Madison, WI – May 31, 2012. A three run second inning and a strong start by right-hander Matt LaMothe (Georgia College and State) was enough to give the Mallards a 7-1 win over the Battle Creek Bombers. The win gave the Mallards a sweep in their first series of the season.
The Mallards got on the board in the first innings with a timely base hit up the middle by catcher Bobby Burns (Parkland College). The hit drove in right fielder Tyler Marincov (North Florida) and was Burns’ first as a Mallard.
In the second the Mallards were able to pile on to the lead with three home runs off of four hits. RBIs by Marincov and designated hitter Jeff Zimmerman (Northern Illinois) stretched the Mallards lead to four.
A timely two out hit by Zimmerman in the fourth to drive in Marincov extended the Mallard lead to five. The hit gave him five RBIs for the season, which tied him for the league lead.
The Bombers got on the board in the fifth with a sacrifice fly by third baseman Turner Gill (Portland) that scored center fielder Daniel Rockett (Texas-San Antonio).
From there the Mallards bullpen was able to shut down the Bombers offense. Four innings of scoreless relief from Sam Forkert (Marian) and Mario Venturini (Miles College) secured the win for the Mallards.
LaMothe (1-0) was solid in his first start with the Mallards this season, and earned the win. In five innings of work he recorded four strikeouts while only surrendering three hits and one run. Building on his first start in the Northwoods League since his 2010 All-Star season with the Mallards, LaMothe was able to strand seven Bomber runners.
Kyle Teague (Grand Valley State) was tagged with the loss for the Bombers in his first start of the season, giving up four earned runs and eight hits over four innings.
The win gets the Mallards off to a 2-0 start as they welcome the La Crosse Loggers (1-1) to the “Duck Pond” tomorrow night. The Loggers are coming off a split of a two game series against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. First pitch is schedueled for 7:05 pm.
The 2012 season is upon us! Single-game tickets are on-sale for all Mallards home games!
The Mallards return to action tomorrow, June 1st as they host the La Crosse Loggers. The promotion tomorrow will be the TDS Human Cannonball Home Run with Dave “The Bullet” Smith Jr.
The Madison Mallards are part of the 16-team Northwoods League. The Northwoods League has more teams, plays more games, and draws more fans than any other Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America.
