Madison, Wis. (August 5) – After overcoming a 5-0 deficit in their home opener with the Alexandria Blue Anchors on Monday, field manager Donnie Scott and the Madison Mallards (20-11, 40-26) captured a sweep of their interleague foe on Wednesday by storming back from a 3-0 first-inning hole en route to a 10-3 win at the Duck Pond. The Mallards clubbed eight hits – three for extra bases – Wednesday night, two of which were provided by Chris Tschida (Western Illinois). Madison’s fifth straight win pulled the Mallards within three games of first place in the division’s second-half standings.
Similarly to Monday’s opener, Alexandria’s lineup swung its bats effectively early in the finale, recording three hits and a fielding error on the part of Madison’s defense en route to a trio of runs in the top half of the first. Mallards starting pitcher Brandon White (South Suburban CC) settled in after the uneven first frame, however, proceeding to blank the Blue Anchors over the next four innings. Madison supplied White with a four-run fourth inning headlined by J.J. Gould’s (Jacksonville) RBI double, giving their starter a chance to tab a winning decision in his first rotation start of the summer.
After two scoreless inning of relief with three strikeouts and no walks from Josh Pierce (Central Michigan) to preserve Madison’s 5-0 advantage, the Mallards ignited for five more runs in the home half of the seventh. Joel Zyhowski (UW-La Crosse), making his Mallards debut in centerfield, contributed to the outburst with an RBI single, while Tschida came around to score his second run of the night after singling. Jake Johnson (Univ. of Mary), then working with a 10-3 lead, sealed Madison’s comeback effort with two scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth with two whiffs and just one hit.
Still maintaining sole possession of second place in the South Division’s second half and overall standings exiting Wednesday’s action, field manager Donnie Scott and the Mallards will return to the Duck Pond on Thursday for the opener of a two-game set with the Battle Creek Bombers. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Thursday will be Charter Communication Trading Card Giveaway Night at the Duck Pond, featuring free trading cards on every Mallards player. It will also be Dentistry for Madison: Dr. Jay Hazen alternate jersey auction and toothbrush giveaway, 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.
