Last night’s Box Score
Madison, WI – June 29, 2009. With four games left in the first half of the 2009 season, the Mallards (18-12) now travel north to Wausau for a home-and-home series versus the Woodchucks beginning at 6:35 p.m. at Athletic Field. Madison swept the other home-and-home series on June 18-19 by identical scores of 4-1. The Mallards then return home Tuesday for a 7:05 tilt versus the same team.
The Mallards are officially out of the race for the Northwoods League First-Half Championship as the Eau Claire Express (20-6) clinched a playoff spot last night with a 10-2 victory over the Green Bay Bullfrogs.
This game still holds meaning though, because if the Mallards find themselves tied for first-place with a team besides the Express or if Eau Claire wins the second half at the conclusion of the season, the team with the best overall record will record a playoff spot in the best-of-three Divisional Playoff Series. The Bombers currently sit one-half game better than Madison with a 18-11 record and La Crosse is tied with an 18-12 mark.
Tonight, Madison will send the versatile right-hander Jacob Esch (Georgia Tech) to the mound. On the year he is 0-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 15 innings over two starts. In his last start on June 23 against the Loggers, Esch threw five scoreless innings while striking out two batters in the no-decision. Opponents are hitting .220 against the Chanhassen, Minn. native.
Meanwhile the ‘Chucks will counter with right-hander Bryce Butt (Ohio), who is 1-0 with a 0.73 ERA in 12.1 innings pitched over 3 appearances. This is Butt’s first start of the year.
Muller just likes to get away
You can’t blame Sun Prairie, Wis. native Kurtis Muller if he enjoys getting away from doing household chores for a few days to play some ball on the road; the sophomore Iowa outfielder is hitting a team-high .407 (24-for-59) away from the “Duck Pond” with five doubles, two home runs, and eight RBI. He has also stolen six bases.
Ginther Cowboy’s Up
Oklahoma State infielder/pitcher Mark Ginther remains white-hot, as the soon-to-be sophomore is hitting .389 (7-for-18) with three home runs and four RBI in his last five games. His five home runs are good for second place in the NWL, as he is tied with teammate Harold Riggins (NC State) but has played in three fewer games.
Home Run mark is broken
With three home runs in last Saturday’s 19-8 drubbing of the Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers the Mallards set a new franchise-high in long balls with 27. The old mark of 24 was set in 2003 when guys like Francois Larmore (Marshall) and Tyler Bullock (Baylor) hit 7 and 5 home runs, respectively.
FM 100.5 ESPN is your home for everything Mallards
Fans, be sure to dial in to FM 100.5 ESPN to catch all Mallards action while on the road or you can visit espnmadison.com to catch a live stream of the game as well. Want to watch? Visit Mallardsbaseball.com and click on the “Game Day” tab to watch a live webcast!
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Fans, join us Tuesday, June 30, for the Thrift Painting Baseball Giveaway (first 1,000 kids, 14 & under) and Budweiser T-Shirt Night. Also don’t forget that every Tuesday features Old Style Tuesday’s with $2 domestic taps and 2 hot dogs for only $2! Click here to purchase tickets for Tuesday or please call us at 608.246.4277!
