Madison, WI – The Madison Mallards saw their season come to an end Tuesday night at Warner Park, falling to the Royal Oak Leprechauns in the Great Lakes Championship.

Parker McDaniels (University of Cincinnati) put the Leprechauns on the board in the top of the second inning with an RBI single to give Royal Oak a 1-0 lead.

The score remained 1-0 through five innings, with Spencer Boynton (Valparaiso University) shutting down the Mallards’ offense. In the sixth, Northwoods League home run leader Luke Kosko (University of Cincinnati) hit a two-run homer to extend the Leprechauns’ lead to 3-0.

Boynton continued to stay strong on the mound, sending the Mallards down in order in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Royal Oak added three insurance runs in the ninth, with Steven Cavaco (University of Alabama at Birmingham) hitting a two-run triple to make it 5-0. Michael Zielinski (Wright State University) then added a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 6-0.

In the bottom of the ninth, Jack Bello (University of Minnesota) hit a solo home run to break up the shutout and make it 6-1. Boynton then retired the side to complete the game and seal the 6-1 victory, sending the Leprechauns to the title game.

Boynton earned the win with his dominant performance, while Drayton Lou (University of Minnesota) took the loss for the Mallards.

With the loss, the Mallards’ 2026 season comes to an end. The team finished the campaign with 43 total wins, a first-half Great Lakes West Division title and its 14th postseason appearance in franchise history, winning the Great Lakes West Sub-Divisional Series.