Jimmy Parque (St. John’s) continued his hot-hitting ways by adding three hits in Friday’s 6-3 loss to the Waterloo Bucks.
Waterloo, IA – July 31, 2009. The Mallards weren’t able to solve Bucks’ starting pitcher Rick Dodridge (Central Michigan), as the left-hander allowed only one earned run through 5.2 innings of work to help defeat Madison 6-3 at Riverfront Stadium Friday night and keep Waterloo in the playoff hunt with nine games left.
Both Waterloo (14-12) and Madison (13-11) now sit 1.5 games behind first place La Crosse (15-10), who defeated the Green Bay Bullfrogs 4-2 on Friday.
The Bucks jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the second inning on a Zach McCool (Iowa) double to score Frazier Hall (Southern) who walked with one out. After a Willie Argo (Illinois) single advanced McCool to third base, he then stole home to extend Waterloo’s lead to 2-0.
Waterloo would add another run in the fourth as McCool added a two-out single to his night, stole second base and was able to advance to third on a wild pitch by Mallards starter Matt Jansen (Purdue). He then scored on an Argo RBI double to extend the lead to 3-0.
The Mallards would finally get on the board in the fifth inning on a one-out solo home run by Adam McClain (Memphis), his fifth of the season to make the score 3-1.
The Bucks would add a run in the next three innings to provide a cushion in extending their lead to 6-1. In the seventh All-Star first baseman Michael Giller (Illinois) hit a one-out solo home run, his third of the year, off newly signed reliever Ross Hellenbrand (Winona State).
In Madison’s final at-bat in the ninth the team mounted a rally as Jimmy Parque (St. John’s) hit a two-out double, his third base knock of the game, and was able to score when newly-signed Jared Anderson (Winona State) advanced on an error by shortstop A Williams and make the score 6-3. However, Bucks’ closer Lenny Linsky (Hawaii) was able to get Jerrud Sabourin (Indiana) out to end the game and give Waterloo the much-needed victory.
The win snapped the Bucks two-game losing streak while the Mallards have now lost three straight.
Jansen (Purdue) picked up his second loss (6-2) of the season in a Mallards uniform after allowing four runs (3 earned) through six innings of work. He walked four batters and struck out four. Jansen’s ERA is now 2.75.
On the other side, Dodridge received his fourth win (4-3) for his efforts in allowing that lone run on eight hits.
These same two teams will battle again Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. at Riverfront Stadium.
Catch all Mallards action on the road by dialing in to FM 100.5 ESPN or by visiting espnmadison.com for a live stream of the game. To view live video, simply click on “Game Day” on Mallardsbaseball.com to begin your viewing experience!
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The Mallards return home this Friday, August 7 for a four-game series against the Eau Claire Express and Green Bay Bullfrogs to conclude the 2009 Northwoods League regular season. Come cheer on your hometown team as they make a run at the South Division Second Half Title and playoff spot.
Plenty of great seats are still available and can be purchased online by clicking here or by calling the box office at 608.246.4277 today!
