Mallards Offense Explodes in First Matchup with Rivets

Ducks offense ties a season-high in hits in bounce-back victory 

Rockford, IL – The Mallards had their first run-in with the Rockford Rivets on Monday night at Rockford Stadium. The matchup with Rockford was the first time these two teams have dueled since August 4th of 2019. The Ducks were able to overpower Rockford with a 13-7 victory in the first of four games. 

In what seems like a rarity as of late, the Mallards jumped ahead of their opposition early. The Rivets sent their ace Kyle Seebach to the mound and struggled with contact in the 1st inning against a Mallards team that has gotten used to some sluggish starts at the dish throughout the first half of the season. Madison’s scoring began with a Josh Caron (3-4, 2 BB) double that scored J.T. Mabry after his one-out single. Following that, Payton Smith was able to slash Caron home to make the lead 2-0. Next batter Christian Rivera grew tired of being just a step behind Caron for the team’s lead in home runs. Rivera smashes a two-run blast to the opposite field for the four-run frame. Rivera has multi-hit games in each of his last three. 

In what seemed like a pitchers duel on paper before the game. It quickly turned into a carousel. Madison starter Ryan O’Hara (3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 2 K) had his first ‘rough’ start of the season but a lot of that was due to the inconsistency in the zone. Rockford scored five straight runs across the first three innings to claim a 5-4 lead. That all changed in the 5th. The Mallards bat around the order in a six-hit, five-run inning to charge back and take a 9-4 edge. Madison would have one more solid inning at the plate with a lot of help from walks and errors by the Rivets. The Mallards score four runs in the 7th inning to slam the door including a Noah Smith 2-run double to right center. Young right handed reliever Markell Dixon gets his first collegiate victory out of the pen. 

The Mallards have three games remaining in the first matchups of the season with Rockford. The next two will be played at Warner Park before returning to Rockford Stadium for just a solo contest. Coverage can be found on the Northwoods League website under the ‘Live Action’ tab at 6:35 PM.