Madison, WI – July 8th, 2016. The Mallards (1-2, 24-15) fell to the Wisconsin Woodchucks (2-1, 15-23) in tonight’s contest, struggling to find an offensive rhythm in the loss. Madison was able to score two runs on three hits, two of which came in their two-run fourth inning.
The Woodchucks would jump out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the top of the first off of Mallards starter Westin Wuethrich (Washington), who allowed a double to Stevie Mangrum (Virginia Tech) to open up the scoring after walking the first two batters. Wisconsin would tack on insurance runs in both the second and third innings, making the lead four. The bullpen would take over in the top of the fourth, sending the game to the home half of the inning with a 4-0 score.
After Woodchucks starter Devin Skapura (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) retired the first nine batters he faced, Mallards hitters began to see the right-hander a bit better in the fourth frame, as he allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks in the inning. Zach Jarrett (UNC-Charlotte) would crank a ball down the right-field line to score a run, missing a grand slam by a matter of inches. The RBI would be Jarrett’s team-leading 30th run batted in of 2016. Nick Roark (Oral Roberts) would draw a bases-loaded walk one batter later, making the score 4-2. The Mallards would leave the bases full after the two runs crossed the dish, striking out twice and grounding out to the shortstop to end the inning.
Kevin Berge (St. John Fisher College), who took over for Wuethrich in the fourth inning, would pitch to the first two batters of the fifth frame, allowing a run before giving way to Luke Shilling (Illinois). Shilling would escape trouble and limit the damage, pitching through the 7th inning while only giving up a single hit. Chase Hoag (Fresno State) took over in the eighth, giving up two runs (one earned) on four walks and no hits. That inning would put the score at 7-2 heading in to the ninth, where Alex Hintze (UCONN) was able to get a three up, three down top half. That score would hold and go final, as Madison couldn’t cash in on their bases-loaded opportunity in the bottom of the ninth.
Devin Skapura would earn the win in the contest, pitching eight strong innings in which he allowed only three hits and one earned run. He walked two and struck out six in that span. Westin Wuethrich took the loss, falling to 0-3 on the season. He allowed four runs on five hits, recording three strikeouts.
Jarrett and Cameron Frost (Washington State) both turned in great outfield assists in the loss, with Jarrett gunning a runner at second and Frost teaming up with Nico Hoerner (Stanford) to nail a runner at the plate. Jarrett now leads the Northwoods League in outfield assists with four.
The Mallards will return to the Duck Pond tomorrow at 6:35 pm to take on the Wisconsin Woodchucks in their series finale. The game will feature the ZOOperstars! presented by Maple Leaf Landscaping. It will also be El Noche de Beisbol presented by Madison Gas and Electric. There will be a Zimbrick Honda & Agrace HospiceCare Win the Civic Auto Raffle and Zimbrick Honda FREE Kids Clinic from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. 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.
###
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.
