Madison drops their third consecutive game with loss to Wisconsin Rapids

Madison, WI – The Mallards fell for a third consecutive game on Friday night against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters at Warner Park.

In Kade Lancour’s final assignment as a Mallard, the right-hander was only able to last throw two and a third in Friday’s series opener. Brendan Bobo smashed his fifth home run of the campaign in just 16 games to put Wisconsin Rapids on the board, 2-0, in the top of the 1st. In the 2nd, all nine Rafters came to the plate in a three-run frame charged by a Bobo single scoring two more runs. The Mallards turned to Cole Heath out of the arm-barn and tallied his best numbers as a Mallard. Over four innings of no-hit pitching with five strikeouts under his belt.

Madison’s offense was stagnant against Josh Howitt, who made his fifth start of the summer. Howitt tossed three scoreless innings, only needing 42 pitches, to cruise through 11 batters. The Rafters went on to use four relievers in game one of the series with the only real damage coming against Malakai Vetock. Madison threatened in the bottom of the 6th with the bases loaded and Isaiah Jackson at the plate after scoring their first run on an error earlier in the inning. Jackson ripped a flyball to right which would be caught, scoring the team’s second run. A batter later, Canyon Brown flew out to center to end the threat with runners on the corners.

After Madison cut the lead to three, the Rafters swung right back for five in the top of the 7th against Connor Langrell. Six of the first seven batters reached base in the frame which included Garrett Broussard’s two-run single to earn back the two runs lost in the defensive 6th. With two outs, Levi Jensen smoked a single through the right side of the infield to push the Rafters into double-digit runs. Madison would score one more run on Jack Tucker’s first longball of the year in the bottom of the 7th.

The loss on Friday pushes Madison to the brink of elimination on Saturday afternoon when they rematch Wisconsin Rapids for game two of the series at Warner Park on Old Fashioned Night at the ballpark. First pitch on Saturday is slated for a 5:05 P.M. CST start.