Madison, Wis. (June 20) – A day after watching A.J. Bogucki (North Carolina) spin his best outing of the summer – 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K – en route to a series-opening triumph over the Kenosha Kingfish (19-6) on Friday, the Madison Mallards (13-11) will shoot for a two-game sweep of their South Division opponent Saturday night at Warner Park.

This evening will be Military Appreciation Night at the stadium, featuring Hy-Vee post-game fireworks. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

Mallards field manager Donnie Scott will grant left-handed pitcher Matt Bower (Washington State) his fourth start of the season in tonight’s finale. Albeit in a losing effort, the 6-foot-5 southpaw drafted by the Houston Astros in the 23^rd round of this month’s MLB Draft crafted an impressive outing June 8 against Kenosha, ceding just one earned run on three hits with six strikeouts across six frames. Overall, Bower is 1-1 with a 4.02 ERA and K/9 ratio of 12.4, stifling opponents to the tune of a .220 batting average thus far.

“He left some pitches up,” Scott said of Bower’s June 14 start against Green Bay, one in which he allowed six earned runs across 2.2 innings. “But you’ve got to tip your cap (to the Bullfrogs) – they were aggressive early in the count and he was just trying to get the ball over the plate. He still had good stuff, but they were really aggressive against him.”

To counter Bower, Kenosha will assign right-handed pitcher Rico Garcia (Hawaii Pacific) with his second start of the summer. Garcia, a 5-foot-11 native of Kapolei, Hi., blanked the Wisconsin Woodchucks across five frames in his first appearance on June 14, allowing just three hits and one walk to compliment seven punchouts in a winning decision. As a sophomore this past spring, Garcia went 6-4 with a 2.18 ERA across 10 collegiate starts, limiting hitters to a .186 batting average and impressive K/9 mark of 10.6.

• Mallards Cease the Streak – Madison’s 3-0 victory in Friday’s series opener not only concluded Kenosha’s six-game win streak, but also marked the first time this summer an opponent has held the Kingfish to zero runs in a contest. Overall, Mallards pitchers limited a Kenosha’s lineup to a 5-for-31 (.161) performance in the key victory.
• Gonsolin Grabs Elite Status – Anthony Gonsolin (St. Mary’s College) provided a 2-for-4 batting line as Madison’s designated hitter in Friday’s victory, a performance that included his team-high third home run of the 2015 season. The 6-foot-2 outfielder is has gone 10-for-21 with 5 RBI at the dish across his last five games, raising his season average to .338 and OPS to .945 (sixth and tenth highest in the South Division, respectively).

For tickets to tonight’s game, call the Mallards ticket office at 608-246-4277 or visit www.MallardsBaseball.com for more information. Unable to attend? Follow the Mallards on Twitter at @MadisonMallards for notes and updates or tune in to 100.5 FM ESPN Madison for comprehensive play-by-play coverage.

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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.