Madison, Wis. – The Madison Mallards (12-3) return to Warner Park tonight on a ten-game win streak, the team’s longest since winning 16 straight in 2007, the longest stretch of consecutive wins in Northwoods League history. After winning on Hunter Hisky’s (Southwest Baptist) two-run walk-off home run at the Duck Pond on Sunday, the Mallards won back-to-back games on the road in Kenosha and at Lakeshore.
Tonight, the Mallards go for a series sweep of the Lakeshore Chinooks (8-7). As a team, the Mallards continue to pace the South Division with a .276 batting average and the entire league with a 2.28 ERA. Madison’s win streak has propelled them to the top of the South Division as the team now sits two games ahead of Wisconsin Rapids and Rockford in the division standings.
Probable Pitchers
Notre Dame righty Brian Morrell is scheduled to make his first start of the year tonight for the Mallards. Morrell has been spectacular out of the bullpen so far this summer, working 5.2 innings without allowing a single run. Morrell has allowed only five hits while also sitting down five men on strikes.
Scheduled to start for Lakeshore is UW-Whitewater senior Austin Jones. Jones has made two starts this season and holds an 0-2 record and a 8.37 ERA. Jones has worked 9.2 total innings while allowing nine runs on seven hits and five walks while striking out eight.
Players to Watch
Mallards sluggers Tyler Plantier (Richmond), Drew Ober (UNC-Charlotte) and David Vinsky (Northwood) have all been producing offensively lately as each of the Mallards position players have seven hits over the last five games. Vinsky has also knocked in seven runs over that span. Meanwhile, Plantier continues to pace the Mallards with a .367 batting average.
Mallards catcher Hunter Hisky has been heating up at the plate recently, posting a .400 clip at the plate over his last six games. Last time the Mallards were at the Duck Pond, Hisky delivered a walk-off two-run bomb to beat the Kenosha Kingfish.
###
The Madison Mallards are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via theNorthwoods League portal. For more information, visitwww.mallardsbaseball.comor download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Mallards as your favorite team.
