Madison, WI – July 11, 2008. Joe Yermal (Charlotte), Kyle Heim (Iowa) and Reed Woytek (Baylor) combined to throw a four-hit shutout of the South Division-leading Wisconsin Woodchucks Friday night, shutting down the second-best offense in the league and leading the Mallards to the 9-0 victory. It was the Mallards third shutout of the season and was witnessed by a season-high 7,473 faithful fans at the “Duck Pond.” The Mallards have won three straight and are now 3-4 in the second half. Yermal’s five innings of two-hit baseball earned him his first decision of the season.
Rob Lyerly (Charlotte) led the offense with a 3-for-4 showing and three batted in. Brandon Wikoff (Illinois) and Aaron Bray (Charlotte) also added two hits apiece. Max Fulginiti accounted for three of the Woodchucks four hits.
Yermal made his sixth start of the season tonight and walked the leadoff batter before promptly picking him off first base. After catching Jeff Cowan napping Yermal struck out Max Fulginiti for the second out of the inning. He walked the next batter he faced but got a flyout to left field to end the inning with no harm done.
A pair of groundouts and a flyout was all the Mallards offense could muster in the first off Woodchucks right-hander Adam Jung, who was making his first start of the season. In the second Yermal again walked the leadoff batter but once again followed it with a strikeout. Kyle Wilson then laid down a sacrifice bunt that Yermal bare-handed to retire him at first, moving Terrance Jackson to second. After a wild pitch allowed Jackson to take third base, the Mallards hurler got a harmless flyout to short to end the threat.
The Mallards bats came alive in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs on three hits. Phil Gosselin (Virginia) led off the inning with a single and went to third on a double down the left field line by Josh Groves (UW-Milwaukee). Both came around to score when Bray ripped a triple to right-center. Bray advanced the remaining 90 feet on a passed ball to make the score 3-0 in favor of Madison. Still with no outs the Mallards hoped to get things started again and add to the tally, but Jung set down the bottom third of the Mallards order to limit the damage to three runs.
Both squads were retired in order in the fourth and in the fifth the Woodchucks got a leadoff double from Kyle Bubak, but he was cut down trying to steal third by a solid throw from catcher Groves for the second out of the inning. Groves stole the show again when he raced back to the backstop chasing a foul ball and crashed into the fence, holding on to the ball for the final out.
In the bottom of the fifth the Mallards touched Jung for another run, when Gosselin drew a bases-loaded walk for the fourth Mallards run. Don Lambert (Baylor) singled with one out in the inning and stole second. Wikoff flew out to center before Joe Bonadonna (Illinois) coaxed a two-out free pass. Lyerly then singled through the left side, loading the bases with two out. It was then that Gosselin took a 3-1 pitch for ball four, allowing Lambert to trot home from third.
Yermal was relieved by Heim in the sixth. He allowed a leadoff single to Fulginiti, his second hit of the game, and got a flyout to center by Brent Weaver. Matt Gantner then drove a ball deep to center field, but Bonadonna turned and sprinted straight back after it and made a sliding, over-the-shoulder catch for the second out of the inning. Heim got another flyout to strand Fulginiti at first base.
Jung headed back to the mound for the Woodchucks for his sixth inning of work, but was relieved by Noel Avison after allowing the first two runners to reach. Southpaw Avison got Luke Stewart (UAB) to flyout to center, but then gave up Lambert’s second single of the night that loaded the bases. Wikoff followed with the Mallards second bases-loaded walk of the night that scored Bray to put the Mallards up 5-0. Avison set down Bonadonna on strikes for out number two, but Lyerly came through with a two-out liner up the middle that scored two more Mallards.
The top of the seventh saw the Woodchucks go down without a fight, and the Mallards scored two more off Avison in the bottom of the inning to increase their lead to 9-0. That was all the scoring that would be seen tonight. Heim cruised through the eighth before giving way to Woytek, who hit the first batter he faced before getting the next three batters to ground out back to him.
The Mallards and the Woodchucks will meet for the sixth time of the season tomorrow night in Wausau. Nolan Cain (LSU) will take the mound against Woodchucks All-Star right-hander Bobby Pritchett.
On Sunday, July 13, the Mallards will host an All-Star Fan Fest at 2:00 p.m. before giving way to the Home Run Derby at 4:30 p.m. The All-American Challenge will follow at 6:05 p.m., pitting local Home Talent League All-Stars versus a Military All-Star Team. The Mallards will then host the 2008 All-Star Game on Monday, July 14 at 7:05 p.m. broadcast live on ESPNU at the “Duck Pond.” Tickets remain for both dates and can be purchased online at Mallardsbaseball.com or by calling the box office at 608.246.4277.
