The Madison Mallards (42-28) chugged past the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (44-26) in a tight, 4-2 contest Friday night at Witter Field. The game closed out the regular-season series between the Mallards and the Rafters and earned the Mallards a series split in the final set.
Timo Schau (Southern Wesleyan) broke a 0-0 tie in the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly to put the Mallards on the board. A few batters later, Nick Figus (Illinois Wesleyan) roped an RBI double to open a 2-0 Madison cushion.
The Rafters countered with two runs in the fifth to tie the game. Anthony Galasan (Elon) cranked a two-RBI double to knot the game at 2-2 in the middle innings.
After a few quiet frames, Madison poked across some insurance runs in the seventh. Austin Blazevic (SEMO) drove home a run to put the Mallards back ahead. Then, Jordan Stephens (Miami-Ohio) ripped a single to score another and make it a 4-2 advantage.
Leon Davidson (North Carolina A&T) was lights out in relief for the Mallards and picked up the win. In two and two-thirds innings of work, Davidson picked up five strikeouts. Theo Denlinger (Bradley) notched his 12th save of the summer with a scoreless ninth inning to secure the victory.
Hayden Petrovick (UC-Riverside) took the loss for the Rafters after allowing the go-ahead runs in the seventh.
Turning Point
Davidson entered with one out in the sixth inning and the go-ahead run in scoring position. He promptly shut down the Rafters’ offense and provided stability on the mound for the Mallards in a tightly-contested game down the stretch.
Top Mallards
- Stephens had two hits and laced a double in the fourth inning before scoring the first run of the game. He finished 2-for-5 at the plate.
- Davidson dominated on the hill. The right-hander was phenomenal on the bump and racked up five strikeouts, four of which were looking.
- Logan Michaels (Virginia) cranked out another multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 and scoring a run. Michaels is now hitting a clean .364 on the year.
Next Up
The Mallards return to Warner Park on Saturday for their final home game of the regular season. First pitch against the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders is slated for 6:05 at the Duck Pond. Saturday is Vegas Night presented by The Zone and will feature a Wolf Pack Maynard bobblehead giveaway presented by The Great Dane. Hear every pitch of the 2019 Mallards’ season live on The Zone, 96.7 FM and 1670 AM.
