During his nightly pre-game show on Madison?s Fox Sports Radio 100.5 FM, Madison Mallards manager C.J. Thieleke said he was looking for just four guys per night to be ?on? offensively. The skipper got exactly that as the Mallards pounded the Waterloo Bucks, 8-0, Monday night at Warner Park.
Ryan Bond (pictured left) was a perfect 3 for 3 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored. Jordan Comadena, Tommy Lentz and Spencer Steedley each had two hits.
Madison scored a run in the first after Comadena singled, moved to second on a Bobby Hubbard bunt, advanced to third on a single by Lentz and scored on a sacrifice fly by Steedley (pictured below). It was no ordinary sacrifice fly, as a throw home came from short left field, and reached the plate at almost the same as Comadena. But Comadena slid hard to erase any chance of the catcher getting the ball.
The Mallards added two more in the sixth as Lentz led off with a double. He moved to third on a single by Steedley. Bond?s single plated Lentz to give the Mallards a 2-0 lead. After a sacrifice and an intentional walk to Mike Rohde, the bases were full for Gary Arndt. Arndt never had to swing to bring Steedley in as he scored on a wild pitch by relief pitcher Steven Vidal to make it 3-0.
The bats went wild in the eighth for Madison. After scoring seven times in the first inning the night before against Waterloo, the Mallards plated five in the eighth to make the final score 8-0. Steedley led off with a single and scored on Bond?s triple. Bond scored on the play as the relay from the shortstop went into the Mallards dugout to make the score 5-0. With one out, Rohde and Arndt were issued back-to-back walks. Rohde came to the plate on Jordan Wolf?s double. Comadena followed with a single to score Arndt and Wolf and close the scoring for the evening.
Mallards starting pitcher Casey Baron took part in his third shutout of the season. He went the distance once and took wins in the other two, which he did not finish. In 6.2 innings Monday, Baron allowed just four hits and a walk while striking out a pair of Bucks. Stephen Dodson and Jason Leaver combined for 2.1 innings of one-hit relief.
Madison and the rest of the Northwoods League are off for the next three days due to the All-Star break. The annual All-Star Game is Wednesday night at LaCrosse?s Copeland Park. Tuesday night is the Home Run Derby. The Mallards had five players chosen for the South Division All-Star team: Ryan Bond, Comadena, Mike Creevy, Hubbard and Brian Smith. You?ll be able to hear the baseball game by logging on to www.mallardsbaseball.com.
The Mallards return to second-half action on Friday, July 14, versus the Wisconsin Woodchucks. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. from the Duck Pond. It will be Dr. Jay Hazen Dentistry for Madison Turn-Back-the-Clock-Night, presented by Madison Magazine. The Ducks will be sporting authentic 1993 Madison Muskies uniforms and the first 1,000 fans will receive a free Muskies mesh cap.
Great seats are still available. Order yours now by visiting www.mallardsbaseball.com or calling 246.4277.
