Madison, WI – June 28, 2014. The Madison Mallards (16-12) will square off against the first place Lakeshore Chinooks (21-10) tonight at the “Duck Pond”. First pitch is slated for 6:05 pm.
The Mallards currently sit in fourth place in the South Division, four games back from the Chinooks with four games left to play in the first half of the Northwoods League season.
Looking to guide the Mallards to a win is starter Christian Taugner (Brown). The righty has tossed 26.2 innings this year in five starts, holding a 3.03 ERA with 17 strikeouts. In his last start, Taugner pitched six shutout innings against the Alexandria Blue Anchors, striking out eight while giving up four hits in a 6-5 loss.
He will face Chinooks starter Luke Lowrey, a 6’0”, 205-pound lefty out of Southern Mississippi. Lowrey is 2-0 on the year and holds a 1.54 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched. He has appeared in eight games for Lakeshore, and tonight will be his first start. In his last game, Lowrey threw 1.2 innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out two in a 6-3 win over the Battle Creek Bombers.
Last night, the Mallards fell in a tight game to the Green Bay Bullfrogs (14-17) in Green Bay by a score of 5-4.
The Mallards scored one run in the first and took the lead in the seventh, scoring three runs in the top of the inning, but the Bullfrogs responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame to take the lead 5-4.
Green Bay closer Cody Pollack (Midland) retired the three batters he faced to close down the Mallards in the ninth.
The Mallards travel to Mequon tomorrow to face the Chinooks at 5:05 pm. The club returns to the “Duck Pond” on Monday to play a split doubleheader against the La Crosse Loggers starting at 12:05 pm. The second game of the doubleheader will be played in La Crosse at 7:05 pm. Monday is Wisconsin PBS Kids Day and fans will be able to meet Clifford the Big Red Dog. Free Clifford books are available to the first 250 kids, courtesy of Scholastic. It is also Child Care Appreciation Day.
Mallards single game tickets are on-sale now. To purchase tickets, log on to MallardsBaseball.com, call 608-246- 4277, or stop by the Mallards ticket office.
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The Madison Mallards are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit MallardsBaseball.com.
