After arriving a few hours before the start of yesterday’s game, Houston-born right-hander Mitchell Kilkenny (Texas A&M) will make his season debut for the Mallards (13-8) as they try and even the series following last night’s loss to Kalamazoo (13-10). The Growlers topped the Mallards by a score of 8-7 last night following a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the eighth.
Kilkenny, a 6’4,” 205-pound freshman had an illustrious first season with the dominant Aggies. Across 27 innings, Kilkenny struck out 29, posted a 1.67 ERA and had a 1.26 WHIP. Those numbers gave him a 2-0 record and put him second on the team in earned run average. Kilkenny’s final appearance of the season was in relief, where he pitched 3.1 scoreless innings in Texas A&M’s super regional game.
To match Kilkenny, Kalamazoo will hand the ball to left-hander Grant Wolfram (Central Michigan), who will also be making his first start in 2016. The freshman has made five relief appearances for the Growlers in the 2016 campaign, owning a 3.52 ERA in 7.1 innings across five games. He’s struck out 11 and posted a 1.67 ERA.
Madison and Kalamazoo both have 13 wins, making them the two teams with the highest win totals in the Northwoods League’s South division. The Mallards lead the Growlers by one game in the standings.
After his double last night, Nate Palace (Valparaiso) was able to extend his hit streak to nine games, and looks to take that to double digits tonight as he’s hitting .300 against left-handers this season. Also continuing his streak was Sam Armstrong (Jacksonville), as the lefty recorded an RBI single in the second inning, continuing to reach base in every game he’s played in so far for the Mallards.
Tonight’s game against Kalamazoo is set for 7:05 pm at the Duck Pond. 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.
