The Eau Claire Express took the field Wednesday against the Mallards with the best team batting average in the Northwoods League, but the combined effort of the Mallards pitching staff took the steam out of the Eau Claire bats and Madison prevailed 3-1.

Jake Hansen (2-0) threw 6 1/3 shutout innings while scattering six hits and striking out one as the Mallards pulled into a second place tie with Eau Claire. The Mallards bullpen secured Hansen?s second straight win of the season as Mike Creevy, Tim Gudex and Matt Petty shut the door on the Express. Petty allowed a home run to catcher Erich Diedrich in the ninth, but that was the only hit Eau Claire could produce in the ninth, as the right-hander picked up his first save of the season.

After failing to produce with runners in scoring position early in the game, the Mallards came through with clutch hits when it mattered as Madison scored all three runs with two outs. Nate Trumm?s RBI single with two outs in the sixth inning scored right fielder Ryan Rogowski to give the Mallards a 1-0 lead. Dan Melvin?s two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh gave the Mallards the insurance they needed to pull out the victory.

The Mallards also announced pitchers Ryan Zink and Zach Peterson won’t be returning to Madison for the 2005 season due to fatigue from their collegiate season at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

The Mallards and Express take the field Thursday at 7:05 p.m. for the conclusion of their two-game set. For ticket information for Thursday?s game or any other games throughout the year call the Mallards at 608-246-4277 or visit the Mallards online at www.mallardsbaseball.com.