Madison, WI – The Madison Mallards offense came alive after a slow start to defeat the Royal Oak Leprechauns (4-3) 10-3 on Monday night at Warner Park, in what was the first ever meeting between the two teams.

Brock Lulewicz (Wichita State University) started the scoring in the second inning, with a solo home run to right field. It was the first long ball of the season for Lulewicz and the third for the Mallards during the home stand.

The score stayed the same until the fifth inning, when Chase Van Ameyde (University of Notre Dame) tied the game with an RBI double. Royal Oak wasn’t done there, taking a 3-1 lead shortly after on a two-run single by Devan Zirwas (Eastern Michigan University).

The answer from the Mallards came quickly. In the bottom of the inning, the Mallards rallied to regain the lead. Making his Mallards debut, Jimmy Anderson (Heartland Community College) drove in two runs with a base knock to give Madison a 5-3 advantage.

The bullpen stayed strong for Madison, and with the score 6-3 in the eighth inning, the Mallards put the game away. Thomas Curry (University of Illinois Chicago) drove in a pair of runs as part of a four-run frame, and the Mallards took a 10-3 lead that would hold as the final score of the game. 

Holden Harris (University of Texas San Antonio) earned the win for the Mallards in relief, tossing two shutout innings. Grant Essig (Grand Valley State University) was charged with the loss for the Leprechauns. Joe Husak (Illinois State University) came in and locked down a six-out save, his first of the season. 

The Mallards hit the road to take on the Green Bay Rockers on Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. The next home game at Warner Park is on Wednesday night at 6:05 p.m. with Madison hosting Green Bay once again.