Madison, WI – June 21, 2008. The Madison Mallards and the Northwoods League South Division-leading Wisconsin Woodchucks needed an extra frame to decide the outcome, where the Mallards emerged with the 7-6 win in front of a season-high 6,753 at the “Duck Pond.” The Mallards loaded the bases with nobody out, and Josh Groves (UW-Milwaukee) drew a walk to bring in Rob Lyerly (Charlotte) for the winning run. With the win the Mallards closed the gap between them and the Woodchucks and are now four games back. The game featured four ties and four lead changes.
Aaron Bray (Charlotte), Brandon Wikoff (Illinois), Luke Stewart (UAB) and Lyerly all had two hits apiece for the Mallards, who overcame five errors in the contest. Bray scored two runs, including the tying run in the bottom of the ninth. Wikoff reached base three times and also added a run scored. The Woodchucks got three hits from Troy Frazier and Bobby Pritchett, to account for six of their nine hits. Pritchett also had three RBIs.
The Woodchucks got on the scoreboard in the first inning off Mallards right-hander Gabriel Shaw (Louisville), when Jeff Cowan was hit by a pitch, moved to second on an errant pickoff attempt, stole third and crossed the plate on an error by Stewart at first. Cowan now has reached base at least once in all 22 games this season. The Mallards didn’t have an answer in the first, but tied it up in the second when Drew Martin (NC State) was hit by a pitch by Kyle Mertins and scored two batters later when Stewart doubled.
That was all the scoring until the top of the fifth, when the Woodchucks pushed another run across as a result of the third Mallards error. But the Mallards answer right back in the home half with two of their own to take a 3-2 lead, when Eric Nielsen (Purdue) and Bray both singled and later scored. Wikoff drove in Nielsen with a fielder’s choice grounder to short, and Lyerly knocked in Bray on a single that extended his hitting streak to 11 games. The Woodchucks tied it up in Shaw’s last inning of work in the sixth on a double by Pritchett that scored Jonathan Kaskow.
Mertins was relieved by Clint Tilford in the bottom of the sixth, but the Mallards could get nothing going off of him until the eighth with the score still tied at three. Wikoff singled for the second time in the game to start the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch. The Mallards then played small-ball, with Lyerly successfully moving him over to third on a groundout to first and then Phil Gosselin (Virginia) bringing him home with a sacrifice fly to right.
Now with a 4-3 lead the Mallards handed the ball over to Reed Woytek (Baylor) to pitch the ninth and keep the one-run lead. But Woytek could not do it tonight, as he gave up three runs on three hits to blow the save and put the Mallards behind 6-4 going into their last at-bat.
The Mallards did not say die tonight, as they tied the game with two runs off Aaron Varnum, the league leader in saves, to send it to extra innings. Stewart led off the inning with a single and moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch. Nielsen lined out to third, bringing up Bray with one away. Bray blasted a double that scored Stewart to bring the Mallards within one. He also moved up on a wild pitch, which helped score him from third when Russell Harben (South Alabama) hit a sacrifice fly to right that was deep enough to get the job done and tie the game.
Woytek stayed out there for the tenth and worked through the Woodchucks one-two-three. In the bottom of the tenth Lyerly singled after a marathon 10-pitch at bat. Gosselin then popped up a bunt that was dropped by new pitcher Brad Riddle to reach first and moved the winning run Lyerly to second. Riddle then lost his control, walking Martin to load the bases and Groves to give the Mallards the 7-6 win.
Riddle took the loss for the Woodchucks, who lost for the third time in five games after winning 10 straight from June 5 to June 16. Woytek got the win, moving to 1-1 on the season.
The two teams will battle once again tomorrow afternoon at 3:05. It is Summit Credit Union Play More Catch Night at the “Duck Pond.” Bring your gloves and play catch on the field following the game! The Mallards will also wear camouflage uniforms, presented by Ducks Unlimited.
Following the game with the Woodchucks and the conclusion of the unprecedented 14-game homestand, the Mallards will take a day off and head to Thunder Bay for two games Tuesday and Wednesday, before returning to the “Duck Pond” Thursday through Sunday for games against Brainerd and Green Bay. Great tickets are still available for all remaining games and can be purchased online at mallardsbaseball.com or by calling 608.246.4277.
