Madison, WI – The Madison Mallards (35-26) blanked the Rockford Rivets (26-35) on Thursday night at Warner Park, earning their third shutout in three games against Rockford this season.

The Mallards broke through in the bottom of the second inning when Preston Yaucher (Penn State University) lined an RBI single to give Madison a 1-0 lead. An inning later, Josue Figueroa (Florida A&M University) added an RBI single of his own to double the advantage.

Madison’s pitching staff made the early lead stand. Drayton Lou (St. Cloud State University) tossed 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing no runs while striking out three. Brayden Zilis (Illinois State University) took over in relief and continued the dominance, throwing 2.2 shutout innings to keep the Rivets off the board.

Rockford mounted its biggest threat in the eighth inning, putting runners on second and third with one out. Eamonn Mulhern (St. Cloud State University) entered from the bullpen and escaped the jam with a strikeout followed by a flyout to preserve the two-run lead.

The Rivets put the leadoff runner aboard in the ninth on a single by Jackson Forbes (University of Arizona), but Mulhern quickly erased the threat by inducing a 6-4-3 double play before recording the game’s final out on a groundout to seal the 2-0 victory.

Zilis earned the win for Madison, while Ethan McDonald (Eureka College) was charged with the loss despite a strong outing for Rockford. Mulhern recorded his second save of the season.

The Mallards and Rivets wrap up their two-game series Friday night at Warner Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.