GREEN BAY, WI – The Dock Spiders (16-12) were firing on all cylinders on Wednesday night as they put up nine runs on 16 hits and posted a shutout in a 9-0 victory over the Booyah (13-15) for their third consecutive win.
No comeback was necessary on Wednesday night, with the Dock Spiders getting on the board in their first at-bats to start the game. Victor Scott II (West Virginia University) belted his second home run in the last two days, his fourth of the year to put Fondy on top just two pitches into the game. Sam Novitske (University of Oregon) started his 5-6 day at the plate with a double in his first at-bat. Two batters later, John Rhodes (University of Kentucky) belted a double into right field to bring in Novitske and collect one of three RBIs on the night. Andrew Bullock (Charleston Southern University) made it 3-0 with a single to left that scored Rhodes to finish out the scoring in the first.
Fondy added three more in the second that started with Jack Alexander (Austin Peay) reaching on a single to left. Alexander would steal second and then advance to third base on an infield hit from Scott II to put runners at the corners. Novitske brought Alexander home on a single up the middle to make it a 4-0 game. Rhodes would get his last two RBIs on a double to left field that allowed Scott II and Novitske to score and put Fondy out to a 6-0 lead.
The Dock Spiders would stay off the board for the next six innings before they plated two more in the eighth. Novitske recorded his fifth hit of the night on a line drive to right field to lead off the inning. Novitske stole second and third base with Parker Noland (Vanderbilt University) at the plate. Noland would reach on a walk, and Novitske came home to score on a pitch that got to the backstop. Bullock would tack on another run with a double to left that Noland came in to score on that made it 8-0.
Fond du Lac scored one final run in the last inning, a base hit up the middle from Tim Elko (University of Mississippi) that scored Alexander to extend his base-reached streak to 12 consecutive games.
The Booyah did a great job to keep Fondy off the board after the first two innings, but the Dock Spiders pitching was just as great in the win. Jake Carr (West Virginia University) put on the best performance of the night, throwing five shutout innings and striking out a whopping eight batters and allowing only three hits to improve to 1-1. Carr set the tone for Trace Hoffman (University of Iowa) to come in and keep Green Bay off the board, and he did just that. Hoffman threw three more scoreless innings and struck out five batters to keep the shutout intact. The Dock Spiders brought on Jake Brooks (UCLA) to close out the game in the ninth, which he did with ease, striking out a batter and securing the shutout win for the Dock Spiders to sweep the road series in Green Bay and take three of four games on the road trip. The three combined for 14 strikeouts and only one walk in the entire game.
Following the win over the Booyah and the Rivets loss, the Dock Spiders now have a three-game lead over both Rockford and Green Bay in the Wisconsin-Illinois East Division.
The Dock Spiders will host the La Crosse Loggers for a two-game homestand at Herr-Baker Field at Marian University starting Thursday night at 6:35.
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.