FOND DU LAC, WI- On the home opener of the 2018 season it will be a night that Zack Kesterson (Arkansas Tech) will never forget as he finished the night with double digit strikeouts.
When asked what was working well for Kesterson he said, “Getting ahead in counts, using my defense, and later in the game mixing up pitches. I relied on the guys behind me to make some plays and they really picked me up.”
A low scoring ball game between the two squads, the Dock Spiders got on the board first in the 2nd inning. Keiji Parkhurst (Daytona State) led off the 2nd when he drilled one into left field for a double. Duncan Hewitt (Butler) would get the first run of the game thanks to a sacrifice fly by Pat Sisk (Furman).
Brad Hudson (Southern Illinois) added an RBI double later in the 2nd to give the Dock Spiders a 2-0 lead over the Rivets. It was the Granger, IN natives first RBI in a Fond du Lac jersey.
Rockford added a run of their own n the 4th inning on a sacrifice fly to right field but it would prove to be not enough in the 2-1 loss for the Rivets.
It was Zack Kesterson’s night from the first pitch of the inning to the second to last out of the game. Kesterson finished the night with 109 pitches, 8 2/3 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, and 10 strikeouts, three of which came in the 7th inning on the three batters that he saw. All 10 of Kesterson’s K’s came swinging.
A total of 671 fans were at Herr Baker Field on a beautiful Friday night and Kesterson added, “Coming back for my second year I know these Fondy fans are absolutely fantastic. They are always going to be behind you and have reactions like that. It’s something that is very special. We are here for the fans.”
Kesterson walked back to the dugout after his night and got a standing ovation from the Fonday faithful.
The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods 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 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). 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.
