For the first and only time in 2007 the Mallards and River Bats will square off in a two-game set at the Duck Pond starting Monday. The season series is split at one game apiece with Madison defeating the River Bats in the last meeting 7-6 back on July 7.

Head-to-head, these teams are almost identical, as the margin of victory has been no more than a run difference. Both the Mallards and River Bats have put up 11 runs in the season series and both have team ERA’s over four.

Hoping to slow down the third-best hitting squad in the Northwoods League for the Mallards is big right-hander Jim Sajewich. The sophomore from Illinois State has yet to record a victory this season at 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA. Sajewich can not afford to have a start like his last one versus Thunder Bay on July 5 in which he went 4.1 innings of work, allowing four earned runs on five hits and a home run. Opposing batters are hitting .313 against Sajewich, and he must have command of his pitches early to go deep into the game.

Sajewich’s counterpart will be right-hander Joe Campbell, who enters Monday 1-1 with a 1.71 ERA. In his last two appearances Campbell has allowed six earned runs and has struck out 13. The junior from Arkansas-Little Rock has thrown 31.2 innings pitched, struck out 23 and has yet to allow a home run in 2007.

The River Bats have to be entering this two-game series with much confidence has they have hit .338 against the Mallards. Infielder Brian Hernandez is 6-for-7 (.857) with two runs scored and two runs batted in versus the Mallards pitching staff. Two other St. Cloud batters in catcher Kevin Gonzalez and outfielder D.J. Belfonte have batted .500 against Madison combining for three doubles and three runs scored.

However, beyond the batting statistics, one number stands out in this series and that is six, the number of errors the Mallards have committed against the River Bats. Of the 11 runs scored by St. Cloud, only eight have been recorded earned.

Offensively for the Mallards, production has come from all spots of the line-up. Outfielder Adam Pasono is batting .600 (3-5) with two runs batted in against the River Bats. Pasono is also hitting .286 (4-14) with five runs scored in his last five games.

Randy Molina has been the most successful Mallards hitter as of late. He enters Monday on a five-game hitting streak having gone 10–for-23 (.434) with five runs batted in and a home run during that span. Beyond that, Molina has hit safely in nine of his last 10 (.409, 18-44) in which seven of those 10 games have been multi-hit performances. Dating back to June 27, Molina was bating .167 and since then has raised his average 152 points to lead the Mallards with a .319 average.

The Mallards have won five of their last 10 and remain five games back of Wisconsin in the South Division. The Mallards conclude the two-game series with St. Cloud on Tuesday evening and will return to the Duck Pond Friday for one game against Wisconsin.