In baseball, a team likes to get its leadoff man aboard, move him to second and let the third, fourth and fifth hitters try to knock him in. Friday night, it was the bottom three in the Mallards order ? or Muskies order, as it was Dr. Jay Hanzen Dentistry for Madison Muskies Turn-Back-the-Clock-Night ? that did most of the damage in a 9-2 victory over the Wisconsin Woodchucks.
Madison catcher Jordan Wolf (pictured top-left) was one of the offensive stars for the Muskies. He was 2-2 with a sacrifice and a walk hitting in the ninth spot in the order. The Xavier catcher scored three times and knocked in a pair with his first homer of the season.
Mike Rohde and Gary Arndt also had two hits apiece. They hit seventh and eighth, respectively. Rohde, Arndt and Wolf combined to go 6-10 with six runs scored and three RBI.
Wolf got the Muskies going early. With the Muskies trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the second, Rohde reached base with a one-out single. After Arndt popped out, Wolf hammered a Tyler Epsland pitch over the left field fence to knot the score.
Madison added a run in the fifth when Tommy Lentz (pictured below) singled to score Jordan Comadena.
The Muskies poured it on in the sixth, scoring four times. The big blow was a bases-loaded double by Bobby Hubbard scoring three. Arndt had a RBI single earlier in the inning.
In the seventh, the Muskies scored two more runs. Mitch Saum?s single knocked in Rohde and Wolf scored on a wild pitch.
Eryk McConnell (pictured bottom-left) earned his fourth win of the season. He allowed two runs, one earned, and five hits in seven innings. Adam Tollefson pitched the final two innings for the Muskies.
The Muskies wore authentic 1993 Madison Muskies jerseys in the game. The Muskies were the Class A affiliate of the Oakland A?s from 1982-93.
The Muskies and Wisconsin complete the home-and-home series with a game at Wausau Saturday night. Lefty Jake Sullivan will start for the Muskies against Owen Reid of the Woodchucks. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. from Athletic Park. You?ll hear the game on Madison?s Fox Sports Radio 100.5 FM.
The Mallard return home Sunday, July 16, to take on the Rochester Honkers. It will be Ducks Unlimited Night. The first 500 fans will receive duck calls courtesy of Ducks Unlimited. It will also be Schoep?s Ice Cream Mini Batting Helmet Night. The first 1,000 fans 14 and under will receive a free mini batting helmet courtesy of Schoep?s Ice Cream.
Great Seats are still available. Order yours now by visiting www.mallardsbaseball.com or calling 246.4277.
