Despite their second-half struggles, Madison Mallards manager C.J. Thieleke was confident in his starting pitchers heading into the Northwoods League playoffs.

And in two of the Mallards' three postseason games, Madison's starters have justified that confidence.

Friday night it was the Mallards' hitting that dug them a 1-0 hole in their NWL championship series with the Thunder Bay Border Cats.

Right-hander Gabriel Shaw allowed one run in eight innings, but Madison mustered just four hits in falling 1-0 in front of a crowd of 2,443 at Warner Park.

The Mallards now need to win twice in Thunder Bay — they play Saturday and Sunday if necessary — to avoid being beaten by the Border Cats in the title series for the second time in four years.

Madison won both of its games at Thunder Bay during the regular season.

Center fielder Mike O'Neill's one-out double in the eighth provided the lone run of the night, and was the lone blemish in Shaw's performance.

He entered the game having allowed 22 earned runs in 21.2 innings during the second half of the season. Mallards starters as a whole had compiled a 5.16 ERA during the team's disappointing second half.

But right-hander Alex Rivers threw 7.2 strong innings in Game 1 of Madison's South Division series sweep of Wisconsin, and — after Matt Jansen battled his way through the second game of the series — Shaw scattered seven hits and worked out of trouble before O'Neill came to the plate.

Thunder Bay right fielder Ryan Terry singled to lead off the eighth, and moved to second on a bunt by second baseman Connor Lind.

O'Neill then doubled to center. The Mallards, meanwhile, didn't produce too many serious threats against Border Cats right-hander Nate Woods.

They had their leadoff runners on in four innings, but only put runners in scoring position twice.

And after Woods, who struck out three and walked two, departed, Thunder Bay closer Jimmy Stanley retired three of Madison's top hitters, center fielder Joe Bonadonna (struck out looking), shortstop Brandon Wikoff (fly out to left field) and right fielder Rob Lyerly (ground out to second base), in order.