Madison, WI – June 29, 2016. After pitching and defense controlled the first nine innings of this contest between the Mallards (19-11) and the Rockford Rivets (14-15, the Madison offense was able to steal the show in the 10th. Zach Jarrett (UNC-Charlotte) launched a grand slam over the left field fence, securing a 5-1 Mallards victory.
Heath Renz (UW-Whitewater) was sensational in his start, going seven strong innings after allowing a run in the opening frame. The right-hander allowed six hits and struck out five on 91 pitches, walking one in the process. It was the longest start any Mallards starter has turned in this season.
“The fastball was putting me ahead in the count and I was able to keep them guessing,” said Renz. “I knew that this offense was too good for one run to make a difference.”
The Mallards trailed 1-0 through the first seven innings, as Anthony Dahl (Arkansas) was able to quiet the Mallards bats. Dahl allowed four hits through five innings, striking out five Mallards hitters. He would be relieved by Cory Wright (Madison Tech), who added on another two scoreless frames. It wasn’t until the bottom of the 8th that Madison was able to break the seal.
A Josh Stowers (Louisville) leadoff single got the ball rolling, with a stolen base and a groundout advancing him to third with two down. A wild pitch by Joe Romero (Albany), who replaced Wright, brought the speedy outfielder in to score.
Alex Smith (North Florida) and Troy Bacon (Santa Fe College) would provide three scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out four and allowing two base runners in the process. Lights-out pitching by the Madison staff would set the stage for the bottom of the 10th, where Rockford turned to Zach Olszewski (Bethune-Cookman) to extend the game.
Proving to be the offensive catalyst yet again, Josh Stowers lined his third hit of the night right down the third baseline, beating out a throw for an infield single. A Nick Hoerner (Stanford) infield single would be followed by a Nick Roark (Oral Roberts) bunt single, loading the bases with no one out. Zach Jarrett stepped in to the batter’s box to face Olszewski, and the Mallards hottest hitter over the last five games ended the ballgame in style. Jarrett connected on a fastball, putting it deep over the left field fence. The home run was Jarrett’s fifth of the year.
“I was sitting fastball because there was no room to put me on,” said Jarrett. “I was just trying to put something into the outfield.”
For his work in the top of the 10th, Troy Bacon picked up the win in relief, his third of 2016. Olszewski took the loss after Renz and Dahl both earned no-decisions in their strong outings.
Stowers and Jarrett tallied three hits each, with Jarrett eventually delivering the knockout blow and Stowers the game tying and winning runs. Both outfielders are hitting over .300 in their last five contests.
The Mallards will return to the Duck Pond tomorrow, Thursday, June 30th to take on the Lakeshore Chinooks at 7:05 pm. The game will feature a Balking Dead Maynard Bobblehead giveaway. There will also be a Schwinn Family of Bikes (4) giveaway. UW-Health Sports Medicine will hold a clinic developing swing fundamentals & power baseball clinic from 9 am to 12 pm. The clinic is $40 for ages 8-16. Tickets are available for purchase by visiting MallardsBaseball.com, calling the Mallards ticket office at 608-246-4277, or stopping in the ticket office at 2920 N Sherman Ave.
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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 23rd season of summer collegiate baseball, 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 150 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 (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.mallardsbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store and set the Mallards as your favorite team.
