LOVES PARK, IL – What started as a sound offensive start for the Dock Spiders (13-12) quickly went south and turned into an offensive explosion for the Rivets (13-12) as they scored in every inning but the eighth in a record-setting 28-7 win on Sunday afternoon.
Fondy came into Sunday afternoon’s game at the top of the East Division standings, leading the Rivets by one game. A two-run first got the Dock Spiders off to a running start to stay at the top, with Tim Elko (University of Mississippi) going opposite field with a fly ball that just made it over the right-field wall for his fifth home run of the season and second in the last two days. Parker Noland (Vanderbilt University) put a fly ball down the left-field line for a double, and Aaron Anderson (Liberty University) sent a line drive into right that brought Noland home and made it 2-0.
The Rivets, who were held to just four runs combined in their three consecutive losses, plated half their runs in the last three with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first to tie it at two.
Another three runs scored for Rockford in the second as they sent eight batters to the plate and recorded three hits to go out in front, 5-2.
The short game of cat and mouse continued into the third when the Dock Spiders scored three to tie it at five. Elko started the inning with a double, and Noland reached on a walk. A wild pitch moved runners to second and third, and Anderson recorded his second RBI with a groundout to second that Elko scored on to bring Fondy to within two.
Brayden Frazier (University of Iowa) made it 5-4 after reaching first on an error that allowed Noland to score from third base. Ryan Ritter (University of Kentucky) sent a line drive up the middle that scored Frazier from second to tie the game at five.
Rockford took the lead for good in their half of the third, bringing another eight hitters to the plate and scoring four runs on three hits to go in front 9-5.
The fourth inning was a rough one for Fondy, as the Rivets batted around the order and put up a nine-spot with only four hits to make it 18-5.
Fond du Lac brought a run home in the top of the fifth after a sacrifice fly from Jack Alexander (Austin Peay) scored Anderson who tagged and came in from third.
Three runs came in for Rockford in their half of the fifth to get them to the 20 mark and make it 21-6.
The Dock Spiders got their last run in the sixth on a base hit from Frazier that brought in John Rhodes (University of Kentucky).
The offensive onslaught continued for the Rivets as they plated another six runs in the sixth to make it 27-7 and tie the Northwoods League record for most runs scored in a single game, set by the Mankato MoonDogs in 2013 (27).
The Rivets would set the new record for most runs in a single game as they added one more in the seventh to make it 28-7 and put their name in the Northwoods League record book. The game went on for three hours and forty minutes and saw the Rivets record 19 hits and reach base on walks and hit batters 23 times.
The Dock Spiders sent seven different pitchers to the mound in the loss, including three different position players in the midst of the mauling. With the loss, the Rivets and Dock Spiders now sit at a tie at the top of the East Division in the Wisconsin-Illinois Pod.
Fondy will try and put Sunday’s loss in the rearview mirror, flip the script, and split the road series against the Rivets tonight at 6:05.
The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 26th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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 230 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB All-Star Jordan Zimmermann (DET). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. 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.
