting average to a healthy .348.

Next Up

The Mallards have their first off day of the season on Monday, returning to action on Tuesday, June 25. Madison will bus up to Capitol Credit Union Park in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, for a doubleheader against the Green Bay Booyah. First pitch of the twin bill is slated for 11:05 a.m. with the second game starting at 6:35 p.m. Hear every pitch of the 2019 Mallards’ season live on The Zone, 96.7 FM and 1670 AM.