
Mallards Win Opening Day Pitchers Duel
May 30, 2022 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Madison Mallards News Release
Madison, WI - Although the weather brought the heat, the bats for both Madison and Lakeshore started a bit cold in the Mallards' 3-2 Opening Day victory. Only one hit through the first three innings for both clubs saw both offenses start slow. A lot of that was credit to both of the starters on Monday's opener. Dan Wright (5.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 3 BB) did not earn a decision after throwing for 5.1 and allowing just one hit and one unearned run. On the other end, Lakeshore put Eric Chalus on the mound and pitched exceptionally well, even leading up to allowing the first run of the game after taking a line drive off his throwing arm in the 4th inning. The Mallards bullpen only allowed one run through the other 3.2 innings with a combination of Gauge Lockhart (W, 1-0), Declan Elias, and Bryce Woody (S, 1). Woody closed the door over the final inning and a half with fastballs reaching 96 MPH, striking out Josh Johnson to claim the save. The defense behind the pitching for Madison today was nothing shy of excellent. The middle-infield combination of shortstop Ben Rosengard and Thomas Grilli dominated on the field, combining for twelve of the twenty-seven defensive outs for the Mallards.
With winds blowing in from the outfield, fly balls were caught dead in their tracks as soon as they hit the air off the bat. On multiple occasions, outfielders had to stride toward the infield to make plays. That was certainly the case in the 8th inning when Chinooks' left-fielder Josh Johnson roped a line-drive to center where Marcus Brodil robbed Johnson of a base hit on a diving catch.
At the plate, the Chinooks were led by Marcus Cline (2-5, 2B, R) with two hits in five chances at the plate, scoring one of the two Chinooks runs. For Madison, strikeouts were the only issue as Chinooks' pitching racked up 11 punchouts. Georgia Gwinnett's Peyton Smith (2-4, 2 R) and Southeastern Illinois' Javier Beal (2-4) were the two Mallards with multi-hit games. However, the only position player to return from the 2021 Madison team, Josh Caron (1-3, 2 RBI, SF), ended up being the difference maker in the 3-2 win, driving in two runs with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and a double in the sixth.
The Ducks finish a two-game set with the Chinooks tomorrow at 6:08 PM CST where Lincoln Memorial's Beau Nichols is expected to get the ball for Donnie Scott. Coverage can be found under the 'Live Action' tab on the Northwoods League website.
Northwoods League Stories from May 30, 2022
- Willmar Drops 2022 Season Opener at Rochester - Willmar Stingers
- Mallards Win Opening Day Pitchers Duel - Madison Mallards
- Rox Use Big Third Inning to Take Down Bucks on Opening Day - St. Cloud Rox
- Dock Spiders Win Fifth Straight Opener - Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
- Woodchucks Drop Season Opener in Fondy - Wausau Woodchucks
- Finally - The 2022 Season Is Underway - La Crosse Loggers
- Rockers Start 2022 Campaign with Showdown against Wisconsin Rapids Rafters - Green Bay Rockers
- Mallards to Start Former Badgers' Quarterback on Opening Day - Madison Mallards
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