LA CROSSE, WI – The Dock Spiders (26-13) made it four consecutive wins with 10 or more runs on Tuesday night as they defeated the La Crosse Loggers (18-21), 10-7 for their fourth straight victory.
The Dock Spiders scored in their first at-bats for the third game in a row, as Tim Elko (University of Mississippi) launched a three-run bomb to right-center field, his sixth of the season, to make it a 3-0 Fond du Lac lead before the Loggers had their first ups.
The Loggers responded with a long ball of their own in the bottom of the second; Joel Vaske (Kirkwood CC) belted his second home run of the year, a solo shot, to bring La Crosse to within two.
AJ Miller (University of Oregon) got the run right back for Fondy after he drilled a ground ball up off the mound that brought home Sam Novitske (University of Oregon) from third.
Fondy would continue the “every other inning” scoring pattern in the top of the fifth after Novitske started the frame with a leadoff double off the center-field wall. Aaron Anderson (Liberty University) lined a single to right field that scored Novitske that made it a 5-1 lead.
Elko would tag on his fourth RBI and second home run of the night in the seventh, a missile to center field to continue his productive day at the plate and give Fondy a 6-1 lead.
Fond du Lac would add four runs in the eighth, which proved to be crucial by the end of the game. Caleb Durbin (Washington University in St. Louis) notched a bases-loaded single to right that scored a run to start the inning off. Elko would add two more to his RBI count on a single to center field that plated two to make it six total RBI on the night for the Ole Miss product.
Anderson added one final run for Fondy on a single to right to put up a 10 spot and make it a 10-1 lead.
The Loggers made things close in the end, scoring six runs in the eighth and ninth innings to draw to within three, but the pitching was able to shut their bats down and get the 10-7 win.
Elko put in his best performance of the summer, a 4-for-5 day with six RBI and two home runs, good to earn him Northwoods League Player of the Night honors.
Jacob Myer (Purdue University Fort Wayne) put in a stellar starting performance, going seven innings and allowing just one run on three hits while also recording seven strikeouts. In just his second appearance of the short season, Myer received the win, his first decision of the summer, to improve to 1-0.
With the win and the Green Bay Booyah loss, the Dock Spiders’ magic number to secure the Wisconsin-Illinois East Division is now just one. They can secure the title with either a win over La Crosse on Wednesday night or a Green Bay loss to the Rafters.
Game two against the Loggers is set for 6:35 pm from Copeland Park on Wednesday.
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.