Madison, Wis. (June 22) – Winners of five straight and six of their last seven games, field manager Donnie Scott and the Madison Mallards (15-11) will travel to Wausau, Wis., for a double-header with the Wisconsin Woodchucks (9-16) on Monday. First pitch for game one of the twin bill is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. from Athletic Park; game two will take place 30 minutes after the completion of game one. Play-by-play action for both will be provided by 100.5 FM ESPN Madison.
The Mallards exit the weekend on an exceptionally high note. After blanking the Kenosha Kingfish by a 3-0 mark Friday night, Saturday’s series finale saw Collin Theroux (San Joaquin Delta College) finish off a furious comeback effort in the bottom of the ninth courtesy of a walk-off home run. Sunday’s matinee affair with the Woodchucks was less dramatic, though equally brilliant, as Madison churned out a season-high 20 hits en route to a decisive 14-2 win over Wisconsin.
After solid showings from its starting pitchers of late – Matt Bower (Washington State) and Nate Hoffmann (Middle Tennessee State) allowed just two earned runs across 11 frames between Saturday and Sunday – the Mallards will turn to Andrew Beckwith (Coastal Carolina) for a similar performance in tonight’s first game. Beckwith is 0-1 with a 5.90 ERA (10.2 IP). Hever Bueno (Arizona State), who owns a 1-0 record and eight strikeouts in 6.1 innings, will start game two.
To counter, the Woodchucks will assign right-handed pitcher Zach Stone (UC-Davis) with his first start of the summer in game one. Stone, a 6-foot-1 native of Eureka, Calif., allowed one earned run across 1.2 innings of relief in his June 18 appearance against Lakeshore. Wisconsin has named Jared Skolnicki (Kent State) as its starting pitcher for game two. Skolnicki, a left-handed pitcher from Pittsburgh, Penn., is 3-1 with a 4.15 ERA over 17.1 frames so far this season.
- Collin’s Clutch Approach – Theroux, a 35th round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins earlier this month, produced his second home run in as many games with the Mallards on Sunday afternoon (both of which came with two strikes in the count). The 6-foot-3 catcher has accounted for 7 RBI in his first two contests with the Mallards.
- Regnier Revs it Up – Logan Regnier (Central Michigan) tabbed a game-high (and season-high) four base hits in Madison’s 14-2 drubbing of Wisconsin on Sunday, raising his season batting average to .342 across 79 at-bats. Regnier has reached base safely in every game he has started – 19 in total – so far this summer.
The Mallards return to the Duck Pond tomorrow (Tuesday, June 23) against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. Tuesday’s contest, scheduled for 7:05 p.m., will feature a Maynard LEGO Giveaway sponsored by Zimbrick Honda. For tickets, call the Mallards ticket office at 608-246-4277 or visit www.MallardsBaseball.com for more information. Unable to attend? Follow the Mallards on Twitter at @MadisonMallards or tune into 100.5 FM ESPN Madison for play-by-play coverage.
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The Madison Mallards are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2015, 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 120 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 (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website. For more information, visit www.MallardsBaseball.com.
