MADISON, WI – Coming from behind, the Fond Du Lac Dock Spiders won their first game in team history Wednesday night in Madison. The Dock Spiders defeated the Madison Mallards 5-3 at Warner Park.
The Dock Spiders turned to starting pitcher Ryan Connolly (Iowa Western CC) to take the mound for today's game. Connolly pitched into the 6th inning and allowed only 1 earned run on 1 hit. Connolly's day ended with the no decision.
Zack Kesterson came on in relief for the victory. Though Kesterson allowed 2 runs in 2.1 innings pitched, Kesterson did a great job of escaping jams in both the 7th and 8th innings.
Adam Eck (Edgewood College) picks up the first save in Dock Spider history.
The offense was stifled at first by Mallards starting pitcher Simon Rosenblum-Laroson (5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 9 SO) through the first 5 innings. However, the offense would come alive in the later innings. Colin Ridout (Tennessee Wesleyan) drew a walk with the bases loaded in the 7th to give the Dock Spiders the lead for the first time this season. Andrew Bullock followed the walk with a 2-run single to put the game away for good.
The Dock Spiders return home to Marian University's Herr-Baker Field for the 2017 home opener against the defending Northwoods League Champion Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. Connor Johnson (Catawba College) will get the start on the mound.
Season ticket packages, group outings, and individual game tickets for the 2017 season are on sale now and may be purchased from the Dock Spiders ticket office (located at 980 E Division St.). Fans may order tickets in person or over the phone by calling (920) 907-9833between 9:00am and 5:00pm Monday through Friday. Tickets are also available any time in the ticket section of dockspiders.com.
The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders 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.dockspiders.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Dock Spiders as your favorite team.