Wausau, WI – The Madison Night Mares (14-5) took an early lead and held on to shutout the Wausau Ignite (6-11) 8-0 on Thursday night.

The Night Mares jumped ahead 2-0 early on, thanks to two runs scoring on an error in the first inning. Ella Stephenson (University of Michigan) then blasted her seventh home run of the season—a solo shot that made it 3-0. Madison kept the pressure on with two more runs in the second, increasing the lead to 5-0.

The score held steady through the middle innings as both offenses were stifled by excellent pitching. In the top of the seventh, Ava Carroll (University of Washington) broke the silence with an RBI double to make it 6-0, followed by a two-run homer from Emma Kavanagh (University of Arizona) that extended the lead to 8-0, which would be the final score.

Tayler Baker (South Dakota State University) delivered a masterful performance, firing a complete-game shutout to secure the win for the Night Mares. Maren Sauvageau (North Iowa Community College) was tagged with the loss for the Ignite.

The Night Mares will head home to Warner Park to face the Ignite on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.