Last night, the Madison Mallards (1-0) defeated the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (0-1) 9-2, to open the first round of the postseason. The Mallards dominated the Rafters with their stellar offense that included 12 hits, backed by a dominant start from Quinn Gudaitis (Illinois Wesleyan). 

In front of a packed Witter Field, Gudaitis crafted his best outing of the season. The right-hander went seven innings and only allowed one run. Offensively, EJ Ranel (Lenoir-Rhyne) churned out a three-hit game, along with two other Mallards who had multi-hit performances. 

The contest was the first time ever the Mallards and Rafters collided in the postseason. Madison is in the playoffs for the 10th time in franchise history and the fifth time under Donnie Scott. 

Since the Mallards earned the game one victory, the Rafters are now on the verge of elimination in the best-of-three series. If the Mallards pull out a win at home, they will sweep the Rafters and play the winner of the Traverse City Pit Spitters (1-0) and Kalamazoo Growlers series (0-1). The team with the better overall winning percentage will host the Great Lakes Championship Game. 

Yesterday’s win marked the first playoff victory since 2015, when the Mallards defeated the Green Bay Bullfrogs 3-2 at the Duck Pond. 

Tonight’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., gates will open at 5:35 p.m. 

Fans are invited to pack the pond and help cheer on the Mallards, who are looking to earn a series sweep. Tickets are available for purchase by visiting MallardsBaseball.com, calling the Mallards ticket office at 608-246-4277, or stopping in the ticket office at 2920 N Sherman Ave.