Madison, WI – June 17, 2009. Cody Winiarski (MATC) pitched seven scoreless innings and the Mallards offense broke out in a major way to pound the Bucks 12-0 Wednesday night in front of 5,913 fans at the “Duck Pond.”
Madison is now tied with the Eau Claire Express once again after the Express had a day off and the Battle Creek Bombers lost to the Wisconsin Woodchucks 3-1, putting the Michigan franchise one-half game behind both clubs.
The Mallards broke out in the second inning when Mark Ginther (Oklahoma State) led off with a single that was followed by a Harold Riggins (NC State) opposite field home run, his fourth of the early season. Left fielder Jerrud Sabourin (Indiana) then singled, setting the stage for freshman standout Troy Channing (St. Mary’s). Channing didn’t disappoint by hitting his second home run of the year, a majestic shot to give the Mallards a 4-0 lead. Later in the inning Kurtis Muller (Iowa) walked, moved over to second, and scored on a Joe Patterson (Texas A&M) line drive off Bucks starting pitcher Chris Pack (Villanova).
The team would add another run in the fourth on a Patterson RBI single to score Muller after the center fielder walked to lead-off the frame and stole second base.
Clutch hitting was the theme of the fifth inning for Madison as they added another four runs, all coming with two outs. Riggins led off the inning with a single followed by a one-out single by Channing. After Channing was picked off first base, JR Graham (Santa Clara) was hit by a pitch and Muller followed with a walk to load the bases. Shortstop Joe De Pinto (USC) then belted a drive past the extended glove of third baseman Troy White (Northern Illinois), good for a bases-clearing double to give the Mallards a 10-0 lead.
Winiarski (3-1) continued his brilliant start to the season with seven scoreless innings, while only allowing four hits and striking out eight. He lowered his already-thin ERA to 1.84 on the season.
Pack picked up the loss (0-2) for the Bucks after allowing five earned runs over 1.2 innings of work.
The Mallards hit the road for a home-and-home series with the Wisconsin Woodchucks beginning tomorrow at 6:35 p.m. The team then returns back to the “Duck Pond” on Friday to battle the ‘Chucks at 7:05 p.m. with gates opening at 5:30 p.m.
Newcomer Derek Self (Louisville) will receive his first start of the season for the Mallards after finishing his college season with a perfect 7-0 record and 3.88 ERA over 46.1 innings.
To purchase tickets for Friday’s game versus the Wisconsin Woodchucks click here or call us at 608.246.4277!
