Madison, Wis. (June 18) – Fresh off a victory in which every player in their starting lineup tallied a base-hit, the Madison Mallards (11-11) will look to conclude their season-long, six-game road swing with another well-rounded win Thursday night against the Kalamazoo Growlers (6-17).
First pitch for this evening’s series finale is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CT from Homer Stryker Field. Comprehensive play-by-play action will be provided by 100.5 FM ESPN Madison.
Thursday’s contest will see right-handed pitcher Dalton D’Spain (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) make his team-high fourth starting appearance of the summer for Madison. The 6-foot-1 San Antonio, Tex., native has crafted an admirable start to his first stint in the Northwoods League, going 2-1 with a 2.03 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 17.2 innings. D’Spain has struck out 19 batters (9.9 K/9), issued eight walks (4.2 BB/9) and held batters to a .180 batting average thus far.
To counter, the Growlers have tasked right-handed pitcher Sean Isaac (Vanguard University) with his fourth starting job of the summer. Isaac, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound from Torrance, Calif., holds true to an 0-2 record, 5.52 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 1.87 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his first three appearances of the summer. As a junior this past spring, Isaac authored a 2.76 ERA on his way to a 10-5 record and .224 opponent batting average across a team-high 111.0 innings of work.
- Regnier Keeps Rakin’ – Wednesday night saw the Mallards manufacture six runs on an 11-for-36 (.306) performance at the plate as a unit. Logan Regnier (Central Michigan) chipped in with one of Madison’s base-knocks, going 1-for-6 with a run scored. The second-year Mallard heading into his senior collegiate campaign has now hit safely in four straight games, and has also done so in 13 of 15 games started this summer.
- Kaelin Still Scoreless – Mallards closer Mike Kaelin (Buffalo) closed the door on Kalamazoo to the tune of one strikeout and no hits, no walks and no runs allowed in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s victory. The scoreless relief appearance extended the power-armed right-hander’s scoreless streak to 12.2 innings to begin the season, a streak during which he has struck out 24 batters (17.7 K/9) and held hitters to a .095 batting average.
The Mallards will return home on Friday, June 19 against the Kenosha Kingfish. Friday will be Valpak Great Outdoors Night at the Duck Pond, featuring a Pespi 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.