MESA, TUCSON, & PHOENIX, ARIZ. - The Madison College baseball team continues to find ways to win games as they improved their season-opening win streak to six straight over the weekend on their annual Arizona Spring Trip. The WolfPack, who are ranked #2 in the first official NJCAA Division II Poll of the season, pounded Mesa Community College early in a 17-5 win in eight innings on Friday, defeated Williston State College 4-1 and Miles Community College 12-1 in a pair of seven-inning contests Saturday, and capped the weekend with a 14-inning marathon against Western Nebraska Community College on Sunday that ended with a 6-5 walk-off win. They are 6-0 to start the season for the second straight year.

Game #3: #2 Madison College 17, Mesa Community College 5 (8 innings)

Playing the first of 14 schedule 1x9 games on the 2023 regular season schedule, Madison College jumped all over the Thunderbirds with five runs in each of the first two innings. All five run in the first inning came with two outs on the board. After a MCC error plated the opening run, Nick Nowak singled in Payton Frehner, Will Johannes doubled home Nowak and Charlie Marion, and Trace Kirchberg lined a run-scoring single up the middle to plate Johannes.

Mesa CC claimed one run off freshman starter Michael Carpenter in the bottom of the first with four singles, however, the WolfPack got right back to work in the second and did so again with two outs. Marion's single to right scored the first run, Kirchberg drove in a pair with another single up the middle, and Evan Iwinski made it 10-1 with a two-run single to right. 

After the Thunderbirds cut the differential down to six in the sixth inning, Madison College got two back with a bases loaded walk of Gabe Roessler and a Clayton Slack sacrifice fly to brought in Jake Petasek. Mesa capped their scoring in the seventh and the WolfPack slammed the door shut on a run-rule victory with another five-run frame. Petasek tripled home two runs and then scored on an error during the next at bat. Back-to-back bases loaded walks gave the Pack a season-high 17 runs after Mesa Community College used a dozen pitchers, with none making it through two full innings.

Johannes, a native of Mukwonago, scored a career-high four runs and drove in two more as the result of a 2 for 4 effort at the plate. Kirchberg, a fellow first year from Columbus, Wisconsin, was 2 for 3 with a team-high three runs driven in and one run scored. Petasek, an infielder from Green Bay Preble HS, finished with a hit, two runs scored, and two runs batted in. Madison College posted 13 and drew eight walks.

On the hill, Michael Carpenter worked three innings and allowed three earned runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out two batters and did not pitch enough innings to earn credit for the win. That honor went to fellow freshman Nick West (1-0). The native of Verona, Wisconsin, was tagged with one earned run out of two runs allowed in his four innings. West gave up seven hits and struck out four batters. Like Carpenter and West, Allen Leitner made his collegiate debut in pitching the final inning with one K.

Madison College has narrowed the gap in the all-time series with Mesa CC to 6-4 after wins in consecutive years.

Game #4: #2 Madison College 4, Williston State College 1

The first of two, seven-inning gams in Tucson saw Madison College earn some revenge for their only loss in Arizona in 2022, a game that was eventually overturned via forfeit. Neither team scored in the first inning, and the WolfPack once again engineered a two-out scoring surge to take a 2-0 lead in the second. Jake Petasek singled a 1-2 pitch to right to score Grant Ross, and then eventually scored on a Tetons error. The advantage grew to 4-0 in the fourth, which opened with back-to-back walks. A sac fly from Dayton Rozinski-Hicks plated Will Johannes, and then Petasek scored for the second time via error on a line drive by Gabe Roessler.

Two hits and an error by the Pack got WSC on the board in the fifth, but that was all the Madison College defense would allow. Sophomore Kellan Short (1-0) made his season debut with 5.1 innings to earn his second career win. The New Berlin, Wisconsin, native limited the Tetons to one unearned run on six hits and a walk, while fanning five. Freshman Adam Balcerak tossed the final 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball with two K's.

Offensively, the WolfPack produced just three hits. Petasek went 1 for 2 with two runs scored and one batted in to lead the effort. Ross and Roessler had the other base hits, with Ross also scoring a run.

The win gives Madison College a 27-4 lead and a seven-game win streak in the all-time series.

Game #5: #2 Madison College 12, Miles Community College 1

Madison College drew first blood in the day's second game, using a walk and a single to put runners on for Payton Frehner, and the freshman from Waukesha, Wisconsin, doubled to right to drive in one run. Ryan Santi followed with a single to right, and Charlier Marion and Frehner hustled in to give the WolfPack a 3-0 lead. Colin Obermann delivered a second-inning triple and scored via sac fly from Clayton Slack to make it a four-run advantage in the second inning. 

The Pioneers got on the board in the sixth with three consecutive singles off relief pitcher Andres Kleinsek, but the WolfPack had his back and blew the game open with eight runs in the sixth off five hits, two walks, and two errors. Key hits included a Frehner two-run single, a three-RBI double from Obermann, and a two-bagger by Slack to plate Obermann for the game's final run.

Madison College racked up a season-high 15 hits, led by Obermann's 4 for 4 day with two extra base hits. The first year outfielder from Kimberly, Wisconsin, capitalized on his season-high hit total to produce three runs scored and two runs batted in. Frehner also set new career marks with three RBI, two runs scored, and two hits. Santi and Nick Nowak completed the list of players with multiple hits.

Righthander Liam Stumpf (1-0) earned his first collegiate win with five innings on the hill, scattering three hits and three walks to keep MCC off the scoreboard. The first year from Dodgeville, Wisconsin, struck out two before Kleinsek took over for two innings the yielded four K's, one earned run, and three hits allowed.

Madison College improves to 12-4 all-time against Miles Community College.

Game #6: #2 Madison College 6, Western Nebraska Community College 5 (14 innings)

The game of the trip so far came Sunday in a neutral site 1x9 against NJCAA Division I Western Nebraska Community College at Camelback Ranch, the spring training site of the Chicago White Sox. Madison College broke a scoreless game in the third with three runs. Will Johannes opened with a triple and scored on a fielder's choice from Trace Kirchberg. Consecutive singles from Carson Shepard and Nick Nowak made it 2-0 before Shepard scored on a productive ground out by Gabe Roessler. 

The Cougars leapt in front with three singles and three errors in the top of the sixth to make it 4-3, and then pushed the advantage to 5-3 in the seventh with a leadoff home run off freshman Eamonn Mulhern. Three singles to start the bottom of the eight produced a WolfPack run as Grant Ross drove in Roessler, and three batters later, Colin Obermann came through with a game-tying fielder's choice that allowed Jake Petasek to touch home.

Both teams failed to capitalize on having runners aboard in the ninth, and the game headed to extras. In the bottom of the 14, sophomore Carter Stebane stepped to the plate with runners at first and second after a walk and a single with one out. Stebane, a native of Brillion, Wisconsin, looped the line drive down the right field line to drive in Petasek from second for the walk-off win.

Madison College finished with a dozen hits, including two from Petasek that led to a team-high two runs scored. Nowak and Ross both had two hits and a RBI, while Johannes finished with two hits and a run scored.

The WolfPack went through five arms to survive the marathon contest, beginning with starter Logan LeTourneau. The sophomore transfer from MATC-Milwaukee worked three innings and gave up just a hit and a walk while striking out two. Freshman Ben Kasten ate up the most innings, going 6.2 scoreless with two hits, three walks, and a season-high seven strikeouts. Evan Iwinski toss two full innings without surrendering a hit, and finished with one walk and one K. Mulhern's 1.1 innings yielded five runs, only one of which was earned, on four hits. He did strike out three before Allen Leitner (1-0) picked up his first career win with an inning of work in the 14th. Leitner amassed one hit, one walk, and two whiffs. 

The win improves the Pack to 2-0 all-time against WNCC. 

Up Next:

Madison College (6-0) is off Monday before traveling to Glendale, Arizona, on Tuesday for a doubleheader against Glendale Community College (19-9). The two teams have not met since 2019, and the Gauchos own an 8-3 all-time series lead. Game one is slated for a 1:00 p.m. CT/11:00 a.m. AMT first pitch, followed by game two at approximately 4:00 p.m. CT/2:00 p.m. AMT. Follow and watch the games via the GameChanger app.

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