Madison, WI – The Madison Mallards (18-10) swept a doubleheader against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (7-20) on Tuesday night at Warner Park.

Game 1

The Rafters struck first in the fourth inning. Jack Zeller (Butler University) drew a bases-loaded walk to open the scoring, and Nico Defazio (Houston Christian University) later crossed the plate on an error to make it 2-0. David Ketterman (Florence-Darlington Technical College) added a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 3-0.

The Mallards responded in the bottom half of the inning when Aiden Arnett (Virginia Tech) drove in a run with a double. Madison continued to chip away in the fifth, as Preston Yaucher (Penn State University) delivered an RBI single before John Hadley (Creighton University) tied the game at 3-3 with an RBI single of his own.

Wisconsin Rapids regained the lead in the sixth when Connor Harvie (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) launched a solo home run. Madison answered immediately, however, as Dom Jacoby (University of Louisville) knocked in the tying run with an RBI single to make it 4-4.

The game remained deadlocked into extra innings. After the Rafters stranded runners on the corners in the top of the eighth, the Mallards capitalized in the bottom half. Aaron Holland (UW-Whitewater) delivered a walk-off single to score the winning run and lift Madison to a 5-4 victory.

Ryan Johnson (University of Illinois) earned the win out of the bullpen for the Mallards, while Blaine Davis (Northern Oklahoma College-Enid) was charged with the loss for Wisconsin Rapids.

Game 2

Madison wasted little time taking control of the second game. Arnett drove home the game’s first run with an RBI single in the opening inning, and Jacoby extended the lead in the third with a solo homer to right field, making it 2-0.

Riley Peterson (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) turned in a strong start for the Mallards, tossing four scoreless innings while allowing just one walk and striking out four.

The Mallards broke the game open in the fifth. Jacoby and Yaucher both scored on a Wisconsin Rapids error to push the lead to 4-0 before Holland capped the inning with an RBI single.

That was more than enough support for the Madison pitching staff, which combined on the shutout. PJ Green (University of Missouri) earned the win with two scoreless innings in relief, while Gage Honeyager (Madison College) took the loss for the Rafters.

With the sweep, the Mallards improved to 18-10 and moved within a half-game of first place in the Great Lakes West Division. Madison and Wisconsin Rapids wrap up their series on Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.