Mallards win nailbiter to force decisive third game
The Madison Mallards defeated the Thunder Bay
Border Cats 4-3 Saturday night, forcing a winner-take-all third
game in the Northwoods League championship series.
It was the second one-run game between the two clubs, after Thunder
Bay grabbed the early edge with a 1-0 victory Friday night in
Madison. Game two was in Thunder Bay, where the Border Cats will
host tonight's decisive contest.
Madison took advantage of Thunder Bay miscues to even the series.
The Mallards plated a pair of unearned runs to take a 2-1 lead in
the third, made possible by two Border Cat errors.
The Mallards added two more runs in the fifth, again making Thunder
Bay pay for a mistake. Joe Bonadonna doubled to lead off the
inning, and scored on a wild pitch by Border Cats starter Danny
Rosenbaum, who gave up all four runs.
Rob Lyerly, who struck out on the wild pitch that Bonadonna scored
on, reached first base on the play. Lyerly eventually scored when
Eric Nielsen drew a bases-loaded walk from Thunder Bay reliever Dan
Zehr, who had just entered the game.
Border Cats left fielder Jon Kelton hit his second home run of the
game in the sixth to pull Thunder Bay within 4-2, and the Border
Cats added a run in the eighth.
Kelton reached on a walk with one out in the ninth against Madison
reliever Andy Deain, the Mallards' fourth pitcher, and advanced to
third on a passed ball and a wild pitch. The next batter put a
scare into the Mallards, as Derek Wiley hammered Deain's offering
over the fence, but it was just foul. Deain then struck out Wiley
and Nate Woods to end the game.
Joe Yermal (5-0) pitched into the sixth inning to earn the win for
Madison.
Jim Addis/Madison Mallards
3 total imagesview them here
Aaron Bray and the Madison Mallards are seeking the organization's second Northwoods League championship in Sunday night's winner-take-all game three in Thunder Bay.
