Sports: Madison Mallards

Mallards’ home win streak hits 9 games

Shortstop Joe De Pinto hits game-winner in 10th to cap comeback

The Madison Mallards should consider changing their names to the Comeback Kids.

Once again, the Mallards saved their heroics for the final inning, as they came from behind for a 5-4 comeback win in extra innings over the La Crosse Loggers Friday night at Warner Park.

Shortstop Joe De Pinto singled to left to score Trent Soares with the game-winner in the bottom of the tenth.

“You dream about getting at-bats like that, a chance to win the game,” De Pinto said. “I got a pitch I could hit and luckily I got a base hit.”

Pitches like that were few and far between most of the evening for the Mallards, as Loggers pitcher Aaron Dott kept them in check for the first 6.1 innings. Dott, a left-handed pitcher out of UW-Whitewater, was drafted by Tampa Bay Devil Rays Thursday and Mallards manager CJThieleke believes he’ll sign with the team by the end of the weekend.

While Dott was going through the Mallards line-up like clockwork, the Loggers jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Brandon Meredith cranked a two-run home run in the third and added two more runs in the top half of the eighth inning.

But the Mallards bats came alive in their half of the eighth. Catcher Ben Long led off the inning with a double, and third baseman Troy Channing followed with a walk. After a strikeout, center fielder Kurtis Muller also walked to load thebases for De Pinto. This time De Pinto worked his way for yet another walk, scoring Long and putting Madison on the board for the first time in the game.

Pinch runner Chris Barker then scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-2, before Joe Patterson’s grounder was bobbled by the Logger’s first baseman, allowing two runs to score at tie the game at 4-4.

“Joe Patterson has been clutch for us,” Thieleke said. “He’s got that mentality that when the game does get on the line, to slow that down. I felt really good with him coming up. He got down with two strikes and just battled. We just didn’t give in.”

De Pinto’s walk-off was the third such win for the Mallards in their nine home games to date. And the win also keeps Madison’s undefeated streak at home alive, a streak that everyone on the team feels is important.

“I think it gives us a edge, mentally more so,” Long said. “They’re going to come in here, know that we’re going to be tough at home, and that we’re going to fight. It just gives us an edge - especially with the crowd. They’ll make their noise; it gets in their heads.”

Thieleke agreed with Long’s notion.

“It’s outstanding to be able to play well at home,” Thieleke said. “That’s always important for our guys. They spend all winter knowingthey’re coming to a neat environment. For them to come in here and establish this home field advantage that we’ve got, it’s in other teams heads when they get here.”

Madison will hope to keep their perfect home record intact Saturday night when they take on La Crosse once again in the series finale. First pitch is slated for 6:05.