Madison, WI – The Madison Mallards (50-19) defeated the Eau Claire Express (34-35) 7-2 on Friday night at Warner Park, setting a new franchise single-season record of 50 wins. 

The Mallards took control of the game early on, as Korbyn Dickerson (Louisville) hammered a two-run double in the first inning to give the Mallards a 2-0 lead. Then Dawson Hokuf (Cincinnati) brought home Dickerson with an RBI single to extend the Madison lead to 3-0. 

Gabe Richardson (Minnesota-Duluth) got a run back for the Express in the top of the second inning with a solo home run, but the Mallards answered in the bottom of the fourth on an Isaac Kim (UC Santa Barbara) sacrifice fly. The Mallards scored two more runs in the fifth inning, and added on in the sixth inning when Liam Moreno (St. Cloud State) belted a solo home run to make it 7-1 Madison.

The bullpen was fantastic for the Mallards in the win. Ckyler Tengler (Arkansas State-Mountain Home) and Jase Schueller (Vanguard) combined for 4.1 innings of shutout pitching, while Bryce Leedle (St. Thomas) and Coley Kilpatrick (North Carolina A&T) finished the job in relief, as the Mallards cruised to a record-setting victory.

Tengler earned the win on the mound for the Mallards, his first of the season. Zach Diver (Sauk Valley Community College) was charged with the loss for the Express. 

With the win, the Mallards improve to 26-9 in the second half of the season, and have clinched a first place finish in the Great Lakes West division. The Express fall to 19-15 in the half with the loss, and sit in second place in the Great Plains East division.

The Mallards and Express will meet again on Saturday night for the final game of the regular season. The Mallards can clinch the best overall record and home field advantage throughout the postseason with a win. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Fans can get playoff tickets now at mallardsbaseball.com.