Fond du Lac, WI – The Madison Mallards (34-22) completed a back-and-forth contest with a late push, earning a 5-4 win over the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (27-32) to secure a series sweep. 

Nate Novinska (Madison College) put the Mallards on the board in the top of the second with an RBI groundout, making it 1-0 Madison. Landon Mensik (Xavier University) continued a hot stretch at the plate, as he evened the game for the Dock Spiders in the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run.

The game remained tied into the sixth, with Mallards starter Ty Brooks (Indiana State University) turning in four solid innings and recording six strikeouts. In the bottom half of the sixth, Thomas Googins (Princeton University) broke the deadlock with a two-run double, giving the Dock Spiders a 3-1 lead.

Madison chipped away in the seventh with an RBI single from Carson Hansen (University of Kentucky) to make it 3-2. Then in the eighth, Frankie Carney (UC Irvine) tied it up with a bases-loaded walk, and Cole Kosciusko (UC Santa Barbara) pushed the go-ahead run across with a double play ball, giving the Mallards a 4-3 lead.

The Dock Spiders pulled even in the eighth, but Madison answered in the top of the ninth as Bayram Hot (University of Louisville) delivered an RBI single to put the Mallards ahead 5-4. Fond du Lac went down in order in the bottom half, sealing the win for Madison.

Keaton Fenn (Southeastern Community College) earned the win for the Mallards in relief, his second of the season. Ryan Ament (George Mason University) was charged with the loss for the Dock Spiders. 

The Mallards return home on Tuesday night to begin a six-game home stand at Warner Park. They’ll face the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m.