Madison, WI – July 16, 2014. With their win last night against the Green Bay Bullfrogs (6-7, 23-25), the Madison Mallards (9-5, 27-20) took over sole possession of second place in the second half and overall Northwoods League South Division standings. Tonight, the Mallards attempt to take the second game of their two game series against the Bullfrogs in Green Bay at 7:05 pm.
Getting the nod for the Mallards is Northwoods League All-Star pitcher Christian Taugner. Taugner holds a 2.80 ERA in eight appearances, and in his last start, he went five innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out eight in a 8-4 win over the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters.
The Roselle, Illinois native has tossed a team leading 41.2 innings and is third on the Mallards in strikeouts with 29, two behind leader Rob McDonnell (Illinois).
Taugner is scheduled to face Bullfrogs starter Roberto Baroniel, a 6’4”, 210-pound righty out of Nova Southeastern University. Baroniel has recorded eight starts for the Bullfrogs this year, holding a 4-1 record and is third in the Northwoods League with a 2.00 ERA in 49.1 innings of work.
In his last start, he threw seven shutout innings against the Battle Creek Bombers, giving up five hits while striking out eight in a 9-0 victory.
Last night, designated hitter Drew Carlile (Bradley) contributed an RBI double in the seventh and catcher Matt Thaiss (Virginia) drove in first baseman Pete Alonso (Florida) the next batter on an RBI single to help the Mallards over the Bullfrogs by a score of 7-6.
The Mallards scored a combined five runs in the first two innings with second baseman Robbie Tenerowicz’s (California) two run homer in the first, and an Alonso double in the second scored left fielder Alex Bacon (North Florida), Tenerowicz and center fielder Will Krug (Illinois).
Mallards reliever Matt Portland (Northwestern) received the win after tossing two innings, giving up one run on one hit while striking out two.
Closer Tim Black (Central Michigan) came on to pitch the last 1.2 innings for the Mallards, giving up one hit while striking out two to get his Northwoods League leading 14th save of the year.
The Mallards return to the “Duck Pond” tomorrow to begin a back-to-back doubleheader against the Willmar Stingers at 4:30 pm. Thursday features Whiplash the Dog Riding Cowboy Monkey presented by The Payroll Company. It is also Spectrum Brands Home & Garden Night with a Spectrum Brands Giveaway before the game.
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.
