After a calendar week without a win, the Madison Mallards hit the road for a four game stretch against North Division teams. The Mallards entered Sunday afternoon’s game with hopes of ending a six game losing streak. It didn’t end. The Mallards lost at St. Cloud to the River Bats, 9-3.
Madison started strong and it appeared the losing ways would end. Jordan Comadena led off the game with a single. Bobby Hubbard (pictured below) followed with a rocket to the right center field gap. With the strong wind, what looked like a sure double became a two-run homerun and gave the Mallards the early lead.
It wouldn’t last.
In the bottom of the first, the River Bats score four times against Mallards starter Adam Mills. Roger Kieschnick’s three-run homer was the big blow scoring-wise, but the Mallards allowed a run to score after a pair of errors on first baseman Randy Molina that made the score 4-2 after one.
St. Cloud added another in the second. Bryan Cartie doubled with two outs and scored on a Charlie Cutler single.
The Mallards got within two in the top of the third. Comadena doubled and scored on Hubbard’s single to right. Madison only recorded one more hit in the game after Hubbard’s single: a Mitch Saum single in the fifth.
The River Bats’ James Leverton stretched the lead back to three with a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the third. St. Cloud scored three more in the fourth on a double by Alex Kubal, a single by Bryan Cartie, a two-run single from Cutler and a single with two outs from J.J. Jelmini.
Mills left the game after four innings. He allowed 13 hits and nine runs in taking the loss. He’s now 0-2 on the season. Mike Creevy relieved Mills and pitched well, striking out five in three innings while walking one and allowing three hits. Casey baron pitched an inning and allowed a hit but struck out the side.
Molina committed three of the Mallards’ four errors. Saum had the other. St. Cloud had 17 hits in the game.
The Mallards play at St. Cloud again tomorrow night at 7:05. St. Cloud will wear replica St. Cloud Rox uniforms while the Mallards will break out the Madison Blues uniforms which they debuted Friday against Duluth. You’ll hear the game on Madison’s Fox Sports Radio, 100.5 FM.
