MADISON, WISC. - If you are watching a Madison College baseball game, do not take your eyes off the field in the sixth inning. After scoring five runs in that frame en route to Thursday's win over #7 Bryant & Stratton College, the #1 WolfPack scored three runs in the sixth to overcome #4 Kankakee Community College 3-2 in the
Region 4 Tournament semifinal on Friday at
Robin Roberts Field. Madison College is also 35-20 against the Cavaliers all-time, which includes a 16-4 mark in the postseason.
Offense was hard to come by in the early innings as both team's starting pitchers controlled the action. WolfPack starter
Noah Marschke struck out six batters over the first three innings; however, in the fourth, Kankakee Community College (36-20) nearly broke the game open. A leadoff single, followed by a sacrifice bunt, and a wild pitch put a runner on third with no outs. A line drive single to center scored the run for a 1-0 lead. Two walks later in the inning loaded the bases with two outs, but the sophomore southpaw fanned another batter to end the threat.
Still trailing 1-0 in the sixth, the Madison College offense came to life with the help of the Cavaliers pitching. Two walks put a pair of runners on for
Nate Novinska, and the second year catcher came through with a ground ball single to right field that scored
JJ Wolbert and tied the game. Sophomore outfielder
Quinn Falish followed with an infield single to plate
Jonah Roloff and give Madison College a 2-1 lead. Two batters later, shortstop
Beau Bloxdorf delivered some breathing room with another run-scoring single on the infield to push the lead to 3-1.
The Cavaliers closed the gap to 3-2 in the eighth as the Pack turned to their bullpen.
Axel Donaldson relieved Marschke and allowed two of the four batters to reach base, Fellow second year
Chase Baker entered and surrendered a RBI-single to right to the first batter.
Baker was able to get out of the eighth inning, stranding a pair of runners. He returned to the hill for the ninth, and worked a 1-2-3 inning with K's of the final two batters to close out the win and his second save of the season.
Marschke (6-0), a native of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, finished with 11 strikeouts, marking his third outing this season with ten or more. He worked seven innings and surrendered just one run on five hits and two walks. Donaldson allowed a run on a hit and a walk with one K in his two-thirds of an inning. And Baker finished with two strikeouts and a hit in his scoreless 1.1 innings.
The WolfPack amassed just five hits, two of which came from Falish. The native of De Pere, Wisconsin, generated one run batted in. Novinska, a former Oregon HS athlete, was 1 for 4 with a run scored and one batted in.
Up Next:
Madison College (43-10) will play in the Region 4 Tournament championship game for the ninth consecutive season and the 15th time in the 16 years since joining the region. They will face in-state rival Bryant & Stratton College (36-21), who defeated Kankakee Community College by a 14-3 final in five innings in an elimination semifinal Friday afternoon. The WolfPack defeated the Bobcats
10-2 in eight innings to begin the Region 4 Tournament on Thursday. The all-time series belongs to the Pack by a 15-5 margin, including a 2-1 record this season and a 2-0 mark in postseason meetings. First pitch is set for 11:00 a.m. at
Robin Roberts Field, with the "if necessary" game slated for 2:00 p.m. All games will be streamed live at
MadisonCollege.tv.
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