Madison, WI – August 10, 2016. The Mallards (20-12, 43-25) fell to the Willmar Stingers (20-12, 38-30) on Wednesday night, losing for the first time in their last ten contests. The 2-0 final score was the first time Madison has been shut out since July 28th.
Luke Matheny (Oklahoma State) pitched a phenomenal game for the Mallards, turning in his longest outing of 2016. The right-hander went six complete innings while allowing only three hits, the first of which did not come until the fourth inning. Matheny fanned seven Stingers batsmen on the evening, his most in a single game this summer. The performance lowers his ERA to 1.24 in his 29.0 innings of work.
“Joe (Stefanki) called a great game behind the plate, and it was honestly more of what he was calling than what I was throwing,” said Matheny. “We were trying to keep the balls away from their big left-handers and give the team a chance.”
Matheny turned the ball over to his bullpen to start the seventh, allowing Luke Shilling (Illinois) to enter the game. Shilling pitched a quiet seventh inning and escaped a jam in the eighth, taking what was then a 0-0 ballgame into the final frame.
With a runner on third and one out in the top of the ninth, Mallards closer Troy Bacon (Santa Fe College) took over for Shilling. After striking out Danny Mayer (Pacific) for the second out, Willmar leftfielder Eddie Estrada (Minnesota) sent a 1-2 fastball over the wall in right-center. The 2-0 score would hold in the bottom of the ninth and go final, with Madison dropping their final regular season home game of 2016.
Caleb Arbetier (Murray State) pitched a complete-game shutout for the Stingers, earning his second win of the year. Arbetier allowed four hits and struck out four Mallards batters, going the distance for the first time this season. Luke Shilling took the loss in the contest, exiting the game with a runner on third in the ninth inning.
The Madison Mallards clinched a berth in the Northwoods League’s South Division playoffs with their victory this past Friday. Final seeding and location have yet to be determined with five games remaining in the regular season. However, it is more than likely the Mallards will host a home playoff game on Monday, August 15. The Mallards have the potential to host up to four playoff games at the Duck Pond. The home games could take place on Monday, August 15, Tuesday, August 16, Thursday, August 18, Friday, August 19 and/or Saturday, August 20. 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.
