Madison, WI – July 1, 2008. Madison goes for the series sweep at Mankato tonight at 7:05. The Mallards remain tied with Wisconsin for first place in the South Division with three games remaining in the first half. Mallards ace left-hander Matt Jansen (Purdue) will take the game ball to try to keep the Mallards in lead in the South Division.
Madison Mallards (20-10) at Mankato MoonDogs (19-12)
July 1, 2008 – 7:05 p.m. (CT)
Franklin Rogers Park – Mankato, MN
Pitching Probables:
LHP Matt Jansen (MAD) – 5 GS, 32.0 IP, 2-0, 1.13 ERA
LHP Brendan Lafferty (MAN) – 1 GS, 8.0 IP, 2-0, 1.13 ERA
Mallards records:
– 2-1 vs. Mankato
– 10-8 at home
– 10-2 on road
– 12-5 vs. South Division
– 8-5 vs. North Division
Madison is…
– 14-3 when scoring first
– 3-3 in extra innings
– 7-2 in one-run games
– 15-1 when leading after 7 innings
– 12-1 when outhitting its opponent
– 13-0 when scoring 7+ runs
– 13-1 when making equal or fewer errors than opponent
Last time out for the Mallards: W 8-6 at Mankato, June 30
The Mallards took advantage of four Mankato errors and a 4-for-5 performance by Rob Lyerly (Charlotte) to defeat the North Division-leading MoonDogs 8-6. The win moves the Mallards to 20-10 on the year and keeps them in a tie for first place in the South Division with three games remaining in the first half. The Mallards used five pitchers in the first game of a 10-game, 11-day road trip, with Andy Deain (Northern Illinois) getting the win on the night in a back-and-forth contest.
First half stretch run update:
With just three games remaining in the first half, the Mallards find themselves tied with Wisconsin for first place in the South Division, with the division winner earning a playoff berth. La Crosse stands one game back of Madison and Wisconsin. Wisconsin finishes a series at Brainerd tonight before heading to Waterloo to end the first half. La Crosse goes to Eau Claire tonight, and will finish up the first half with a pair of games at Brainerd.
Road Warriors:
The Mallards continue their 10-game, 11-day road trip, which is by far their longest of the season. After Mankato the team travels to Battle Creek and then to Wausau, before enjoying a day off on Sunday, June 6. After that they will go to Duluth and then Alexandria, before returning to Madison on Friday, July 11.
Mallards Musings:
-Luke Stewart (UAB) is tied for second in the Northwoods League with four home runs. His 13 extra-base hits rank him fourth in the league, and he stands sixth in the Northwoods League with 24 RBIs.
-After a 4-for-5 performance on Thursday against Brainerd, outfielder Aaron Bray was named Northwoods League Player of the Night. He had four singles and scored three runs. Bray is the first Mallard to win the nightly award this season.
-With a win on Wednesday at Thunder Bay, Brandon Johnson (Western Carolina) moved into a tie for the second in the league in wins with four.
-Tonight’s starting pitcher Matt Jansen (Purdue) continues to pitch well and make a strong case for mid-season all-star honors. In 32 innings pitched over five starts and a relief appearance he has allowed just four earned runs (1.13 ERA). He is 2-0 on the season, and opponents are hitting just .193 against the left-hander.
-Brandon Wikoff (Illinois) had a 10-game hitting streak snapped on June 28. It was the Mallards second-longest hitting streak of the season.
-Rob Lyerly’s (Charlotte) 12-game hitting streak dating back to June 11 ended with a 0-for-2 performance at Thunder Bay on June 24. He hit .380 with 11 runs scored and four doubles during the streak. It is the second-longest hitting streak in the Northwoods League this season.
-From the beginning of the season on May 29 until June 15 Brandon Wikoff (Illinois) reached base in 16 consecutive games.
-Rob Lyerly was named NWL Player of the Night on June 30 with a 4-for-5 performance with three runs scored and three RBIs that included a double and home run.
Two Mallards win College World Series Championship:
Mallards Alan Ahmady and Trent Soares will arrive in Madison as College World Series Champions. The Fresno State Bulldogs defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 6-1 Wednesday night to win the College World Series two games to one. Ahmady had a remarkable postseason to conclude a breakout 2008 campaign, going 17-for-48 (.354) in Fresno State’s 13 postseason games. He drove in 12 runs and scored 10 more. In 2008 Ahmady hit .386 and drove in 92 runs, a total that was good for second in the NCAA. After losing game one to Georgia 7-6 on Monday night, the Bulldogs evened the series on Tuesday with a 19-10 win and then wrapped up the championship with a 6-1 victory on Wednesday night. It is Fresno State’s first baseball championship in school history.
