Madison, Wis. (July 24) – On the heels of a thrilling, walk-off 5-4 triumph made possible by Jean Ramirez’s (Illinois State) two-run single in the bottom of the ninth Thursday night, field manager Donnie Scott and the Madison Mallards (13-7, 33-22) on Friday will shift their focus to the finale of their key two-game set with the La Crosse Loggers (13-9, 32-24) at Warner Park.Tonight’s 7:05 p.m. affair will be Madison’s last at the Duck Pond prior to a six-game, seven-day road tour against South Division competition beginning this Saturday at Lakeshore and concluding next Friday night in Green Bay.
A.J. Bogucki (North Carolina) will look to extend his recent stretch of dominance on the mound tonight against the Loggers, which will mark his eighth starting appearance of the 2015 season. Bogucki, a 6-foot-3 right-hander previously drafted by the Minnesota Twins, has surrendered one earned run across his first 17 innings (0.53 ERA) of the Mallards second-half schedule. His sterling production of late has withered his season ERA to 2.75 across 36 frames in his second summer campaign with Madison, including a 27:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .221 opponent batting average.
To counter Bogucki, Loggers field manager Bill Sandillo has named right-handed pitcher Nolan Gromacki (Missouri) as La Crosse’s starter for Friday’s series cap. Gromacki, a 6-foot-0 righty originally from Smithville, Mo., is 1-3 and carries into tonight a 4.74 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 31:24 strikeout-to-walk differential across his first 43.2 innings of the summer. The second half of the 2015 season has unfolded less than spectacularly for the sophomore-to-be, posting a 5.94 ERA while issuing more walks (10) than strikeouts (8) across 16.2 frames. Overall, opponents have batted .218 against him.
Tonight’s contest will include The Great Dane Mohawk Bobblemohawk Giveaway presented by WKOW-TV at the front gates of the stadium, while supplies last. Fans will also be treated to a preview of the Wisconsin Cheese Curdfest, featuring a taste of some of the curds that will be available at Curdfest at the Duck Pond on Saturday, July 26. 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? Tune in to 100.5 FM ESPN Madison’s play-by-play coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.
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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.
