Madison, WI – July 14, 2016. The Rockford Rivets (7-3, 23-22) were able to top the Mallards (5-4, 28-17) by a score of 7-3 on Thursday night, handing the Mallards only their second loss in the past six games. Rockford’s seven runs scored in the contest were more earned runs than Mallards pitchers had given up in the past five outings combined.
Rockford would jump out to an early lead off of Madison starter Westin Wuethrich (Washington), as a Hunter Hargrove (Texas Tech) two-out RBI single would bring in Michael Smith (San Jacinto JC), who reached after a leadoff walk. Wuethrich got a 6-4-3 twin-killer to limit the damage, keeping Madison in striking distance of the Rivets.
Madison evened the score at one in the bottom of the second, with Jesse Medrano (Fresno State) knocking in his first run as a member of the green and gold. Medrano lifted a sacrifice fly to deep right field, bringing in Nate Palace (Valparaiso). A strikeout would end the frame, with Madison leaving runners on the corners. The Mallards left a total of seven men on base in the contest.
The Rivets would break the tie in the fifth inning, with Hunter Hargrove sending a fly ball deep over the wall in left-center field for a two-out, three-run home run. Wuethrich would retire the next batter on strikes, effectively ending his night after allowing four runs in five frames.
Madison would inch closer in the sixth, with Palace bringing in Nico Hoerner (Stanford) on a single to the right side. With the score standing at 4-2, Rockford’s David Cronin (Illinois-Chicago) delivered an RBI double to go along with a wild pitch, as Rockford found themselves up 6-2 heading into the home half of the seventh.
Nick Roark (Oral Roberts) brought the Mallards within three, scoring Jesse Medrano on an RBI single of his own. The 6-3 score would hold until the ninth, where Hunter Hargrove delivered his fifth RBI of the night, pushing the Rockford lead to 7-3. That score would hold and go final.
Westin Wuethrich took the loss, his fourth of the season. He struck out two in his five frames. After turning in seven innings of three-run baseball, Tyler Thornton (Tennessee Wesleyan) earned the win. The victory marked his first win of the summer.
Thursday’s game was the first home start of the season for Jesse Medrano, who debuted in front of the home fans at third base. Known for his glove, Medrano was able to make a few nice plays at the hot corner while also recording a double and an RBI.
“Playing in front of all the fans was a really awesome experience,” said Medrano. ”I was just trying to give my best effort at third and do the most I could for the pitching staff.”
Nate Palace continued his hot streak in the ballgame, going 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Palace is hitting .381 with two home runs and five RBIs over his last five contests.
The Mallards will return to the Duck Pond Sunday, July 17th, to take on the Kenosha Kingfish at 4:05 pm. The contest will feature a Festival Foods Dancing Rick bobblehead giveaway. It will also be Public Safety Appreciation Night and Rayovac Night. 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.
