Madison, WI – The Madison Mallards (32-22) split a doubleheader with the Kenosha Kingfish (31-21) on Thursday night at Warner Park, dropping the opener before erupting offensively to earn a convincing split.
Game 1
Kenosha jumped out to an early lead in the opening inning. Hunter Snyder (Columbia University) drove in the game’s first run with an RBI double before Gus Gregory (Boston College) followed with an RBI single to extend the advantage to 2-0. The Kingfish added another run in the frame to take a 3-0 lead.
The Mallards answered right back in the bottom half. Aiden Arnett (Virginia Tech) delivered an RBI single to put Madison on the board, and later in the inning Lucas Schermer (UC Irvine) lined a two-run double to even the score at 3-3.
The tie didn’t last long. In the third inning, Cole Ide (Santa Barbara City College) launched a three-run home run to put Kenosha back in front, 6-3. The Kingfish stayed in control the rest of the way as Sam Yoder (Walsh University) tossed 4.2 scoreless innings in relief, and Jackson Brewer (Columbia University) added a solo homer in the seventh to help seal a 7-4 victory.
Kyle Hirsch (Eastern Florida State College) earned the win for Kenosha, while Kyler Kaczmarski (Southeastern Community College) took the loss for Madison. Hayden George (UCLA) picked up the save.
Game 2
The Mallards wasted no time responding in the nightcap. Jack Bello (University of Minnesota), making his Madison debut, crushed a three-run home run in his first at-bat with the club to give the Mallards an early 3-0 lead.
Madison blew the game open with an eight-run fifth inning. Arnett sparked the rally with a solo home run before Nate Novinska (University of Illinois) blasted a three-run homer to stretch the lead to 7-0. The offensive outburst continued as the Mallards piled on to take an 11-0 advantage.
Novinska wasn’t finished, launching his second three-run home run of the game in the seventh inning to make it 14-0. Kenosha scored three late runs, but Madison cruised to a 14-3 victory to earn the split.
Logan Addison (Texas Tech University) fired five scoreless innings to earn the win for the Mallards, while Henry Johnson (University of Toledo) was charged with the loss for the Kingfish.
The Mallards return to Warner Park on Friday to open a series against the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
