Published On: June 5th, 2015

6-16 pre game CroppedMadison, Wis. (June 16) – Capturing a decisive 6-1 victory at C.O. Brown Stadium on Monday, the Madison Mallards (10-10) will wrap up their two-game road series with the Battle Creek Bombers (8-12) Tuesday night at 6:05 p.m. CT. This evening’s contest will mark the fourth of six consecutive away games for the Mallards, who are 1-2 on their current road swing.

Andrew Beckwith (Coastal Carolina) will receive his first starting job of the season in tonight’s series finale. The 6-foot-0, 183-pound right-hander has appeared in three games out of Madison’s bullpen thus far, posting a 2.57 ERA, 1.29 WHIP with just one walk in seven innings. Beckwith’s sophomore collegiate campaign this spring concluded with a 6-4 record, 3.26 ERA and sterling BB/9 ratio of 2.32 across 66.1 frames. Opponents hit just .253 against him.

To counter, the Bombers have tasked left-handed pitcher Layne Bruner (Washington State) with his third start of the 2015 season. The 6-foot-2 native of Montesano, Wash., has struggled in his first go-around in the Northwoods League, issuing 13 walks across seven innings in which he has managed a 11.57 ERA. As a sophomore this past spring, Bruner went 2-0 with a 3.52 ERA in 23.0 innings and put 28 men on base via walk while striking out 20.

  • Hoffmann Hints at Improvement – Nate Hoffmann (Middle Tennessee State) turned in his second quality start of the season in Monday night’s victory, lowering his season ERA to 3.21 and lifting his K/9 ratio to 7.07. The 6-foot-1 right-hander has made strides in both departments since his 2014 stay with the Mallards (4.50 and 4.25, respectively), including an uptick in first-pitch strike rate (69% in 2015, up from 61.3% in 2014).
  • Gonsolin Keeps his Streak – Anthony Gonsolin (St. Mary’s College) collected a season-best three base hits with a double in Madison’s series-opening win. The performance was enough to extend Gonsolin’s current hit streak to four consecutive games, while also ensuring that he has hit safely in all but two of his 16 games played this summer. Entering tonight’s game, Gonsolin leads the Mallards in batting average (.317) and OPS (.889).

The Mallards will return home on Friday, June 19 against the Kenosha Kingfish. Next Friday will be Valpak Great Outdoors Night at the Duck Pond, featuring a Pepsi Outdoorsman Maynard Bobblehead Giveaway presented by WKOW TV. For tickets, call the Mallards ticket office at 608-246-4277 or visit MallardsBaseball.com.

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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 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2015, 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 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website.  For more information, visit www.MallardsBaseball.com.

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