Wausau, WI – The Madison Mallards (27-18) dropped the opener of their two-game series against the Wausau Woodchucks (30-14), falling 12-7 on Tuesday night.
The Mallards struck first in the second inning when Marcelino Alonso (Indiana State University) launched a solo home run to give Madison a 1-0 lead. Alonso stayed hot in the fourth, lining an RBI single to double the advantage to 2-0.
On the mound, Ckyler Tengler (Arkansas State University) continued his dominant summer, retiring all 12 batters he faced across four perfect innings. Wausau finally broke through against the Madison bullpen in the fifth, scoring three runs to take its first lead of the night.
Madison responded immediately in the sixth. Making his season debut, Davis Hamilton (University of Minnesota) crushed a solo home run to even the score at 3-3. But the tie was short-lived, as Ryan Chase (University of Kansas) answered with an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning to put the Woodchucks back in front, 4-3.
Wausau broke the game open in the eighth, erupting for eight runs to build a commanding lead. The Mallards mounted a late rally with four runs in the ninth, but the comeback fell short as the Woodchucks secured a 12-7 victory.
Logan Waldschmidt (University of New Orleans) earned the win in relief for Wausau, while Eamonn Mulhern (St. Cloud State University) took the loss for Madison.
The Mallards conclude their six-game road trip on Wednesday night with the series finale against the Woodchucks. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Madison then returns to Warner Park on Thursday to face the Lakeshore Chinooks, with first pitch set for 6:05 p.m.
