Northwoods Madison Mallards

Mallards Sweep Rafters Behind Shutout 6-0

Published on June 3, 2011 under Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Madison Mallards News Release


WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI - The brooms were out in full force on Friday night as the Madison Mallards knocked off the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters 6-0 to complete the three-game sweep to start the season. The six-run victory was the largest of the series for the Mallards and sent the 1,530 Rafters faithful in attendance home unhappy.

For the third game in a row, the Mallards were led by their pitchers. Starter Cash Collins (Wofford) and reliever Zach White (Wake Forest) combined to throw a three-hit shutout. Collins (1-0) pitched the first six innings, allowing only two hits, walking two and striking out seven. White came in to start the seventh inning and allowed only one hit and struck out five to notch the three-inning save, already his second on the young season.

"Cash was in complete control," said Mallards field manager Greg Labbe. "He was incredibly creative and constantly kept the Rafters' hitters guessing all night. He was throwing fastballs in situations that typically call for off-speed pitches, and off-speed pitches in fastball spots. His command was on-point, and Tyler Jones (Long Island) called a great game as well, which helps a ton."

Labbe had his team clicking on all cylinders in the series finale. Not only was his pitching staff sharp, his hitters racked up eleven total hits as well. The team scored their runs in bunches too, scoring three times in the sixth inning and twice in the final frame.

"Our guys took a better approach tonight," Labbe said. "We made the Rafters' pitchers work and got ahead in the count to the point where we got to see a lot of pitches that were favorable."

Leading the offensive attack for the Mallards was Mike McQuillan (Iowa). McQuillan kept up his fast start to the 2011 campaign by hitting the Mallards' first home run of the season, a solo blast that just cleared the right field fence. The four-bagger gave the Mallards the lead in the first inning and they never looked back.

Niko Fraser (Elon) and Mike Hollenbeck (Illinois State) were the only hitters to tally multiple hits for the Ducks. Fraser went 2-4 with a sacrifice, while Hollenbeck went 3-4 with an RBI.

It was a tough night from the get-go for the Rafters. Field Manager John Martin was ejected in the second inning after arguing with home plate umpire Joe George. After that, it was all downhill for the team.

Taking the loss for Wisconsin Rapids was Nestor Bautista (Ball State). Bautista (0-1) made his first appearance for the Rafters after joining the team earlier in the day on Friday. He went 5.1 innings and was responsible for all four runs, although only three were earned.

From an offensive perspective, it was a struggle for the Rafters. The team went 0-5 with runners in scoring position and recorded twelve of their 27 outs via a strikeout. Curtis Frisbie (Nevada-Reno) recorded the team's first hit with a single in the fifth inning, and Tyler Kamtz (New Mexico) had the only other single. The lone shining moment for Rapids was a leadoff double by Justin Jirschele (Wisconsin-Stevens Point) in the sixth.

The Mallards will board the team bus and head to La Crosse next to begin a two-game series at Copeland Park on Saturday. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. They will not see the Rafters again until Saturday, June 18th, when the two rivals square off at the Duck Pond at 6:05 p.m. The next time Witter Field will play host to the Mallards will be July 11th, exactly one week before the Northwoods League All-Star Game, also played at the home of the Rafters.

By the Numbers

The Mallards had three extra base hits Friday night, one more than their first two games combined.

The Mallards batted around their lineup for the first time this season in the sixth inning, scoring three runs in the process.

For the series, base runners for the Ducks stole seven bags. Wisconsin Rapids stole zero.

Rafters slugger Kyle Peterson had two home runs coming into Firday night against the Mallards. He finished 2-11 in the series with six strikeouts.

Mallards pitchers gave up only four runs in the three games versus Rapids. The team now boasts a miniscule 1.33 ERA, tops in the entire Northwoods League.

The pitching staff increased their strikeout totals every game in the series, notching nine in game one, eleven in game two, and twelve in the series finale. They allowed only eight walks.

Coming into Friday, four teams were 2-0 in the standings of Northwoods League's South Division. The Mallards were the only team of the four to win.

With the three-game sweep in Wisconsin Rapids, the Mallards improve to 11-2 all-time against the Rafters, including a 6-2 mark at Witter Field.

The Madison Mallards are members of the 16-team summer collegiate Northwoods League and will play a 70-game schedule in the new-and-improved "Duck Pond" beginning on Opening Day, June 7th against the Wisconsin Woodchucks at 7:05p.m.

Single-game tickets for the 2011 season are now on sale! Fans can purchase tickets one of three ways: 1) online by clicking here, 2) over the phone by calling the ticket office at 608.316.DUCK (3825), or 3) in-person at the "Duck Pond" weekdays 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. & 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday's. Group tickets, including hospitality areas perfect for company outings are on sale as well.

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