Wausau, WI - July 3, 2009. It was a night of first's for starting pitcher Alex Rivers (Santa Clara) and the Madison Mallards as the right-hander picked up his first win on the year and the team won its first game of the Northwoods League second half in a 9-2 victory over the Wisconsin Woodchucks Friday night.

Rivers (1-1) threw five innings and allowed two earned runs while striking out three Woodchucks (0-1). Dan Burawa (St. John's) then entered in the sixth inning and continued his recent dominance of opposing hitters by striking out seven batters in his four innings of work.

Wausau's starter, B Koenigstein (0-3), picked up the loss in allowing six runs in 5.1 innings.

Every Mallards (1-0) starting offensive player contributed tonight with either a hit or RBI. In all, the team totaled 14 hits and had five different players record multiple base knocks in Kurtis Muller (Iowa) 3, Mark Ginther (Oklahoma State) 2, John Hicks (Virginia) 2, Jacob Esch (Georgia Tech) 2, and Joe Patterson (Texas A&M) 2.

Madison was paced by two 2-run home runs by first baseman Harold Riggins (NC State) and designated hitter Troy Channing (St. Mary's). It was Channing's second in as many nights while Riggins recorded his sixth four-bagger and season-long RBI total to 30.

These same two teams will square off Saturday at 6:35 p.m. at Athletic Park on the fourth of July.