Following the postponement of Thursday’s contest, the Mallards (7-5, 30-18) will play a doubleheader on Friday night against the Kalamazoo Growlers (5-7, 25-23). It will be the fifth and sixth games the teams have played against each other in 2016, with each team winning two games so far. Each contest will last seven innings.
Luke Matheny (Oklahoma State) will get the ball for Madison in game one, having last pitched against Rockford on July 15th. The outing was shortened due to an inning limit, but Matheny was terrific in his two innings. He struck out three and kept the Rivets off the board in a game that Madison would eventually lose. In six appearances and one start this summer, Matheny is 0-0 with a 1.50 ERA and seven strikeouts in 12 frames.
The Growlers will throw Grant Wolfram (Central Michigan) in Friday’s first game, as the towering left-hander will be making his fifth start and tenth appearance of the summer. The 6’7,” 214-pound Wolfram is 2-2 on the season with a 2.79 earned run average. He’s struck out 30 and has a WHIP of 1.28 in 29 innings of work. The nod will be Wolfram’s second against Madison this summer, as he allowed two earned runs on four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in five frames back on June 22nd in a Mallards win at the Duck Pond.
In game two, Mike Byrne (Florida) will toe the rubber for the Mallards. The right-hander has appeared in four games (two starts) so far this summer, posting a 1-0 record with a 3.64 ERA in 12.1 frames. Byrne has struck out 14 with a WHIP of 1.24. It will be his first time facing Kalamazoo.
Devin Pellien (Nova Southeastern) will go for Kalamazoo in the nightcap, looking to continue his fantastic 2016 campaign. Pellien stands at a perfect 4-0 record, owning a 1.71 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 47.1 innings of work. The right-hander will be making his eighth start and tenth appearance of the year.
Friday’s games against the Kalamazoo Growlers will see game one get underway at 5:00 pm from the Duck Pond at Warner Park. Game two will start thirty minutes following the conclusion of game one. It will be Sunbelt Rentals Night, Social Media Night as well as Danner/LaCrosse Night with gift certificate giveaways at the ballpark. There will also be post-game fireworks, presented by Zimbrick Honda. 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.
