The Mallards’ five-game win streak came to a screeching halt Tuesday night as the Wisconsin

Woodchucks took advantage of the Mallards shaky pitching, winning 13-4.

Starting pitcher Rusty Sellhorn put the Mallards in a bind early. The Woodchucks put runners on

the corners with only one out in the top of the first inning. Fortunately for the Mallards, Sellhorn

was able to escape the inning scotch free by striking out the next two batters. This would be the

last time anything fortunate would happen for the Mallards.

In the top of the second inning, the Woodchucks led off with three straight hits, two singles and

a two-run home run by first baseman Brock Stassi. The lone bright spot for the Mallards was

Justin Parr, brother of shortstop Josh Parr. Justin Parr joined the team Monday and made his

first start for the club tonight in left field. In the bottom of the second inning, Parr got his first hit

as a Mallard, finishing the game 2-for-4 with an RBI.

“Even though it wasn’t the night we were looking for, it’s amazing to come out here and play in

front of a big crowd,” Parr said. “It was a great experience, because it’s something I’m not used

to.”

“Justin handled himself great out there,” manager C.J. Thieleke added. “We’re excited about his

performance and composure.”

In the top of the third inning, the Woodchucks led off with two doubles, eventually scoring to

give take a 3-1 lead. Things continued to go downhill from there for Sellhorn, loading the bases

with one out. Thieleke had seen enough, pulling Sellhorn in favor of pitcher Dillon Napoleon. It

looked to be the right move, as Napoleon forced Woodchuck first baseman Brock Stassi to hit

into an inning-ending double-play.

“Shellhorn felt good to go, but it was a matter of execution as he struggled to get ahead of

counts,” Thieleke said. “He failed to find his rhythm out there.”

The Mallards were able to keep the Woodchucks in check during the fourth and fifth innings,

somehow trailing by only one run, with a score of 3-2 headed into the sixth inning. The score

was deceiving as the Woodchucks couldn’t take advantage of players in scoring position,

leaving a total of five men on base through five innings. Someone must have told this to

Woodchuck infielder Eric Fritz, as he came out in the top of the sixth inning and hit a three-run

home run to widen the lead making it 6-2 Woodchucks.

Hitter of the game, third baseman Travis Whitmore followed Fritz’s lead hitting a two RBI single,

giving the Woodchucks an 8-2 lead. Whitmore finished the game 4-for-5, with two runs and

two RBI. The Mallards finally ended the inning, giving up five runs, but by this point the fans

had seen enough as most of the 6,284 that were in attendance began to file out one-by-one.

Despite the empty stands, the Mallards were able to hold off the Woodchucks for two

more innings until the flood gates opened back up in the ninth inning. The Woodchucks

scored five runs off of five hits, one of which was a two run homer by second baseman Rob

Lind. This sealed the deal, as if it hadn’t already, giving the Woodchucks the 13-4 victory.

Although the loss ended the Mallards five-game win streak, the Mallards edged the

Woodchucks in the series six games to four. Tuesday’s game also marked Mallards first

baseman Harold Riggins’ 35th straight game reaching base safely, which leads the league.