Madison, WI – June 30, 2014. The Madison Mallards (16-15) reversed their four game slide today at the “Duck Pond”, beating the La Crosse Loggers (21-12) in the first game of their split doubleheader by a score of 2-1.
Mallards starer Sterling Sharp (Eastern Michigan) pitched a gem, going 5.2 innings and giving up one run on one hit. He added two strikeouts to bring his tally to 26 on the year.
The Mallards first run came in the second inning when Adam Walton (Illinois) drove in Drew Carlile (Bradley) on a sacrifice fly. The would go ahead 2-1 in the fifth after Pete Alonso (Florida) singled to score Alex Bacon (North Florida) from second. Bacon was 2-for-3 with two singles and a walk.
Loggers starter Adam Cline (Columbia) went six full innings, giving up two runs on six hits while striking out two in the loss.
Tim Black (Central Michigan) came on to close in the eighth inning, retiring the five batters he faced to receive his ninth save of the year.
The second game of today’s doubleheader will be played in La Crosse at 7:05 pm.
Scheduled to start game two for the Mallards is AJ Bogucki (North Carolina). Bogucki is 1-0 on the year in two starts and five appearances and holds a 2.51 ERA in 14.1 innings pitched.
In his last start, Bogucki pitched 4.2 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits while striking out three in a 13-3 win over the Wisconsin Woodchucks.
He will face Loggers starter Connor Baits (UC- Santa Barbara), a 6’6”, 220-pound righty. Baits will make his first start tonight with the Loggers.
He has made three appearances with a 1.80 ERA in five innings this year. In his last game, he pitched 3.0 innings of one run ball, letting up one hit while striking out three.
The Mallards are off tomorrow and resume play at the “Duck Pond” on Wednesday, June 2nd against the Kalamazoo Growlers. First pitch is slated for 7:05 pm. Wednesday marks the start of the second half of the Northwoods League season.
Wednesday is Alliant Energy South Central Library System Reading Night with a Book Drive. Fans can bring their used books to donate to the SCLS. It is also Oscar Mayer Hot Dog Appreciation Night with wiener dog races.
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.
###
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.
