Rockford, IL – The Madison Mallards were victorious in both games of a doubleheader on Thursday against the Rockford Rivets.
Game 1
It took two batters for the Mallards to get on the board, as Davis Hamilton (North Dakota State) blasted his first home run of the season in the top of the first inning to give Madison a 1-0 lead.
Madison took complete control of the game in just the second inning with a seven-run frame. Alex Harrell (Arkansas State – Mountain Home), Jake Schaffner (North Dakota State) and Frankie Carney (UC Irvine) all had RBI hits in the inning, while Rockford contributed to the rally with a pair of errors in the frame.
Jackson Malouf (College of New Jersey) was stellar on the mound for the Mallards, tossing five shutout innings in his first start of the season.
The Mallards offense cruised the rest of the way, and the pitching staff did not allow Rockford to bring a single run across the plate. Six different Madison hitters had multiple hits in the game, as the Mallards won the game 13-0.
Malouf earned the win on the mound for the Mallards, his second of the season. Nick Semon (High Point University) was charged with the loss for the Rivets.
Game 2
Just as they did in the first game, the Mallards scored in the first inning of the second game. Justin Best (Florida State) and Korbyn Dickerson (Louisville) each had RBI hits to give Madison an early 2-0 lead.
Rockford was able to get on the scoreboard for the first time in the doubleheader in the bottom of the first inning on a Maddox Mihalakis (Arizona) sacrifice fly, and tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the second.
The Mallards offense continued to roll in the middle innings. Connor Capece (Creighton) gave Madison a 3-2 lead with an RBI single in the fourth inning, and Charlie Marion (Madison College) added on two more runs when he crushed a two-run double to the wall in the fifth inning. The Mallards would add on three more in the late innings to take an 8-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
The Rivets would not go down without a fight. Tony Konopiots (West Virginia) drove in three runs with an RBI double down the right field line, and later came across to score to cut the Madison lead to 8-6. However the comeback attempt would end there, and the Mallards held on for the doubleheader sweep.
Drew Deremer (Iowa) picked up his second win of the season on the mound for the Mallards. Luke Olson (Angelo State) was charged with the loss for Rockford.
The Mallards will return to Warner Park on Saturday to face the Minnesota Mud Puppies. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
