The Mallards climbed back from two different three-run deficits in Sunday’s win
Madison, WI – Madison swept the reigning champions of the Northwoods League with a 10-7 victory over the Kalamazoo Growlers from Warner Park.
Three games in and 2-1 on their swing through the Great Lakes West division, the Growlers discovered their pop immediately against Mallards’ starter Josh Wintroub. In the top of the 1st, they jumped on the right-hander from Augustana College with two home runs, one from Casen Taggart and another from Gabe Springer to launch themselves in front, 3-0. Unlike the majority of the 2022 summer, the Mallards have shown great fight while trailing early in games in 2023. Madison came right back to tie in the bottom of the 1st against Kalamazoo’s Tyler Johnson by scoring three runs on one hit and the first of four Growlers’.
The score was three-all heading to the 2nd inning where Wintroub retook the mound. In a similar fashion to the first frame, it took the Growlers until two outs to score. This time it was Banks Tolley distributing a ball into the seats to retake a three-run lead. Donnie Scott’s Mallards, however, right back in the 2nd. Estevan Moreno led off with a double against Johnson followed by a Davis Melfi single which cut the lead to two. Keenan Taylor later knocked in Melfi, part of a three hit day for the Mallards’ third baseman.
Both teams went to their bullpens before the 4th inning. Cole Heath was the first Madison arm out of the bullpen and allowed a solo home run on his first pitch to Ben Bach which put Kalamazoo back ahead 7-5. The Mallards answered right back to take their first lead of the ballgame in the bottom of the 4th when Growlers’ shortstop Savi Delgado committed three errors to keep the Mallards’ offense at the plate. Jake Holcroft and Keenan Taylor drove in runs during the inning to steal the lead away from Kalamazoo.
After the 4th, the Madison bullpen was nearly flawless. After Heath came Giovanni Canales. Canales made the move from the rotation to the bullpen today and threw just shy of three innings, tossing up zeroes. Luke Reed entered for Canales in the top of the 7th and forced Lawson Knight to fly out on the first pitch in relief.
The Mallards tacked on two more runs after the stretch on Ryan Sprock’s first home run of the year, extending the lead to three. Sprock’s homer was the dagger in the 10-7 win which pushed Madison closer to the top of the Great Lakes West with Wausau and Green Bay both dropping their contests on Sunday.
Following the sweep of Kalamazoo, the Mallards will crack open a home-and-home series with Fond du Lac. Game one will take place tomorrow at Herr-Baker Field in Fond du Lac with a scheduled 6:35 P.M. first pitch.
