By: Ryan Hill — Public Relations
La Crosse, WI — July 16, 2013. The Madison Mallards (10-4, 31-16) will square off against the La Crosse Loggers (5-7, 26-21) at Copeland Park tonight at 7:05 pm to conclude a two-game set between the teams.
Right when the Loggers appeared to be back in the game last night in the first game of the series, the Mallards offense exploded for seven runs in the eighth and ninth innings to pull away with an 11-2 win.
The Loggers scored two unearned runs off of reliever Kristian Calibuso (Eastern Michigan) in the seventh to make the score 4-2 still in the Mallards favor. The Mallards then added three in the next half inning and four in the ninth—led by Jeff Zahn’s (Indiana State) three-run bomb—and put away what turned to be a blowout victory.
Reilly Hovis (North Carolina) was just as impressive in his third start of the season. He pitched six shutout innings and allowed only three hits to pick up his first win of the season.
Greg Welsh (Penn State) will try to match Hovis’ effort from last night by starting on the hill tonight. The lefty is 5-1 on the season with a 3.79 ERA over 42.2 innings pitched. He got the victory in his last start on July 10th in Wausau, Wisconsin by going 6.2 innings and allowing five runs (four earned) against the Woodchucks.
The Loggers will also be sending a pitcher boasting a 5-1 record to the hill tonight in Steve Hagen (Wooster College). The 5’11” righty has an ERA of 4.40 but received the loss in his last start on July 10th at Battle Creek. He only allowed two runs (both earned) on seven hits over six innings, but the Loggers were shut out by the Battle Creek pitching staff.
Streaking All-Star
Mallards second baseman John LaPrise (Virginia) extended his hitting streak to 11 games after a 3-for-5 performance last night. The streak is the longest for the Mallards this season, as Drew Weeks (North Florida) had a nine-game hitting streak between June 8th and June 16th.
No Luck Against the Mallards
The Loggers boast the fourth-best ERA in the Northwoods League, but their pitching staff is at anything but their best against the Mallards. They have an ERA of 6.55 through five games against the Mallards this season, but have an ERA of just 3.89 overall.
Up Next:
The Mallards return to the “Duck Pond” tomorrow for a 7:05 pm game against the Green Bay Bullfrogs and play the Bullfrogs at home again on Thursday at 7:05 pm. They will then travel to Green Bay on Friday to wrap up the three-game series.
Wednesday is Oscar Mayer Bacon Appreciation Night!
The Madison Mallards are your Northwoods League South Division First Half Champions! Playoff tickets are on-sale now!
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. In 2013, the Northwoods League is celebrating its 20th season.
