Wisconsin Rapids, WI – After being shut out on Wednesday night at Warner Park, the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters broke out on offense and defeated the Madison Mallards 12-4 on Thursday afternoon.

The Mallards took the lead in the top of the first inning when Jake Schaffner (North Dakota State) scored on a Korbyn Dickerson (Louisville) groundout. Then in the second inning, Connor Capece (Creighton) punched an RBI double into the gap to give Madison a two-run advantage.

The Rafters offense finally woke up and showcased some power after that. In the bottom of the second inning, Greyson Shafer (BYU) belted a solo home run to cut the Madison lead in half. An inning later, Max Mcgwire (San Diego) crushed a three-run home run to give Wisconsin Rapids a 4-2 lead. Cashel Dugger (UCLA) cranked a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to extend the lead to 6-2, and Wisconsin Rapids put the game away with three additional runs in the bottom of the seventh. 

The Mallards tallied a pair of runs in the eighth, with one scoring on an Alex Harrell (Arkansas State – Mountain Home) RBI single. However it wasn’t enough to overcome the large deficit, and the Rafters scored three more runs in the eighth to reach double digits. Max Mcgwire had six runs batted in on the afternoon, as the Rafters gave the Mallards their first loss of the second half.

Thomas Burns (Arizona State) picked up the win for the Rafters in relief, his first of the season. Liam McKillop (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville) was charged with the loss for the Mallards.

The Mallards will return home to Warner Park to face the Lakeshore Chinooks on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.