Madison, WI – July 28, 2008. The Mallards travel to Wausau for a 6:35 p.m. contest tonight against the Wisconsin Woodchucks, looking to end a franchise-record eight-game losing streak. Joe Yermal (Charlotte) will be on the mound tonight for his fourth start against the Woodchucks this season. Fans can follow all the action from Wausau by visiting nwltickets.com.

Madison Mallards (29-25, 7-14) at Wisconsin Woodchucks (32-21, 10-9)
July 28, 2008 – 6:35 p.m. (CT)
Athletic Park – Wausau, WI

Pitching Probables:
RHP Joe Yermal (MAD) – 7 GS, 32.1 IP, 2-0, 5.57 ERA
RHP Brad Allen (WSC) – 4 GS, 21.0 IP, 0-3, 3.00 ERA

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

Mallards records (second half):
– 1-3 vs. Wisconsin
– 5-3 at home
– 2-11 on road
– 4-11 vs. South Division
– 3-3 vs. North Division

Madison is…
– 22-9 when scoring first
– 3-5 in extra innings
– 7-7 in one-run games
– 21-2 when leading after 7 innings
– 20-4 when outhitting its opponent
– 21-2 when scoring 7+ runs
– 20-9 when making equal or fewer errors than opponent

Last time out for the Mallards: L 8-4 vs. Waterloo, July 27
The Waterloo Bucks had the Mallards number again Sunday night, scoring five runs in the ninth to extend a 3-2 lead into an 8-2 lead to put the game out of reach. Madison scored two in the bottom of the ninth to make the final score 8-4 in front of 6,172 fans at the “Duck Pond.” The loss is the eighth straight for the Mallards, the longest losing streak in franchise history, and moves the first-half South Division champions to 29-25 overall and 7-14 in the second half. Garrett Nix earned the win for Waterloo with six innings of work, allowing just five hits and two earned runs. Matt Jansen (Purdue) took the loss, pitching four innings and giving up three runs. He falls to 2-4 on the season.

Mallards Musings:
-Tonight is Joe Yermal’s (Charlotte) fourth start against Wisconsin this season
-The current eight-game losing streak is the longest in franchise history
-The Mallards are second in the league in runs scored as a team (288). Wisconsin leads the league with 290 runs scored.
-Rob Lyerly (Charlotte) is third in the Northwoods League with a .339 batting average in 44 games played.
-Brandon Wikoff (Illinois) is fourth in the league in runs scored with 37.
-Luke Stewart’s (UAB) six home runs put him in a tie for fifth in the league.
-Brant Combs (Missouri State) has appeared in the second-most games in the league this season (25).
-Wikoff reached base in the first 22 games he played at the “Duck Pond” to start the season. He was 0-for-5 on July 26 to snap the streak. It is tied for the longest home consecutive on-base streak in the league this season.
-Joe Bonadonna (Illinois) became the fifth Mallard to win Northwoods League Player of the Night when he reached base five times against Battle Creek on July 19. He was 3-for-3 with two singles and a double, and also drew two walks and scored three times.
-Wikoff earned Northwoods League Player of the Night July 10 when he reached base six times with three singles and three walks. He scored five runs for the Mallards.
-Drew Martin (NC State) was NWL Player of the Night on July 3 when he was 5-for-7 in two games at Battle Creek on the last day of the first half.
-Lyerly made it two Mallards award-winners in one week when he earned the honor on June 30 after a 4-for-5 game at Mankato. He had a home run, a double, three RBIs and scored three runs in the contest.
-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’s 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 fourth-longest hitting streak in the Northwoods League this season.
-Wikoff had a 10-game hitting streak snapped on June 28. It was the Mallards second-longest hitting streak of the season.
-From the beginning of the season on May 29 until June 15 Wikoff reached base in 16 consecutive games.

Playoff tickets can be purchased in a package of all four potential home playoff games. Single-game playoff tickets will go on sale to the public tomorrow morning. Playoff tickets can be purchased by calling 608.246.4277 or by visiting the Mallards box office.

Box seats for the playoffs will be $ 9, with bleacher seats priced at $ 8. Cheap seats can be purchased for $ 7 and standing room only tickets will be available for $ 6. The Duck Blind will be open for the playoffs, with beer tickets priced at $ 26 for Sunday-Wednesday games and $ 31 for Thursday-Saturday nights. Duck Blind soda tickets will be $ 21 or $ 26. Reserved seats in the Duck Blind will be $ 31 for Sunday-Wednesday games and for Thursday-Saturday nights. Suites are also available for playoff games and fans can receive more details by calling the Mallards box office and asking for group sales.

More details on playoff games at the “Duck Pond” will be made available on mallardsbaseball.com as soon as the second half of the regular season concludes. Tickets for the remainder of the Mallards regular season home schedule can be purchased online, in person at the Box Office or by calling 608.246.4277.