Madison, WI – June 20. The Madison Mallards will try to end a two-game losing streak tonight when they play the Duluth Huskies at the “Duck Pond” at 7:05. Great seats still remain for tonight’s game, which will be a pitching matchup of Madison right-hander Alex Rivers (Santa Clara) and Huskies righty Mike Nesseth.
Duluth Huskies (6-15) at Madison Mallards (12-8)
June 20, 2008 – 7:05 p.m. (CT)
Warner Park – Madison, WI
Pitching Probables:
RHP Alex Rivers (MAD) – 0 GS, 2.0 IP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA
RHP Mike Nesseth (DUL) – 2 GS, 6.2 IP, 0-1, 0.00 ERA
Mallards records:
– 0-1 vs. Duluth
– 5-6 at home
– 7-2 on road
– 9-4 vs. South Division
– 3-4 vs. North Division
Madison is…
– 8-3 when scoring first
– 0-2 in extra innings
– 4-2 in one-run games
– 9-1 when leading after 7 innings
– 7-1 when outhitting its opponent
– 7-0 when scoring 7+ runs
– 11-7 when allowing fewer than 7 runs
– 10-1 when making equal or fewer errors than opponent
Last time out for the Mallards: L 5-1 vs. Duluth, June 19
Aaron Barrett pitched eight stellar innings, allowing just one Mallards run on six hits to lead the Duluth Huskies to a 5-1 win over the Madison Mallards in front of 5,275 fans at the “Duck Pond.” The win snaps the Huskies’ nine-game losing streak. Brandon Wikoff (Illinois) led the offense with a 2-for-4 showing and drove in the lone Mallards run. Phil Gosselin (Virginia) also had two hits in the loss, which dropped the Mallards to 12-8 overall. Scott Heitshusen (Kansas) worked seven innings in a losing effort, scattering eight hits and allowing three earned runs. He struck out four, and his record fell to 2-1. Barrett was relieved in the ninth by Erik Anderson, who put down the Mallards in order to preserve the 5-1 lead and give the Huskies their sixth win of the season. Barrett set down eight Mallards hitters in a row from the fifth to the start of the eighth. Chris House finished the night with four singles and a walk in five plate appearances and also drove in a run and scored another.
Mallards Musings:
-Matt Jansen (Purdue) continues to pitch well and make a strong case for mid-season all-star honors. In 26 innings pitched over four starts and a relief appearance he has allowed just four earned runs (1.38 ERA). He is 2-0 on the season, and opponents are hitting just .213 against the left-hander.
-Luke Stewart’s third home run of the season on June 17 against Eau Claire puts him in a tie for the second-most home runs in the league.
-Josh Groves (UW-Milwaukee) has crossed the plate 16 times in 2008, a total that’s good for a tie for fourth in the league.
-The Mallards pitching staff has been stellar so far and is currently fourth in the league with a 2.69 ERA.
-The basepaths have been friendly to the Mallards so far this season. The team currently has a 77% success rate trying to steal (27-35).
-The Mallards will play their second twin-bill of the season at La Crosse on July 21 to make up for a game that was rained out.
Tonight’s promo’s include PA Guy Aaron Sims’ Budweiser Pint Glass Night (first 750, 21 & over) & stick around afterwards to see David “The Bullet” Smith, a self-proclaimed human cannonball project himself 200 feet into the air! Yes, it’s true!
Also don’t forget about tonight’s Budweiser free shuttles running from the Nitty Gritty (downtown) & the Sports Pub that will leave at 6:30 p.m. & return immediately after the game.
Great seats are still available for all games and can be purchased online at Mallardsbaseball.com or by calling the ticket office at 246.4277.
