By: Ryan Hill — Public Relations

Madison, WI — July 27, 2013. The Battle Creek Bombers (7-14, 21-34) evened the three-game series with the Madison Mallards (14-8, 35-20) in a wild game Friday night and will close out the set tonight at the ‘Duck Pond.’ First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 pm.

The Bombers appeared to have put the game away by just the fourth inning last night, as they recorded 10 runs and 11 hits before the Mallards had even put a runner on base.

They gained this edge by sending 14 batters to the plate in the top of the fourth against three different Mallards relievers and scored eight, two-out runs to go ahead 10-0.

But the Mallards made a valiant comeback and eventually clawed to just two runs back after scoring a pair in the seventh and four more in the eighth. Tate Matheny (Missouri State) led the effort by delivering two-run singles in the seventh and eighth while Erik Forgione (Washington) also hit a double that knocked in two.

Bombers reliever Gabe Berman (Western Michigan) then came on in the ninth and allowed a pair of singles but got Luke Meeteer (UW-Milwaukee) to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end it. The Bombers won by a score of 11-9.

Looking to help the Mallards to the series win will be Reilly Hovis (North Carolina), who will try to extend his scoreless innings streak. He is 2-0 in his last two starts and has allowed no runs on three hits over six innings in each appearance. Those two appearances have helped improve his record to 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA over 20 innings this season.

Caleb Vincent (Grand Valley State) will be battling Hovis tonight by starting on the hill for the Bombers. The 6’0,” 190-pound junior is making his 12th appearance (fourth start) and will look to improve to 3-1 and lower his ERA from 3.71. His last three appearances have been starts and he is 0-1 but never allowed more than three runs over that span.

LaPrise the Leadoff Man

Mallards infielder John LaPrise (Virginia) is starting to regularly bat in the leadoff spot for the Mallards and is simply doing a stellar job in that role. Out of all current players on the Mallards roster, LaPrise is tied for the fewest amount of strikeouts with Brock Stewart (Illinois State), who has appeared in less than half the amount of games as LaPrise. Through 37 games this summer, LaPrise has only struck out 10 times and carries a .485 on-base percentage.

Matheny the Run Machine

Mallards center fielder Tate Matheny has hit all over the place in the Mallards lineup this season but has produced runs wherever he is placed. After a 2-for-4 performance last night with three RBIs and a run scored, he now sits in a tie for third place in the Northwoods League in runs scored with 43. He is also tied for 11th in the league in RBIs with 36.

Up Next:

The Mallards will start inter-division play on Sunday and will continue their nine-game home stand by hosting the Mankato MoonDogs. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 pm.

Sunday will be the Marshfield Clinic and Susan G. Komen Pink Night with a Fairy Millie Bobblehead giveaway! That night will also be the Susan G. Komen Community Connection 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.