The Madison Mallards (38-26) fired on all cylinders and powered past the Battle Creek Bombers (22-42) with a 5-2 victory. Madison pounded out 14 hits offensively and the pitching staff combined for a stellar 15 strikeouts on the mound.
Austin Blazevic (SEMO) kept his strong series going and laced an RBI single in the first inning to give the Mallards a quick 1-0 cushion.
The Mallards stretched their lead to 3-0 with RBIs from Nick Gile (Madison College) and Justice Bigbie (Western Carolina) in the third and fourth innings, respectively.
In the sixth, Timo Schau (Southern Wesleyan) started the inning with a single and later scored on a fielder’s choice to make it a 4-0 Madison advantage.
The Bombers got on the board with a two-RBI double from Trace Peterson (Lake Eerie College) in the seventh inning, slimming the gap to a 4-2 Mallard lead.
EJ Ranel (Lenoir-Rhyne) provided some insurance with an RBI double in the ninth inning to push the Mallards ahead with a 5-2 edge.
Eliot Turnquist (Madison College) dominated on the bump for the Mallards and earned the win. The right-hander crafted six strong innings and did not allow a run while striking out a season-high 10 Bombers. Theo Denlinger (Bradley) polished off the win with his 11th save of the summer thanks to a perfect ninth inning.
Keith Carpenter (Maryland Eastern Shore) donned the loss for the Bombers after allowing three runs over five innings of work.
Turning Point
The Mallards’ pitching staff controlled the entire game on the mound, allowing just six hits to Battle Creek. The powerful arms shut down the opposing offense and never let the Bombers string together a rally and climb back into the contest, piling on a whopping 15 strikeouts on the night.
Top Mallards
- Turnquist had his best start of the summer on the mound. He set his season high in strikeouts and struck out at least two Bombers in five of the first six innings on the hill.
- Gile, Bigbie and Jordan Stephens (Miami-Ohio) led the Madison hit parade with three base knocks each on the night. Gile and Bigbie each recorded RBIs and Stephens reached safely in four of his five plate appearances.
- Deylen Miley (Bellamine) and Denlinger locked down the win over the final two innings on the mound. Between the pair, they did not allow a hit and recorded half of the outs via a strikeout.
Next Up
The Mallards continue their four-game road swing with a visit to Loves Park, Illinois to take on the Rockford Rivets. The Great Lakes foes are set to begin a two-game series on Saturday with first pitch at 6:35 p.m. from Rivets Stadium. Hear every pitch of the 2019 Mallards’ season live on The Zone, 96.7 FM and 1670 AM.
