MADISON, WISC. - A matchup of two nationally-ranked teams saw Madison College baseball finish with a split of their Region 4 doubleheader Tuesday against Oakton Community College. The visiting Owls, ranked #8 in the NJCAA Division III Poll, took game one with a 6-0 final, however, the WolfPack, ranked #17 in the NJCAA Division II Poll, came back to earn a 12-2 decision in six innings. The all-time series now stands at 16-13 in favor of the 'Pack.

Game #1: #8 Oakton Community College 6, #17 Madison College 0 (7 innings)

The WolfPack were unable to generate a run against the Owls and their pitchers, Joe Gabel and Kyle Moore. Despite finishing with just five hits, Madison College did have chances to put runs on the scoreboard. Eli Kramer led off the game with a single and reached third after a sacrifice and a stolen base, but was stranded their following a strike out and a fly out. Oakton went ahead 4-0 in the second on four hits and an error, and it was still a four-run game in the fourth when the WolfPack had their best scoring opportunity. Kameron Laskowski singled to center and Zach Storbakke followed with a double to put runners on second and third with no outs, but two ground outs sandwiched around a strikeout ended the threat. The Owls pushed it to 6-0 in the fifth, and the 'Pack were never able to get a runner to second base after that.



Patrick Foldy (2-2) worked five-plus innings and was tagged for six runs, only two of which were earned, on nine hits and three walks. The former Sussex Hamilton HS athlete did register three strikeouts before giving way to Justin Grosse for the final inning-and-two-thirds. Grosse did not allow a hit or a run, issued one walk, and fanned one batter.

Kramer, Laskowski, Storbakken, Gunnar Doyle, and Nathan Ebersole each had a hit.

Game #2: #17 Madison College 12, #8 Oakton Community College 2 (6 innings)

Game two saw Madison College do exactly what they couldn't in the opener by scoring a run in the first inning. A two-out walk of Zach Storbakken was followed by a wild pitch and an error to put the freshman on third for Gunnar Doyle, who singled up the middle for WolfPack's first lead of the day. Five hits and an error led to a four-run second inning for the home team. The inning opened with four consecutive hits as Logan Mantz doubled and scored on a Brady Jurgella single. Ben LaRonge drove in Jurgella with a base hit to right, and later touched home thanks to a RBI single for Storbakken. Oakton Community College (21-13) got on the board in the third, however, Jurgella responded with his fourth home run of the spring. The two-run shot to center made it 7-1. Both teams tacked on a run in the fifth, highlighted by another Storbakken run-scoring double, his team-leading 14th two-bagger of the season. The game closed in the sixth when the 'Pack used two hits, two errors, and three walks to create four runs for the run-ruled win.



Jurgella, a native of Menasha, Wisconsin, was tops in all offensive categories with three hits, three runs scored, and three runs batted in, the last of which established a new season-high. LaRonge, a Deerfield, Wisconsin, product, also had three hits, and produced two runs and two RBI. Mantz and Spencer Bartel both posted two hits and scored two runs, while Storbakken used his two hits to register a pair of runs batted in and another scored.

Starter Alex Redman (6-0) stayed perfect on the year with five innings of six-hit, two-run baseball. The lefthander from New Berlin, Wisconsin, struck out three batters and walked three more. Jack McNeil entered for one inning and was credited with a strikeout and one hit allowed.

Up Next:

Madison College (28-10) will play a neutral-site nine-inning game on Thursday, April 29 against Region 4 opponent Elgin Community College (15-17-1). The WolfPack lead the all-time series with the Spartans by a 27-20 margin. The game will be played at Rockford Rivets Stadium in Rockford, Illinois, and fans are allowed to attend. First pitch is at 2:00 p.m.

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