The Madison Mallards (25-13) were swept by the Kokomo Jackrabbits to begin the second half of the 2019 season. The Mallards dropped a 4-3 decision on Independence Day in a back-and-forth affair against Kokomo.

The Jackrabbits jumped on the Mallards with a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Austin Elder (CSU-Northridge) bounced through an RBI single before Chase Hacker (UT-San Antonio) drove home a run on a fielder’s choice.

Madison responded with three runs in the second. With the bases loaded and no outs, Wade Stauss (SEMO) knocked a two-RBI single to tie the game, 2-2. A few pitches later, Austin Blazevic (SEMO) lined an RBI single of his own to break the tie and give the Mallards a 3-2 edge.

After a few quiet innings, Kokomo tied the game in the bottom of the sixth. Hacker notched his second RBI of the game on a groundout and brought home a run to knot the game at 3-3.

The Jackrabbits once again gained the lead in the seventh. Logan Jarvis (Belmont) smacked an RBI single to put Kokomo back on top for good, 4-3.

Lucas Folmar (Mercyhurst) earned the win for the Jackrabbits with a perfect seventh inning in relief. Mallard reliever Leon Davidson (North Carolina A&T) donned the loss after giving up two runs during his outing.  Joey Haass (Delaware) earned the save for Kokomo with a perfect ninth inning on the mound.

Turning Point

The Mallards held a 3-2 lead for three innings before the Jackrabbits delivered the equalizer in the sixth. Then, in the seventh, Kokomo pushed across another run to take the lead in an afternoon where both offenses were held relatively in check.

 Top Mallards

• Drew Williams (San Jose State) picked up a multi-hit day offensively for the Mallards. Williams finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and is now hitting .343.
• Nick Gile (Madison College) was the other Mallard to churn out multiple hits. Gile went 2-for-3 and scored a run.
• Ben Specht (Florida) turned in a strong start for the Mallards on the hill. The right-hander tossed five innings and yielded two runs. He did not issue any walks and struck out five Jackrabbits.

Next Up

The Mallards finish their eight-game road trip with a quick stop in Wausau, Wisconsin, to square off against the Wisconsin Woodchucks. First pitch at Athletic Park is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. on Friday night. Hear every pitch of the 2019 Mallards’ season live on The Zone, 96.7 FM and 1670 AM.