The Madison Mallards were on the path to pulling off another come-from-behind win, when inclement weather postponed the game. Rockford and Madison were tied at eight in the top of the ninth with two outs, when the decision to move the game to the following day for a double header, was made.
The Rivets rocked the Mallards in the first inning. An RBI single from Cam McDonald put the first run of the game on the board, Rockford took a quick 1-0 lead. Two batters later, Brandon Comia (Illinois) hammered the ball over the fence with the bases loaded for a grand slam. The home run by Comia brought the Rivets ahead 5-0, and was his first home run of the season, no less.
Madison responded in the bottom of the first with a run off an RBI single by Logan Michaels (Virginia), but the inning ended with the Mallards down by four.
Success at the plate remained intact for the Rivets during the second, as Rockford scored three more runs, to bring the lead to 8-1. The three runs were scored after Jake VanderWal (Long Beach State), Blake Burrows (Kansas State), and Comia all contributed RBIs. Madison’s bats were unable to respond in the bottom of the inning, the Rivets held on to their seven run lead going into the third.
Despite the Rivets massive lead, the Mallards responded with seven runs from the third through seventh innings to make a heroic comeback.
The Mallards scored three runs in the third and fourth, thanks to RBIs from Micheals, Drew Williams (San Jose State) and Ben Anderson (Georgia), to cut the Rockford lead in half, 8-4.
Giving the Mallards hope in the fifth, Austin Blazevic (Southeastern Missouri), slammed a two-run home run to put Madison within two, 8-6. Creeping even closer, Williams knocked an RBI single in the sixth, Madison trailing by one going into the seventh.
It became anyone’s game in the bottom of the seventh as EJ Ranel (Lenoir-Rhyne) contributed the eighth RBI of the game to tie the game at eight.
No runs were scored in the eighth, both teams were silent on offense.
The Mallards chances of making a historic comeback were halted in the top of the ninth, but will continue tomorrow. Tonight’s game will be resumed as is, with men on first and second with two outs. Game time is set for 5:35 p.m., gates will open at the same time. The second game will be nine innings and will start thirty minutes after the first game is completed, but not before 6:35 p.m.
