Madison, Wis. – The Madison Mallards (2-3) dominated the Green Bay Bullfrogs (1-4) on Saturday night, winning 20-1. The Mallards were spectacular in all phases of the game as they tallied 23 hits, allowed just one run, and didn’t commit an error. The Mallards offense clicked as every batter in Madison’s lineup recorded multiple hits.
Centerfielder Doran Turchin (Illinois) had a spectacular evening as he posted a 4-for-4 clip, highlighted by a monster grand slam in the second inning. Turchin racked up six RBI in the game and reached base in each of his six plate appearances. The rest of the offense also performed exceptionally as every Mallard batter recorded multiple hits. Additionally, eight of nine Mallards knocked in runs.
“I was working on some things in batting practice the last couple days and I finally felt comfortable at the plate again”, Turchin explained. “We just didn’t want to give any at-bats away. We wanted to keep adding on. It is fun just hitting non-stop when you’re up there every inning or every-other inning.” Following his stellar performance, Turchin was named the Northwoods League Position Player of the Night.
The Mallards offensive outburst put the team back in the win column. Field manager Donnie Scott was pleased with the team’s aggressiveness. “They weren’t waiting to see if it was a strike or not, they were attacking. Everyone was in attack mode tonight. You don’t get too many games like that.”
Madison starter Luke Matheny (Oklahoma State) hurled a gem in his first start of the season. Matheny pitched five scoreless innings and allowed just one hit: a single in the fifth inning. Matheny struck out four while walking one. After posting the second-lowest ERA for Madison last season, Matheny seems to be picking up right where he left off.
With the win, the Mallards end the five-game home stand on a high note before hitting the road for the first time in 2017. They will face the Bullfrogs on Sunday, before traveling to Kalamazoo for a two-game set against the Growlers. When asked about the season’s first road trip, “I feel a lot better now. We were flat, that’s the bottom line,” Scott said. “We had the big opening night then just kind of went dead, so it was nice to see them rebound the way they did.”
The Mallards will return to the Duck Pond on Wednesday, June 7th to face the Rockford Rivets. The Mallards will host a food drive for Willy St. Co-Op Night. First pitch is set for 6:35 PM at Warner Park. Gates are scheduled to open at 5:00 PM.
