Eau Claire, WI – The Madison Mallards (36-26) powered past the Eau Claire Express (40-22) on Saturday night, earning a 16-4 victory behind a dominant offensive performance.

Jack Bello (University of Minnesota) got the Mallards on the board in the first inning with an RBI double. Eau Claire answered in the bottom half to tie the game, but Madison quickly regained the lead in the third. Bello delivered again with an RBI single, and a wild pitch later in the inning extended the Mallards’ advantage to 3-1.

Madison added to its lead in the fourth inning when Ashton Quiller (Arkansas State University) hit a two-run single to make it 5-1. The Express responded with a two-run homer from Sawyer Stein (University of Iowa) in the bottom of the inning, cutting the deficit to 5-3.

The Mallards broke the game open in the fifth. Brayden Zilis (Illinois State University) brought home a run with a sacrifice fly before Terek Verhage (University of St. Thomas) added an RBI single to extend the lead to 7-3. Later in the inning, Nate Novinska (University of Illinois) delivered the biggest hit of the night, launching a grand slam as part of an eight-run frame that gave Madison a 13-3 advantage.

Madison continued its offensive surge in the eighth inning. Zilis and Verhage opened the inning with back-to-back RBI singles, and Quiller capped off his four-hit night with another RBI single to push the lead to 16-3. The Express added a run in the bottom of the inning, but the Mallards secured the 16-4 victory.

Noah Musolf (Valparaiso University) earned the win on the mound for Madison, while Quinten Marsh (Stanford University) took the loss for Eau Claire.

The Mallards and Express will meet again on Sunday afternoon at Warner Park. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.