Madison, WI – The Madison Mallards (34-14) fell behind early and couldn’t catch up to the Wausau Woodchucks (37-10), who defeated them 8-1 at Warner Park on Tuesday afternoon.

The Woodchucks came out swinging in the top of the first inning. Colin Bruggemann (Oklahoma State) gave Wausau a 1-0 lead with an RBI single, and Max Soliz Jr. (Auburn) followed it up with another RBI single to make the score 2-0. The Woodchucks scored three more runs in the inning, one on an Aidan Corn (Pasco-Hernando State) and two more  on a Mallards error to take a 5-0 lead. 

Max Galvin (Oklahoma State) hit an RBI double in the fourth inning to extend the Woodchucks lead. It was Galvin’s 46th run batted in on the season, which is second in the entire Northwoods League. Wausau held a commanding 7-0 lead after four innings and those runs were more than enough.

It was a difficult day for the Mallards offense with runners on base. Madison had nine hits in the game and drew eight walks, but they could only score one run when Korbyn Dickerson (Louisville) hit a towering opposite field solo home run in the seventh inning. The Mallards left the bases loaded in the fifth inning and again in the seventh inning, and left a total of seventeen runners on base in the game. 

Wausau improves to 11-2 in the second half, and holds the best record in the Northwoods League this season. The Mallards fell to 10-4 in the second half with the loss, but they remain in second place in the Great Lakes West division. 

The two teams will meet again in Wausau on Wednesday night for a doubleheader. First pitch for the first game is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. The next home game at Warner Park for the Mallards will be on Thursday night against the Traverse City Pit Spitters at 6:05 p.m.