Madison, WI – July 22, 2016. In the second game of a doubleheader on Friday, the Mallards (7-5, 31-19) fell to the Kalamazoo Growlers (6-8, 26-24) by a score of 4-1. The game followed a 5-1 Mallards victory in game one of the doubleheader that was played due to the postponement of Thursday’s contest. The loss in game two broke the Mallards three-game winning streak that dated back to before the all-star break.
Madison jumped out to an early lead over Kalamazoo, using a Zach Jarrett (UNC-Charlotte) two-out RBI double to take a 1-0 advantage. The run would end up being the only blemish against Kalamazoo starter Devin Pellien (Nova Southeastern) who would end up handling the Mallards high-powered offense.
After tying the game on a throwing error in the third, Kalamazoo broke the game open with a three-run fourth frame powered by a Kasey Cooper (Arkansas Fort Smith) two-out, two-RBI double off of Mallards starter Mike Byrne (Florida). The double was the fourth hit that Byrne allowed in the contest, three of which went for extra bases. He would turn the game over to the bullpen looking at a 4-1 deficit.
Madison’s bullpen would turn in 3.1 hitless frames, using the trio of Ty Pennington (Nevada-Reno), Justin watts (Northern Kentucky) and Chase Hoag (Fresno State) to keep the Growlers from extending their lead. The Mallards weren’t able to add on to their run total however, falling to Kalamazoo in seven innings.
Mike Byrne took the loss in his fifth start of 2016, allowing four runs on four hits with two walks and five punch-outs in 3.2 innings of work. Devin Pellien earned the win, throwing a complete game four-hitter, pitching six scoreless frames after giving up the run in the first. The victory improves him to 5-0 on the season.
Zach Jarrett provided the majority of the offense for Madison, picking up two of their three hits and the lone RBI. The RBI was Jarrett’s 35th on the season, extending his team lead in that category.
The Mallards will return to the Duck Pond on Tuesday, July 26th to take on the Lakeshore Chinooks at 7:05 pm. It will be Princess Night at the Duck Pond with appearance by Queen Elsa, Princess Anna & Cinderella. There will be a giveaway of Locksley's self-titled album featuring 'The Whip' and 'Oh Wisconsin,’ showcasing up-tempo modern rock and roll for the whole family. 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.