ROCKFORD, ILL. - Thursday's meeting between Region 4 baseball foe Madison College and Elgin Community College turned into an offensive slugfest that resulted in 29 combined runs, 37 combined hits, and one dramatic ending in extra innings. Originally scheduled as a doubleheader in Wisconsin, the #17 WolfPack played a single game at Rockford Rivets Stadium, but suffered a 15-14 walk-off loss to the Spartans. The setback narrows the all-time series to 27-21 in favor of the 'Pack.

Neither team was able to score in the first two-and-a-half innings before Elgin Community College (16-17-1) broke through with two runs in the bottom of the third against starter Carson Fluno. The first WolfPack run came with two outs in the fourth when Logan Mantz doubled and Jake Fulton followed with a single to drive Mantz in. Two hits and an error in the fifth plated two runs and gave the 'Pack their first lead of the game, but it was short-lived with the Spartans posting four runs in the home half to go ahead 6-3. 

Madison College narrowed the gap to one in the sixth thanks to three consecutive base hits Gunnar Doyle, Mantz, and Fulton, the last of which produced a run. Mantz then scored on Nathan Ebersole's ground out to first. Doyle, Mantz, and Fulton struck again in the seventh with back-to-back-to-back run-scoring singles to spark a four-run seventh to take a 9-6 lead. Unfortunately, lefthander Ryan Hubley allowed a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to even the score at 9-9. Another run of hits from the WolfPack's 4-5-6 hitters ended with a two-run triple off Fulton's bat. Eli Kramer followed with a fourth consecutive hit to drive in Fulton for a 12-9 edge. 

Madison College was unable to close out the win in the bottom of the ninth, allowing three runs to tie the game and force extra innings. The final two runs of the Spartans rally came on a two-out single. After neither team scored in the tenth, the WolfPack produced a pair of runs in the 11th. A pair of two-out singles by Zach Storbakken and Doyle drove in a run each, and again the 'Pack was three outs away from securing the win. Against righty Jett Thielke, ECC generated two hits and took advantage of two errors to steal the win. The final tally came with a runner at second and one out, the Spartans XXXX Crofoot hit a line drive to center that was good enough for the winning run to score. 

The WolfPack produced a season-high 20 hits, led by four-hit performances from Doyle, Mantz, and Fulton. Mantz, a native of Slinger, Wisconsin, turned his four hits into a career-best four runs scored and one batted in. Fulton, from Crystal Lake, Illinois, drove in a career-high five runs and scored another, and Doyle, a former Oak Creek HS athlete, had three runs and two RBI. 

Madison College went through five arms in the high-scoring game, starting with Fluno's 4 1/3 innings with five runs allowed, three of which were earned, on four hits and four walks. The Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, native, struck out a career-high ten batters. Jack McNeil was the first one out of the bullpen and gave up one unearned run on five hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings, and was relieved by Hubley for two innings. He was tagged for three earned runs on three hits and a pair of walks. After Charlie Campbell struggled to get more than one out and allowed three runs to score, Thielke was brought in to try and close things down. In his two innings on the hill, the Green Bay, Wisconsin, native, an earned run out of three runs total with three hits, one walk, and three K's.

Up Next:

Madison College (28-11) returns to North Central Community College Conference play on Saturday, May 1 to play Joliet Junior College (18-27, 4-2) at Robin Roberts Field. The WolfPack boasts a 36-19 lead in the all-time series. First pitch is at noon, followed by 3:00 p.m. start for game two. 

Spectators are limited to immediate family only (Fan Policy (PDF)), and the games can be seen live via MadisonCollege.tv.

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