Madison, Wis. – The Madison Mallards (16-5) hit the road today to begin a seven-game road trip, starting in Rockford tonight as they take on the Rivets at 6:35 PM. After their win over the Rivets last night, the Mallards finish the two-game set in Rockford then travel to Wausau, Kalamazoo and Wisconsin Rapids over the next week. The Mallards hold a one game lead over the Kalamazoo Growlers in the South Division and are 3.5 games up on the second place Fond du Lac Dock Spiders.
@ Rockford Rivets- Tonight 6:35 PM
Tonight the Mallards plan to send Notre Dame righty Brian Morrell to the mound. Morrell has been effective out of the Mallards bullpen this summer and will be making only his second start of the season. Morrell currently holds a 4.69 ERA and has allowed four earned runs on eight hits over 7.2 innings of work. Morrell looks to improve his 1-0 record tonight against the Rivets.
Meanwhile, the Rivets are scheduled to send Cooper Cain to the mound to oppose Morrell. Cain, a sophomore from Valdosta State, has started three games this season and has lasted at least 6.0 innings in each of them. Cain has a minuscule 0.45 ERA and has allowed only six hits through 20.0 innings on the bump. He currently holds a 16-inning scoreless streak.
Offensively, the Mallards have been paced by Jake Randa (NW Florida State) and Drew Campbell (Louisville) recently. After two hits and three RBI last night, Randa is batting .526 over his last five games, knocking in ten runs and ripping ten hits. Campbell has also been hot, finishing a home run short of the cycle last night. The Louisville outfielder has posted a .429 clip over his last four games and has knocked in three runs.
@ Wisconsin Woodchucks- June 21, 22
Following tonight’s game in Rockford, the Mallards will head to Wausau to take on the Woodchucks for a two-game set. The Mallards are scheduled to start Sean Leland (Illinois) in game one. Leland will be looking for his third win of the season and currently holds a 1.05 ERA through 17.0 innings on the mound. Leland lasted 7.0 innings and allowed only one run in his last start, a win over the Green Bay Bullfrogs.
Madison holds a 2-0 record against the Woodchucks so far this season and have held Wisconsin to only four earned runs. Also, Mallards pitchers picked up 20 strikeouts through two games against the Woodchucks.
@ Kalamazoo Growlers- June 23, 24
The Mallards are also 2-0 against the Kalamazoo Growlers this season and will head to Kalamazoo on Saturday. Currently, Kalamazoo sits only a single game behind the Mallards in the South Division standings, making this weekend’s two-game set an important series. The Mallards had 21 hits and allowed only four earned runs in their first series matchup this season.
@ Wisconsin Rapids- June 25, 26
The Mallards conclude the road trip with a pair of games in Wisconsin Rapids against the Rafters. The Mallards split their season-opening series with the Rafters, despite scoring eleven runs while allowing only five. Mallards batters teed off of Rafters pitching, posting a .313 clip at the dish and totaling six extra-base hits. Meanwhile, the Mallards pitching staff held the Rafters to only one earned run and just a .188 average at the plate.
The Mallards will return home after their seven game road trip on Wednesday, June 27 for a 12:05 PM day game against the Rockford Rivets before heading to Rockford for the second half of a home-and-home doubleheader. For tickets and more information visit mallardsbaseball.com. Make sure to catch every Mallards game game on The Zone, 1670 AM and 96.7 FM.
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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 the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.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.
