KALAMZOO, MI- The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders took down the Kalamazoo Growlers on Tuesday night 3-1 and will host Game #1 of the Summer Collegiate World Series tomorrow at 6:35 PM vs. the North Division Champions, the Duluth Huskies.
Sam Hubbe (Butler) had a fantastic start on the mound throwing for 7 innings only allowing one run and registering eight strikeouts.
Cole Zabowski (Ole Miss) who finished the night going 2 for 4 with a run and RBI would lead things off in the 2nd with a base hit into left field. Four batters later with two outs and runners on the corners Braden Stutzman (Oregon) would come up clutch driving the in the first run of the ball game with a single into center field.
With a 1-0 lead over the Growlers in the 3rd, Fondy was able to increase their lead to 2-0. Once again with two outs the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders would come through in a clutch situation. This time around it would be Zac Taylor (Illinois) sending one out of the park for a one run shot and his fourth home run on the year.
Kalamazoo would decrease the lead to one with a two out RBI single of their own in the bottom of the 3rd.
The Dock Spiders were able to add on an insurance run in the 5th and once again it would be Cole Zabowski (Ole Miss). With a runner on first Zabowski was able to lace one into right field which allowed the runner from first to make it all the way home giving the Spiders a 3-1 lead.
Behind solid defense and pitching from the rest of the ball game on the Dock Spiders were able to clinch a spot into the College World Series for their first time in franchise history.
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, over 200 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.
