Madison, WI – June 21, 2016. Hayden Brauser (Pratt CC) would turn in 7.1 innings in relief for Kalamazoo, as the Growlers (13-10) beat the Mallards (13-8) by a score of 8-7 on Tuesday night.
Madison would jump out to an early 5-2 lead, thanks to a four-run second inning in which nine batters stepped to the plate. Kalamazoo starter Larry Wood (Northwood) would struggle for the first time in 2016, exiting the game in the second inning after surrendering three hits and walking three. Wood had not walked a batter in his previous three starts.
The Mallards would hold the lead until the fifth inning, where starter Mike Reitcheck (Penn) appeared to have a tailor-made double play ball to lessen the damage. An error in the infield would allow two runs to score, ending Reitcheck’s night. The newest addition to the Mallards, Westin Wuethrich (Washington), would enter in relief and received similar treatment from the defense. The second infield error of the inning would bring in two more, giving the Growlers the lead. The Mallards would record four errors total on the night.
The game would teeter back the Mallards way in the home half of the fifth, thanks to a Zach Jarrett (UNC-Charlotte) two-RBI single. Jarrett would total three RBIs on the night, including an RBI triple that was a part of the four-run second inning. The two runs were the only runs Brauser would allow in his outing.
Ty Pennington (Nevada-Reno) would pitch two scoreless frames in relief of Wuethrich, striking out the side in the sixth inning. He would strand two runners in scoring position, hanging on to the Mallards two run lead.
Troy Bacon (Santa Fe College) would be the next pitcher for the Mallards, as he came on in the eighth to try and preserve the lead. After giving up a leadoff single to the number nine hitter, Bacon would fire a 3-1 pitch to Connor Kopach (Southern Illinois), who would put his first home run of 2016 over the left field fence, giving the Growlers an 8-7 lead. Kalamazoo would never look back.
Troy Bacon would be tallied with the loss, his second of the season. Hayden Brauser earned the win, improving him to 2-0 on the season. He struck out five and walked three in his 7.1 innings of work.
Nate Palace extended his hit streak to nine games with a double in the fifth inning, where he would later come around to score. With his single in the first, Sam Armstrong (Jacksonville) has continued to reach safely in every game he’s appeared in this season.
The Mallards return to the Duck Pond tomorrow, Wednesday, June 22nd, for a 7:05 pm game against the Kalamazoo Growlers. The game will feature a Quench Gum giveaway as well as Superhero Night. Kids 12 & under in costume will receive a free standing room only ticket. Tickets for the game 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.
