Madison, Wis. (June 13) – The Madison Mallards (9-9) kicked off their longest road trip of the 2015 season with an 8-1 loss at the hands of the Green Bay Bullfrogs (7-8) Saturday night at Joannes Stadium. Green Bay went a combined 14-for-36 (.390) at the plate in the series opener, providing more than enough offensive firepower to capture the winning effort. With the loss, the Mallards dropped to fifth place in the Northwoods League’s South Division.
A.J. Bogucki’s (North Carolina) second start began on a positive note, blanking the Bullfrogs across the game’s first two frames. Madison’s offense then fed off Bogucki’s hot start in the top of the third inning, a frame that saw Scott Tyler (Ball State) reach base via walk, Tony Butler (Madison College) advance on a single and Cameron Frost (Washington State) plate Tyler on a two-out single. At the end of two and a half innings, the Mallards led 1-0.
But Green Bay’s lineup responded to the tune of three runs in the bottom half of the third and two more in the bottom of the fourth, eventually chasing Bogucki (3.1 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, BB, 2 K) from what started as an admirable outing on the mound. Right-handed pitcher Anthony Gonsolin (St. Mary’s College) then ceded three runs to the Bullfrogs between the fourth and fifth frames, giving Green Bay an 8-1 lead it would not relinquish.
Josh Pierce (Central Michigan) and Martin Andonov (Bulgaria) performed well in late relief, combining for 3.1 shutout frames on three hits and two strikeouts. Jean Ramirez (Illinois State) did his best to ignite Madison’s offense in the meanwhile, going 2-for-4 at the plate, while Tyler finished with a multi-hit game of his own (2-for-3, BB). The Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison ‘Big Win’ player of the night was Frost, who went 2-for-3 with Madison’s only run batted in.
With the loss behind them, the Mallards will turn their attention toward Sunday’s series finale, scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Comprehensive coverage of tomorrow’s contest will be available on 100.5 FM ESPN Madison.
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 for more information.
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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
