Last night, the Madison Mallards (42-30) completed the regular season after suffering an 8-4 loss to the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (36-35). The Mallards finished the regular season with a 42-30 overall record, just seven games shy of total regular season wins from last summer. Now that the regular season is over, Madison is gearing up for the playoffs and have a shot to win their third championship in franchise history.
After winning the first half of the season, the Mallards clinched an automatic first-round playoff spot. Their opponent was determined last night, as the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (46-26) ended the regular season in first place in the Great Lakes West Division standings. Since their overall record is higher than the second place Mallards, Rafters claimed home field advantage.
Tonight, game one will be played at Witter Field in Wisconsin Rapids, and tomorrow the teams will retreat to the Duck Pond for game two. If a third game is needed to decide who will move on to the second round, the teams will once again play at Witter Field.
This is the seventh series between the two, having already competed in six during the regular season. The overall meeting record is 7-5, in favor of the Rafters. The first meeting ended in a sweep for the Mallards, but Rapids earned two series sweeps against Madison later in the season. The remaining three series ended in splits.
On the mound for the Mallards is RHP Quinn Gudaitis (Illinois Wesleyan). Gudaitis has been a staple in the Mallards rotation this year. He is making his thirteenth overall appearance and twelfth start tonight. Across 54.1 innings pitched he has acquired 53 strikeouts and allowed 33 walks. Gudaitis holds a 5-5 record, leading the Mallards pitching staff with the most wins.
To catch all the action on the road, fans can listen to the game on 96.7 FM 1670 AM The Zone or watch the live stream available online at https://portal.stretchlive.com/nwl. After game one is complete, the teams will play at Warner Park the following day, with first pitch slated for 6:35 p.m.
The Mallards are offering the Wisconsin Special for only $15 for the Tuesday home game, using the code WISCO SPECIAL at checkout. The playoff special includes a grandstand seat, traditional brat, half order of curd, ear of corn, beer or Pepsi product and a Mallards hat. Tickets for The Great Dane Duck Blind are not sold during the postseason.
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.
