MADISON, WISC. - Tuesday's doubleheader at Robin Roberts Field between the Madison College baseball team and longtime rival Milwaukee Area Technical College was billed as historical for one reason, but in the end, was historical for a completely separate reason. Playing for the 100th time in the their more than five decade old rivalry, the opener of the two-game set needed extra innings before the visiting Stormers pulled off a 6-3 win in ten innings that ended the WolfPack's 37-game win streak in the head-to-head series. Game two finished with the 'Pack shutting out MATC-Milwaukee by a 4-0 final on a three-hitter by sophomore Jake Kopp to take an 88-13 lead all-time.

Game #1: Milwaukee Area Technical College 6, Madison College 3 (10 innings)

Taking the field for the 100th time against each other, Madison College grabbed the first lead of the game with a two-run second inning, and it all happened with two outs on the board. An error, a walk, and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for freshman outfielder Cam Cratic began his productive afternoon with a two-RBI single through the right side to score Nathan Aide and Chase Scharnek. Hits were at a premium over the next four innings as neither team sent more than five batters to the plate in an inning until the seventh. After back-to-back singles opened the inning, freshman starter Brandon Komar recorded consecutive strikeouts to bring the 'Pack within an out of securing the win. During the next at-bat, Madison College committed two errors that allowed both runners to score and tie the game. After a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh, the game was headed to extra innings. 

In the eighth, the home team had two on with one out and used a fielder's choice to bring the game-winning run within 90 feet of home, however, freshman Adam LaRock flew out to left to end the threat. The Stormers hit three straight singles in the ninth before a 1-2-3 double play closed that threat. The hits, though, kept coming in the tenth for Milwaukee, which loaded the bases on a double, a walk, and a single against relief pitcher Troy Hickey to begin the inning. Much like the seventh inning, the WolfPack defense committed two errors during the next at-bat to allow two runs to score for a 4-2 differential. Three batters later, sophomore catcher Logan Michaels committed the team's season-worst seventh error to plate another run. The at-bat finished with a run-scoring single to put the home team in a 6-2 hole. Madison College attempted to put together a comeback with two doubles in the first three batters with Cratic driving in Scharnek for the game's final run.

The WolfPack was outhit by a 14-7 margin. Cratic, a former Madison East HS athlete, was 3 for 4 with three runs batted in. Michaels also had multiple hits, while Scharnek picked up one hit and scored a team-high two runs.

Komar, a native of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, put together his most impressive start of the season with two earned runs on eight hits and a walk. In 6 2/3 innings, he struck out six batters. Fellow first year Jonathan Dominguez worked 2 1/3 scoreless-innings and limited the Stormers to three hits and two walks with a pair of K's. The loss falls to Hickey, a freshman from Silver Lake, Wisconsin, who is now 0-1 in three appearances. He was credited with two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out one.

The seven Madison College errors is the most in a game since a 12-9 loss to Elgin Community College on May 21, 2016, that ended the WolfPack's season in the NJCAA Region IV Tournament.

Game #2: Madison College 4, Milwaukee Area Technical College 0 (7 innings)

The nightcap started much the same as the opener, with the home team taking a 2-0 lead in the second inning. A leadoff walk to Jerry LaSaint followed by a Lucas Trebian single put runners on base, and a pair of Milwaukee Area Technical College (5-15, 1-1) errors on separate plays allowed run to score. The WolfPack added two more runs in the fourth. Sophomore Tanner Umentum singled in Trebian with a line drive to center, and then scored on Garrett McGraw's fielder's choice grounder to third.

Sophomore Jake Kopp put the clamps on the Stormers bats with a superb effort on the hill. In his first start of the season, the righthander from West Bend, Wisconsin, gave up three hits in the first two innings before retiring 15 consecutive batters to close out the game. Kopp (1-1) walked one batter and struck out five in his fifth appearance of 2018 after redshirting the 2017 season due to injury.

At the plate, Trebian, a former Madison La Follette Lancer, went 2 for 3 with two runs scored, while fellow Madison native Cam Cratic posted a 2 for 4 effort to finish out a 5 for 8 day against Milwaukee.



Up Next:

Madison College (11-11, 2-2, 8-4 in Region IV) continues a brief homestand with a Thursday, April 12 doubleheader against its newest in-state foe, Bryant & Stratton College (1-7, 1-3 in Region IV). The NJCAA Division II Bobcats are in their first season of competition. First pitch at Robin Roberts Field is at 2:30 p.m., with game two to approximately begin at 5:30 p.m.

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