All three contestants in the Thrift Painting “Air Guitar Challenge” decide to collaborate and rock-out in unison.
Madison, WI – July 23, 2009. The Mallards opened the post All-Star break portion of the schedule with a tough 6-0 loss to the Wisconsin Woodchucks before a crowd of 6,733 at the “Duck Pond” on Thursday night.
Wisconsin starter Bryce Butt (Ohio) went the distance in a complete game shutout, scattering just four hits while striking out three and walking two. Not a single batter on either side recorded more than a hit to their credit.
“We got shutdown by a kid that pitched well,” Manager C.J. Thieleke said. “We strung together some hard-hit ball, but they were right at people, to his credit.”
On the other side, Cody Winiarski (MATC), despite giving up five runs (4 earned) went seven strong innings, allowing just six hits.
“Cody was the same old Cody, maybe a little bit better,” Thieleke said of his lone All-Star pitcher. “We didn’t support him offensively or defensively and still, it looked like he got stronger as he went. I thought he was better than he has been.”
The Woodchucks got on the board first when Carson Vitale (Creighton) singled up the middle past a drawn in infield in the second inning, scoring Casey Rihn (South Carolina). Rihn reached on a hit-by-pitch by Winiarski to lead off the inning and finished the game 1-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored.
Winiarski got out of a tough jam in the fourth. Runners reached first and third with only one out via a hit-by-pitch, a walk, an error, a wild pitch and a passed ball, but the right-hander recovered nicely by striking out the number eight hitter, Vitale, and then getting Khayyan Norfork (Tennessee) to fly out to left to end the inning.
In the fifth, the Mallards endured a nightmare-ish inning as four runs crossed the plate for the Woodchucks. Chad Wright (Kentucky) led off with a solid single up the middle, the only hard-hit ball of the inning. Joey Hainsfurther (Baylor) followed with a single and Brett Krill (UCLA) flew out, putting runners at first and third. Chaos then ensued.
With Troy Frazier (Kentucky) at the plate, Hainsfurther broke for second and Wright, on third, scored before the throw could get him. It appeared that the Mallards salvaged at least an out as a consolation when the tag by the second baseman, Muller, appeared to get Hainsfurther on the back, but the umpire ruled him safe back at first. Frazier flew out to left for what would have ended the inning.
Hainsfurther then scored by breaking up a play at the plate and then two more runs crossed when a slow roller by Mike Marshall (Stanford) gave Troy Channing (St. Mary’s) a difficult play. The third baseman booted it towards the first baseline as the score ran to a 5-0 lead for the Woodchucks.
“That’s the frustrating thing,” Thieleke said of the four errors that were committed by the Mallards. “We just kicked the ball around and played sloppy baseball. It’s frustrating that we cant turn the corner on that side of things.”
Things just weren’t going the Mallards’ way and it was evident once again in the sixth inning. Jimmy Parque (St. John’s), after reaching on a walk, was picked off at first while a fouled grounder was trickling towards the Mallards’ dugout on the third base side. It was presumed time was called while the ball was being retrieved, as shown by the homeplate umpire’s hands raised in the air, but the call stood. An argument by Thieleke was to no avail.
“I argued two things. One that he was safe at first and that time was called,” Thieleke said.
The Woodchucks added a run in the eighth to push the lead to 6-0 and sent the Mallards to their seventh loss in their last 10 games at home.
The Mallards have 17 games remaining and fall a game out of first place in the South Division after La Crosse’s victory over Thunder Bay on Thursday night.
“We need to start doing things well on a nightly basis,” Thieleke said. “It’s going to take a streak here by someone.”
Alex Rivers (Santa Clara) will climb the mound on Friday night for the Mallards as they look for the series split. Wisconsin will counter with right-hander Bryce Shafer (Valparaiso). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. at the “Duck Pond”.
