Powered by a seventh-inning grand slam and strong pitching from three different arms, the Madison Mallards (23-10) defeated the Green Bay Booyah 8-2 on Saturday at Capital Credit Union Park.

The Mallards began the game strong offensively, pushing across two runs in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. Justice Bigbie (Western Carolina) drilled an RBI double to right field to open the scoring. Later in the frame, Andre Nnebe (Santa Clara) laced an RBI single.

Madison added to its lead with another pair of runs in the fifth inning. On the first pitch of the frame, EJ Ranel (Lenoir-Rhyne) launched his fourth home run of the summer well over the wall in left to create a 3-0 lead. A few batters later, Logan Michaels (Virginia) knocked an RBI single up the middle and gave the Mallards a 4-0 edge.

Chris Williams (Chipola College) ripped a two-RBI single for the Booyah in the fifth and slimmed the Mallards’ lead to 4-2.

In the seventh, the Mallards loaded the bases with three-consecutive singles to begin the inning. With two out and in a two-strike count, Austin Blazevic (SEMO) crushed a grand slam to right field for his first home run of the summer. The grand slam was the dagger of the night and put the Mallards comfortably ahead 8-2.

Lowell Schipper (Richmond) picked up his fourth win of the summer after throwing five strong innings on the hill. Schipper gave up just two runs and struck out at least seven for the third-consecutive start. Chris Jefferson (New Mexico State) took the loss for Green Bay.

Turning Point

After loading the bases in the seventh with no outs, the Mallards quickly recorded two outs offensively and it appeared as if the inning was about to end without a Madison run. In a 1-2 count, Blazevic hammered the pitch out of the yard and took any momentum away from Green Bay, giving the Mallards a solid 8-2 lead.

Top Mallards

• Blazevic finished 2-for-4 offensively, and his four RBI off the grand slam led the Mallards collectively.
• Ranel also churned out a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a home run of his own. Ranel also drew a walk and scored two of the eight Mallard runs on the night.
• Brody Gibson (Oral Roberts) and Theo Denlinger (Bradley) locked down the game over the last four innings on the mound. The tandem shut down the Booyah and did not allow any runs, collectively striking out seven.

 

Next Up

The Mallards close their series with Green Bay on Sunday, once again in Ashwaubenon. First pitch from Capital Credit Union 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.