KENOSHA, Wis. – The Kenosha Kingfish (23-16) defeated the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (18-23) on Saturday at Historic Simmons Field by a score of 7-5. With the victory, the Kingfish snapped a three-game skid, their longest of the season.
Throughout that losing streak, offense had been in short supply, as Kenosha scored just three runs or fewer in each of the three games. That wasn’t the case on Saturday, however, as the Kingfish rallied for four runs before they even recorded three outs.
That rally got started with two walks to the first three hitters of the game, with the first run scoring when center fielder Connor Doyle (University of San Diego) slid home on a wild pitch. First baseman Derek Bangert (Bradley) singled home the next run, setting off a set of three consecutive one-out singles, including another RBI hit by third baseman Tim Millard (Dallas Baptist).
The Kenosha offense relied on single runs and some strong bullpen work to secure the win from there. Bangert brought in a run in the second on a sacrifice fly, and an RBI double by catcher Jesse Wilkening (Nebraska) scored another in the fourth. The Fond du Lac bats were far from quiet in that time frame, however, scoring three runs against Kingfish starter Logan Wiley (Missouri State) in four innings of work to keep the game within striking distance.
Kenosha’s final run of the game came on a single by second baseman Austin Bodrato (Florida) in the sixth inning, which was again answered quickly by the Dock Spiders, who scored twice in the seventh inning in right-hander Colan Treml’s (University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh) third inning of work.
The Kingfish turned to closer Billy McKay (Florida) early in this one, enlisting his services to start the eighth inning to attempt a six-out save. McKay responded to that challenge with two innings of scoreless baseball, walking one, hitting a batter and striking out two.
Wilkening was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI in this game, while Bodrato finished 2-for-4. Doyle reached base three times on a single and two walks while scoring twice, while Millard went 1-for-3 on the evening with a walk and an RBI. All nine hitters in the Kingfish lineup finished with at least one hit.
The Kingfish will be back at home on Sunday as they host Wisconsin Rapids for Uke’s Harley Davidson Appreciation Night. First pitch is at 4:05p.m.
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The Kenosha Kingfish are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 170 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.kingfishbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Kingfish as your favorite team.
