Madison, Wis. (June 29) – The Madison Mallards (20-14) will conclude the first half of their 2015 Northwoods League schedule on Monday when they travel westbound to Copeland Park for a double-header with the La Crosse Loggers (18-15). First pitch for game one of the twin-bill is scheduled for 12:05 p.m., with game two penciled in for a 7:05 p.m. start time. Play-by-play coverage of the double-dip will be provided by 100.5 FM ESPN Madison.

Last night, the Mallards eclipsed the 20-win plateau thanks to a sterling performance from starting pitcher Andrew Beckwith (Coastal Carolina), who allowed just three hits to 19 Rafters hitters across six shutout innings en route to a 4-0 rain-shortened victory. J.J. Gould’s (Jacksonville) power display – he went 2-for-3 with an opposite-field home run and double – catalyzed the Mallards lineup, which went 11-for-28 (.393) in the key win.

Following Beckwith’s second shutout start, Mallards field manager Donnie Scott will call upon Hever Bueno (Arizona State) to pitch game one of today’s double-header and Westin Wuethrich (Madison College) to toss the nightcap. Bueno, a 6-foot-2 righty, is 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA and 15:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in five appearances (10.1 IP) this summer, while Wuethrich carries a 1-1 record, 1.03 ERA and .183 batting average against across four games (17.1 IP).

To counter, the Loggers will turn to left-handed pitcher Kyle Nelson (UC-Santa Barbara) to start game one of today’s twin-bill and right-hander Matthew Naylor (North Florida) to hurl in game two. Nelson, a 6-foot-0 southpaw from San Francisco, Calif., has pitched in three games for La Crosse thus far, tabbing a 1.86 ERA and 8:3 K/BB ratio (9.2 IP). Naylor, who stands at 6-foot-2 from the right side of the mound, is 2-0 with a 2.10 ERA and 1.29 WHIP (25.2 IP).

• From the Manager: “Bottom of the zone, throwing strikes,” Scott said of Beckwith’s performance. “And when he did fall behind, he recovered. He adds a lot of deception with his angles…It just takes an at-bat sometimes; he’s going to go through his streaks,” said Scott of Gould after Sunday’s win. “But this is going to be a grind, but he’s learning. It was nice to see him drive the ball the other way like that.”
• Calm in the Clutch – Aside from Gould’s impressive showing at the plate, Mallards third-baseman Chris Tschida (Western Illinois) also helped ignite Madison’s offense, going 2-for-3 with a run-producing single from the No. 8 spot in the lineup. The utility infielder is now batting .281 and reaching base at a .390 clip this season, including a team-high .471 BA and 12 RBI with runners in scoring position.

After today’s double-header and their first off day of the summer on Tuesday, Scott and the Mallards will return to the Duck Pond to begin the season’s second-half on Wednesday, July 1 at 7:05 p.m. against the Kalamazoo Growlers. Wednesday will be South Central Library System Reading Night, Delton Grand Wisconsin Dells Night and Rayovac Night at Warner Park, featuring 1,000 Dells Coupon books and hotel stay giveaways. 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.