MADISON, WISC. - An impressive team effort in Wednesday's doubleheader opener set the stage for a Region 4 sweep by the Madison College baseball team as they host Kishwaukee College at Robin Roberts Field. Pitchers Tavian Shramek and Mason Sherman combined on a four-hit shutout as the #8-ranked WolfPack rolled to a run-ruled 16-0 win in five innings before rallying for a 7-4 decision in the nightcap for their third consecutive win. The sweep improves the Pack's all-time lead against the Kougars to 42-24-1.

Game #1: #8 Madison College 16, Kishwaukee College 0 (5 innings)

The tone of the day was set early as freshman Tavian Shramek struck out the first batter he face, and second year second baseman JJ Wolbert led off the bottom of the first with a double to left. He scored two batters later on a fielding error by the left fielder to make it 1-0. The WolfPack made it a 4-0 lead in the second inning. An Eason Hurd single and Matt Gruber double put runners in scoring position with two outs when a ground ball by Braylen White was misplayed and the error scored Hurd. Freshman Ian Salvesen then lined a two-run double to right to plate Gruber and White.



The game broke wide open with an eight-run third inning that saw 14 players come to the plate, resulting in five hits, six walks, one error, and one bizarre infield fly. A bases loaded wild pitch brought in the first run as Sam Moses touched home, and freshman designated hitter Paul Nuetzel drove in Beau Bloxdorf on a single to right. An error on an attempted pickoff then allowed Hurd to touch home. Nuetzel later scored despite an infield fly called after the ball dropped as players battled strong winds. After Gruber scored on a wild pitch, Bloxdorf recorded a two-run single to center and Hurd drove in another with a bloop single to center.

The scoring was completed in the fourth with four more runs on four hits, two free passes, and an error. Salvesen's second double of the game scored Casey Wambach, Chase Maika reached on a error by the shortstop, and Bloxdorf and Nuetzel each singled in a run.

Shramek (1-0), a Blair, Wisconsin, native, struck out three batters and allowed just three hits in his four innings on the mound as he picked up his first collegiate victory. Sherman took over for the fifth inning and locked down the shutout with a strikeout and one hit surrendered.

Five of the team's 13 hits went for extra bases to help Madison College score it's second highest run total in a game this season. Hurd, a transfer from Creighton University, was 3 for 3 with two runs scored and one batted in. Salvesen went 2 for 3 with two doubles and a walk as the native of Hatley, Wisconsin, drove in three runs and score two more. Bloxdorf matched Salvesen with two hits, a walk, and three RBI, while also touching home once. And Nuetzel, a former Homestead HS athlete, went 2 for 3 with a walk, two runs batted in, and one run scored.

Game #2: #8 Madison College 7, Kishwaukee College 4

The day's second game saw Kishwaukee College (4-23) race out to a 3-0 lead against second year starter Braycen Burg. The Kougars generated one hit, while also taking advantage of two free passes to first, two errors, and a wild pitch. The WolfPack, however, had Burg's back and rallied to take the lead.

After scoring a run in the bottom of the second on freshman Chase Maika's line drive single to left that scored Sam Moses, Madison College posted a five-spot in the third. Two batters after JJ Wolbert led off with a single, Ian Salvesen grounded a base hit through the right side to drive in Wolbert and pull within a run. An error by the second baseman on a ball hit by Moses resulted in two runs scoring as both Nate Novinska and Salvesen made it home for a 4-3 advantage. Designated hitter Casey Wambach, a native of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, doubled to right to plate Moses and Maika picked up another RBI with a single to right, scoring Wambach. 

Both teams eventually scored a run in sixth inning, with the Kougars doing so with back-to-back singles sandwiched around a stolen base, and the Pack taking advantage of another run-scoring double by Salvesen to drive in Wolbert.

Salvesen was 2 for 4 with two runs batted in and a run scored. For the day, he racked up four hits, including three doubles, five RBI, and three runs scored. Maika, a Kenosha, Wisconsin, native, used his two hits and a walk to bring in two runs, while Wambachwas 2 for 3 with a walk as he registered a run scored and one batted in. Moses racked up two runs and two RBI despite going 0 for 3 with a walk. And Wolbert scored twice with a hit and a walk.

On the hill, Burg recovered from the first inning and tossed three complete frames with three unearned runs with two hits, one walk, and two strikeouts. Freshman Charlie Slawinski (1-0) entered in relief and the Brookfield, Wisconsin, native, secured his first collegiate win as he struck out one batter in a scoreless and hitless fourth inning. Noah Musolf, Camden Broske, and Adison Tevz also all pitched an inning out of the bullpen. Musolf finished with one hit allowed and on K, while Broske was tagged for a run on two hits. Tevz earned his first career save as the sophomore from New Berlin, Wisconsin, struck out one in facing the minimum three batters in the seventh.

Up Next:

Madison College (17-6) is back on the road Thursday, April 9 to play a 1x9 against Sauk Valley Community College (15-12) in a game that was added earlier in the week. The WolfPack is 27-8 against the Skyhawks and have won 17 straight head-to-head meetings. The two teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader in Madison on April 24. First pitch in Dixon, Illinois, is at 2:00 p.m., with live video and stats available via the GameChanger app.

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