Northwoods Madison Mallards

Mallards Come Back in Eighth Inning to Win Fifth Straight

July 31, 2011 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Madison Mallards News Release


MADISON, WI - The Madison Mallards defeated the La Crosse Loggers 5-4 Sunday night in front of 6,164 fans at the "Duck Pond." The win was the second in as many nights over the Loggers, and the fifth in a row for the Mallards, who are now 11-10 in the second half. The team has not been over the .500 mark since starting the half 1-0 back on July 7.

The Loggers looked as though they would snap the Mallards' winning streak early, as they piled on four runs in the first two innings against Mallards' starter Chris Lamb (Davidson). Jimmy Brennan (St. John's) started the game with a single and scored on a two-out hit by Andrew Knapp (California) to give La Crosse a 1-0 lead. The Loggers scored three more runs in the second, as Tyler Smith (Oregon State) homered and Mike Reeves (Florida Gulf Coast) and Ethan Gross (Memphis) also crossed home to bring the lead to 4-0 after two.

Luckily, La Crosse's scoring would cease from there, and the Mallards started to make their run at a comeback in the third inning when Michael Handel (Minnesota) lined a home run into left field to get Madison on the board. The Ducks scored once more in the fourth and fifth innings on a couple of ground outs by Andrew Barna (Davidson) and Mike McQuillan (Iowa), and after the fifth, the score was 4-3 in favor of La Crosse.

Even though the team was losing, all of the momentum swung in Madison's favor, and the team would thrive in the latter parts of the game for the second night in a row. Saturday's game featured Madison's defense to preserve the win, but the tides turned on Sunday as it was the offense that shined.

Justin Parr (Illinois) led off the eighth with a single and came around to score on a double by McQuillan. McQuillan then scored two batters later on a single by Jordan Owen (Tennessee - Martin) to provide the winning margin.

Overall, the Mallards had nine hits as a team, and were led by Parr, who went 2-for-4, Handel, who was 2-for-3 with the home run and two runs scored, and Zack Powers (Florida) also had two hits in three at- bats. McQuillan drove in two of the team's four runs, and Tyler Jones (Long Island) also scored a run.

La Crosse out-hit Madison 10-9, and eight of their nine batters had hits. Setting the pace offensively for the Loggers was Knapp, who had two hits and a run batted in. Corey LeVier (San Diego) also had two hits for the Loggers, who fell to 14-8 on the half. The team still leads the South Division a full game over Waterloo.

On the mound, Lamb had a good outing for the Mallards, going past the fifth inning for the first time this season. In all, he went six innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits. Lamb also walked two and struck out six. Although he did not factor in the decision, Lamb settled down very well and shut out the Loggers after the second inning.

The win went to Mallards' right-handed reliever Eric Schmitz (Wisconsin - Whitewater). Schmitz, a Fond du Lac, WI native, made his first appearance in a Mallards uniform Sunday and pitched the seventh and eighth innings to move to 1-0 on the season. He allowed only one hit and tallied three strikeouts. Matt Milroy (Illinois) pitched the ninth for his team-leading sixth save.

Loggers' starter and 2011 Northwoods League All-Star Brando Tessar (Oregon) pitched well for the Loggers and was in line for the victory when he exited after six innings of quality pitching. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits, walked one, and struck out three. The Loggers have now lost three games when Tessar pitches, with two of those losses coming at the hands of the Mallards.

The loss went to reliever Michael Schum (Wright State). Schum went the final two innings for La Crosse and gave up two runs and is now 5-3 on the season.

The Mallards and Loggers will finish their three-game series Monday night at 7:05 p.m. in Madison. The Mallards will be looking for the sweep as they send Tom Windle (Minnesota) to the mound.

Upcoming Promotions

Monday, August 1 (vs. La Crosse, 7:05 p.m.)

Luedtke-Storm-Mackey Chiropractic Mini-Bat Night (First 1,000 Kids).

Fox 47 "Big Bang Theory" Night.

Wednesday, August 3 (vs. Wisconsin Rapids, 7:05 p.m.)

Charter Communications Team Poster Night.

"Vendor of the Year" Night with the winning vendor receiving their very own bobblehead in 2012!

Thursday, August 4 (vs. Green Bay, 7:05 p.m.)

TDS Cheesehead Maynard Bobblehead (First 1,000 fans).

Cheese and Burger Appreciation Night presented by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Pre-game concert by Around The Bend.

St. Mary's Sun Prairie Emergency Center Community Night. Receive 2-for-1 field box tickets with proof of residency in Maple Bluff (day of game--in-person only).

Free shuttle from and back to The Brass Ring (downtown)! Bus will leave at 6:30 p.m.

The Madison Mallards are members of the 16-team summer collegiate Northwoods League. Great seats remain for all games! Fans can purchase tickets one of three ways: 1) online, 2) over the phone by calling the ticket office at 608.316.DUCK (3825), or 3) in-person at the "Duck Pond." Group tickets, including hospitality areas perfect for company outings are on sale as well.



Northwoods League Stories from July 31, 2011


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