Madison, WI – July 4, 2008. Fresh off a doubleheader sweep of Battle Creek earning them the South Division First-Half Championship, the Mallards continue their road trip with a 6:35 contest against the Wisconsin Woodchucks. Right-hander Joe Yermal (Charlotte) will be looking for his first win of the season tonight. You can follow all the action from Wausau on livemallardsbaseball.com.

Madison Mallards (22-11 first half) at Wisconsin Woodchucks (22-12 first half)
July 4, 2008 – 6:35 p.m. (CT)
Athletic Park – Wausau, WI

Pitching Probables:
RHP Joe Yermal (MAD) – 4 GS, 17.0 IP, 0-0, 6.35 ERA
LHP Robert Young (WIS) – 3 GS, 18.1 IP, 1-2, 4.42 ERA

Mallards first-half records:
– 2-0 vs. Wisconsin
– 10-8 at home
– 12-3 on road
– 14-6 vs. South Division
– 8-5 vs. North Division

Madison is…
– 16-3 when scoring first
– 3-3 in extra innings
– 7-2 in one-run games
– 15-1 when leading after 7 innings
– 14-1 when outhitting its opponent
– 15-0 when scoring 7+ runs
– 14-2 when making equal or fewer errors than opponent

Last time out for the Mallards: W 8-2, 7-2 at Battle Creek, July 4
The Mallards clinched the South Division first-half title with a doubleheader sweep of Battle Creek on Friday night. Rob Lyerly (Charlotte) was 5-for-8 with three RBIs on the day, and Drew Martin (NC State) went 5-for-7 with two runs scored. The Mallards needed to win both games of the doubleheader or win one and get some help to clinch the title, but they took care of business with a pair of wins on their own. The Mallards will be returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2006, and will host a playoff game on either August 12 or August 13.

Road Warriors:
The Mallards continue their 10-game, 11-day road trip, which is by far their longest of the season. So far the Mallards are 3-1 on the extended road stay. The team is in Wausau this weekend for a couple of games. After enjoying a day off on Sunday, June 6, they will go to Duluth and then Alexandria, before returning to Madison on Friday, July 11.

Mallards Musings:
-Rob Lyerly (Charlotte) is sixth in the Northwoods League with a .351 batting average in 25 games played.
-Gabriel Shaw (Louisville) and Matt Jansen (Purdue) are on the league leaderboard in ERA. Shaw comes in sixth with a 1.29 ERA in 28 innings pitched, and Jansen is 10th with a 1.73 ERA after pitching 36 innings.
-Luke Stewart (UAB) is tied for third in the Northwoods League with four home runs. His 13 extra-base hits rank him fifth in the league.
-After a 4-for-5 performance on June 26 against Brainerd, outfielder Aaron Bray (Charlotte) 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. Lyerly made it two Mallards award-winners in one week when he earned the honor on Monday after a 4-for-5 game at Mankato. He had a home run, a double, three RBIs and scored three runs in the contest.
-With a win on June 25 at Thunder Bay, Brandon Johnson (Western Carolina) moved into a tie for the third in the league in wins with four.
-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.

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.

The Mallards will be hosting the 2008 Northwoods League All-Star Game on July 13th and July 14th. The Homerun Derby, the Military All-Stars vs. Home Talent League All-Stars Game, and the All-Star Fan Fest will take place on the 13th, while the Northwoods League All-Star Game will take place at 7:05 pm on July 14th. Great seats are still available and can be purchased either online at mallardsbaseball.com or by calling the ticket office at (608) 246-4277.