Green Bay, WI – June 26, 2016. Down to their final strike, the Madison Mallards (16-10) used a ninth inning rally to send the game to extra innings, where they eventually defeated the Green Bay Bullfrogs (9-17) by a final score of 6-5.

After winning last night handily, the Mallards and Bullfrogs couldn’t quite shake each other on Sunday afternoon as the game remained close throughout.

Madison would strike first in the top of the second inning, as Nico Hoerner (Stanford) ripped a single into right field to score Matt Vierling (Notre Dame) and Cameron Frost (Washington State). Matt McCann (Fairleigh Dickinson) would follow with an RBI single of his own as the Mallards raced out to a 3-0 lead.

Justin Watts (Northern Kentucky) made his fifth start of the season for the Mallards, and threw 4.1 innings of just four hit baseball. He had some success with his fastball, as he was able to record two strikeouts.

The Mallards entered the fourth inning trailing 4-3, when Joe Stefanki (San Jose State) singled to lead off the inning. Nick Roark (Oral Roberts) followed Stefanki with a double to put runners on second and third with no outs. Nico Hoerner would then tally his third RBI of the night with a sacrifice fly to center field, as the Mallards tied it at four.

Both teams continued to pitch well, and the game remained tied all the way to the 7th until the Bullfrogs struck to take a 5-4 lead.

After a scoreless eighth inning, the Mallards entered the top of the ninth inning trailing by a single run. McCann led the inning off with a five-pitch walk to put the tying run aboard. After two Mallards were retired, Zach Jarrett (UNC-Charlotte) came to the plate and ripped a two out single to center field to advance McCann to second. Vierling then played the role of hero for the Mallards, as he blooped a 2-out single down the right field line to tie the game at five.

The game would remain tied thanks to stellar pitching from the Mallards bullpen. Troy Bacon (Santa Fe College) struck out two batters in the bottom of the ninth inning and sent the game to extras.

With two runners on in the bottom of the tenth and just one out, Bacon induced an inning ending double play to escape the tenth as the game remained tied.

The score remained tied until the top of the twelfth inning, when Vierling singled with one out to put the go-ahead run on first. Cameron Frost then laced a double to right-center field to give the Mallards a 6-5 lead, as Vierling was able to use his speed to score from first.

Alex Smith (North Florida) would then come on to work the bottom of the twelfth inning for the Mallards, as Donnie Scott called on the right-hander to help the Mallards earn a two game sweep over the Bullfrogs. Smith was brilliant, as he retired the Bullfrogs in order in the twelfth to earn his third save of the season.

With ten games remaining in the first half, the Mallards currently trail the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters by a half game for first place in the South division. The Mallards will be back in action tomorrow night in Mequon, Wisconsin, as they take on the Lakeshore Chinooks at Kapco Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM.

The Mallards will return to the Duck Pond on Wednesday, June 29, to take on the Rockford Rivets at 7:05 pm. The theme for the game will be 80’s Night, with a tribute to Prince. It will also be Mullet Night at Warner Park, where fans can earn one dollar off of a hot dog for every inch of their authentic mullet. Do the math and we’ll pay you to eat a hot dog! Tickets are available for purchase by visiting MallardsBaseball.com, calling the Mallards ticket office at 608-246-4277, or stopping in the ticket office at 2920 N Sherman Ave.

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The Madison Mallards are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 23rd season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 150 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.mallardsbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store and set the Mallards as your favorite team.