Northwoods Madison Mallards

Upstart Mallards Travel to Green Bay for Series Opener

Published on July 30, 2015 under Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Madison Mallards News Release


Madison, Wis. - The Madison Mallards (15-10, 35-25) on Thursday will embark upon their most important series to date when they travel to Joannes Stadium for the opener of a two-game tilt with the Green Bay Bullfrogs (14-13, 36-26) at 7:05 p.m. Tonight's contest will be the fifth consecutive road matchup for the Mallards, who after putting the finishing touches on a sweep of the Kalamazoo Growlers on Tuesday find themselves in second place in the South Division's second-half standings. Coverage of Thursday's game will be provided by 100.5 FM ESPN Madison beginning at 6:45 p.m.

After benefitting from Spencer Goebel's (Spring Arbor Univ.) stellar pitching performance in Tuesday's finale at Homer Stryker Field - 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 2 K - field manager Donnie Scott will turn to Dalton D'Spain (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) to start tonight's opener in Green Bay. D'Spain, a 6-foot-0 right-hander, enters tonight's contest on the heels of tabbing a no decision after ceding two runs in three innings July 23 against La Crosse, a game the Mallards eventually won by a 5-4 mark. Overall, D'Spain boasts a 5-2 record, 4.15 ERA and 42 strikeouts across nine starts (43.1 IP) in 2015.

To counter, Bullfrogs field manager Skip Handelsman will assign 6-foot-0 right-handed pitcher Alex Martinez (De Anza College) with his seventh starting appearance of the summer. A native of Union City, Calif., Martinez has been dealt losing decisions in his two most recent outings, a span of time in which he has surrendered a combined seven earned runs across 8.1 frames (against Kenosha and La Crosse, respectively). Overall, Martinez has mustered a 2-3 record, 3.61 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 22:12 strikeout-to-walk ratio during his eight games pitched (32.1 IP) throughout the 2015 season.

Matchup History, Playoff Positioning - Tonight will mark the seventh of eight meetings between the Mallards and Bullfrogs this summer, with Green Bay winning four of the previous six matchups. Madison is 11-13 (.458) in head-to-head, regular-season contests with the Bullfrogs during Scott's tenure as field manager (since 2013) and 4-6 (.400) within the confines of Joannes Stadium in that span. The Mallards currently maintain sole possession of second place in the overall division standings with a .583 win percentage to Green Bay's .581.

Thursday's Roster Moves - The Mallards have waived right-handed pitcher Nate Hoffmann (Middle Tennessee State), who was 4-3 with an ERA of 4.38 across 39 innings, from the active roster. Subsequent to his release, the Mallards have announced their signing of right-handed pitchers Sterling Sharp (Eastern Michigan) and Jake Johnson (Univ. of Mary). Sharpe, a 6-foot-4 right-hander, joins the Mallards following his freshman collegiate campaign. Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound righty, also contributes to Madison's staff after his freshman season.

The Mallards will return to the Duck Pond next Saturday, August 1 against the Wisconsin Woodchucks (10-15, 22-38). Next Saturday will feature The Diamond Center Diamond Dig post-game, ice-cream scoop giveaway as well as a free Kids Clinic from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. presented by Zimbrick-Honda. For game tickets or inquiries regarding Saturday's Kids Clinic, call the Mallards Ticket Office at 608-246-4277 or visit www.MallardsBaseball.com for more information.

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Northwoods League Stories from July 30, 2015


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