Madison, Wis. (June 24) – After watching their seven-game win streak cease with a 3-1 loss to the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (13-14) Tuesday night at the Duck Pond, field manager Donnie Scott and the Madison Mallards (17-12) will aim to rebound when they travel northbound for the final tilt of their two-game set with the Rafters. First pitch for Wednesday’s contest is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. from Witter Field. Play-by-play coverage will be provided by 100.5 FM ESPN Madison.
Tuesday’s series opener saw Rafters starting pitcher Brian Russell (College of Staten Island) stymie the Mallard’s offense, which tabbed just four base hits in across seven innings against the right-hander and went 6-for-31 (.193) overall in the losing effort. Yet while the Mallards struggled at the dish, their starting pitching once again thrived. Westin Wuethrich (Madison College) turned in his third quality start of 2015, allowing one run in six frames with five strikeouts and a walk. Over their last 33.1 innings – six most recent games – Mallards starters have posted a 1.09 ERA and 24:3 K/BB ratio.
Dalton D’Spain (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) will look to provide more impressive work on the mound tonight when he tallies his fifth starting appearance of the summer. The 6-foot-1 right-hander was roughed up in his June 18 outing at Kalamazoo, ceding four earned runs across just 2.2 innings sans a strikeout. But the senior-to-be has manufactured a respectable start to his first campaign in the Northwoods League, laying claim to a 2-1 record, 3.54 ERA and 21 whiffs in 20.1 innings of work. Impressively, opponents have managed just a .216 batting average against D’Spain thus far.
Reaching New Heights – Mallards outfielder Logan Regnier (Central Michigan) went 1-for-4 Tuesday night against the Rafters and plated Madison’s only run courtesy of a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth. Regnier has now reached base safely in all 21 games in which he has started. His .360 batting average if fifth-highest in the Northwoods League.
The Mallards will return to the Duck Pond on Friday, June 26 against the Kenosha Kingfish (19-10). Friday night will be Oscar Mayer Hot Dog Appreciation Night and Social Media Night at the stadium, featuring a Maynard Bobblehead and Quench Gum Giveaway at the front gates while supplies last. For tickets, call the Mallards ticket office at 608-246-4277 or visit www.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.
