JOLIET, ILL. - In a matchup of two ranked teams, Madison College pulled off a road doubleheader sweep against Region opponent Joliet Junior College on Saturday. The WolfPack, ranked #18 in the NJCAA Division II Poll, earned a 6-0 shutout win and a 2-1 extra innings win over the Wolves, ranked #10 in the NJCAA Division III Poll. The wins give the Pack a 42-21 lead in the all-time series.

Game #1: #18 Madison College 6, #10 Joliet Junior College 0

Neither team was able to push across a run through the first five innings of the day's opening game until Madison College broke through in the sixth. With runners on second and third and with two outs, sophomore infielder Grant Ross lined a single to center to drive in both Will Johannes and Jalen Gellings. 

After the Wolves stranded a pair of runners in the bottom half, the WolfPack returned to the plate in the seventh and tacked on four insurance runs. Johannes delivered a single to left to score Charlie Schau, and Payton Frehner followed with a line drive base hit to center that was misplayed and scored Charlie Marion and Johannes. The scoring concluded with freshman Jalen Gellings plating Frehner on a single up the middle.

Gellings, an Eden, Wisconsin, native, led the offensive charge with three hits that resulted in a run scored and a run batted in.

Seven other WolfPack players registered a hit, including Johannes and Ross. Johannes used his hit to scored a team-high two runs and drove in one. Ross' hit yielded a team-leading two RBI.

Starter Michael Carpenter (3-2) threw five-plus scoreless innings, giving up four hits and issuing one walk. The righthander from Arrowhead HS struck out seven batters, giving him six consecutive appearances with six or more K's. Fellow sophomore Eamonn Mulhern closed out the win with 1.1 innings that featured a hit, a walk, and a strikeout.

Game #1: #18 Madison College 2, #10 Joliet Junior College 1 (9 innings)

Madison College was quick to put a run on the scoreboard, using a pair of doubles in the first inning. Nick Nowak opened with a two-bagger to right, and two batters later Charlie Marion did the same to make it 1-0. 

The one-run differential held into the sixth. After the WolfPack failed to capitalize on three straight walks to load the bases in the top half, Joliet Junior College (10-18) got a two-out single to left to drive in the tying run. 

Madison College had the go-ahead run on third in the seventh, but was unable to push it across and the game went to extra innings. A single and a walk in the top of the ninth gave the WolfPack another scoring opportunity, and this time Joliet Junior College came through for them. Following a pair of steals moved the go-ahead run 90 feet from home, a dropped third strike allowed Nowak to race in for a 2-1 edge. 

Grant Ross came in and worked a four-batter bottom of the ninth to finish off the sweep. Ross earned his second save of the season, while freshman Sam Steuber (1-0) picked up his first career win in relief. The Mukwonago, Wisconsin, product struck out one and issued a walk in a scoreless and hitless 1.2 innings on the hill. Starter Liam Stumpf performed 6.1 innings and was tagged for a single run on three hits and a walk. He also fanned one batter.

Nowak accounted for half of Madison College's six hits with a 3 for 5 effort that produced two runs scored by the Waukesha, Wisconsin, native. Charlie Marion, a former Franklin HS athlete, used his two hits and drive in two runs. 

Up Next:

Madison College (13-7) is scheduled to play a home-and-home series of 1x9 games with Region 4 and in-state rival Bryant & Stratton College (10-11) starting on Tuesday, April 9. The WolfPack is 9-3 all-time, however, the Bobcats have won two straight in the series. First pitch at Wisconsin Brewing Company Park in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, is set for 3:00 p.m. Watch and follow live via the GameChanger app.

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