It was fitting to see the Warner Park faithful rise from their seats in awe and appreciation in the top of the ninth inning as Ryan Zink put the finishing touches on another stellar pitching performance for the Mallards. Zink continued to send most of the Duluth batters back to the dugout, often with a strikeout. Zink struck out the side in the ninth, and flawlessly retired the last 15 batters he faced as he pitched his second complete game of the season and lead the Mallards to a 4-1 victory over the Duluth Huskies in front of 5,147 fans.

Zink set the tone in game one of a two game series against the Huskies, and the first in a season-high six-game homestand. The Huskies scored their lone run in the top of the first inning, notably unearned. From that point forward, Zink took complete control. Zink held the Huskies scoreless over the final eight innings, surrendering only four hits the entire game. Zink had amazing stuff all night, striking out 12 Huskies, including the final three of the game.

The Mallards provided enough offense to give Zink a comfortable lead to work with, not that Zink needed much support the way he was pitching. The Mallards answered the Huskies in the bottom of the first, scoring two runs. The Mallards equaled that effort in the second to take a 4-1 lead. Jeff Bieker and Ryan Rogowski each went 2-for-4 with Bieker knocking in a run and Rogowski scoring one. Greg Thomson and Jay Johnson also had RBI?s for Madison.

Billy Phillips (1-1) takes the mound at Warner Park tomorrow night at 7:05 as the Mallards (14-12) continue their six-game homestand. Tickets for all Mallards games are available online at www.mallardsbaseball.com, and at our office located at 2920 N. Sherman Ave.