FOND DU LAC, WI – The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (5-0) host the Madison Mallards (2-3) at Herr-Baker Field for Star Wars Night at 6:35 p.m. Dock Spiders players will be wearing specialty Star Wars themed jerseys that will be auctioned off during the game. The game will be streamed live on the Northwoods League Baseball Network, with pregame starting at 6:30 p.m.
TODAY’S STORYLINES
THE PHANTOM MENACE: The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders scored eight of the final nine runs on the road against the Madison Mallards to win 9-7 in extra innings and continue their perfect start to the year on Friday night. The Dock Spiders fell behind 6-1 after the fifth inning, but scored six runs on five hits in the sixth inning to take a 7-6 lead. Anthony Frechette tied the game at six with a three-run home run to left and Alejandro Macario slapped a double to right to bring home Nick Mitchell for the lead. The Mallards tied it up in the bottom half of the sixth with two wild pitches and a passed ball after a hit batter. In the tenth, Tommy Stevenson slapped a single up the middle that deflected off the mound to score the designated runner that gave the Dock Spiders the lead. Stephen Schissler and Taylor Middaugh combined to retire 13 of the final 16 Mallards batters, including a one-two-three tenth inning from Middaugh to earn the save.
AND THEN THERE WERE TWO: Entering Saturday, the Dock Spiders and the St. Cloud Rox are the only two teams at 5-0 across the Northwoods League. The Rox are off to a 5-0 start after reaching the Summer Collegiate World Series last summer with a 50-win regular season. The Rox are in action tonight against the Minnesota Mud Puppies in St. Cloud
WE MEET AGAIN: Today’s game marks the Mallards first trip to Herr-Baker Field since they defeated the Dock Spiders in the Great Lakes Sub-Divisional series, sweeping the three game set 2-0. The Mallards shut out the Dock Spiders in Fond du Lac in game one, limiting the Dock Spiders to just three hits.
ROUGE INNING: The Dock Spiders have scored a league-high 51 runs this year, with 18 of them coming in the sixth inning. The six runs scored in the sixth on Friday night marks the third time the Dock Spiders have scored at least four runs in the frame. This season, the Dock Spiders are hitting .516 (16-31) in the inning. They’ve tallied four extra base hits, including two doubles, a triple and home run.
USING THE FORCE: Both Evan Stone and Alejandro Macario tallied a three-hit night on Friday, becoming third and fourth Dock Spiders to tally at least three hits in a game this year. Both players tallied hits in three straight at-bats, with both tallying two straight singles before a double for their third hit.
YOUNG PADAWANS: Freshmen Nick Mitchell and Evan Stone have helped lead the way offensively for the Dock Spiders. Mitchell has tallied a hit in every game and leads the Northwoods League with 11 hits. Stone has tallied a hit in four straight, and is third on the Dock Spiders with a .359 average.
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHING MATCH-UP
RHP REED GALLANT (FDL): Gallant makes his first start of the summer after three innings in relief at Wausau on Tuesday. Gallant has made one career start prior to today, on March 7, 2021 against Texas State.
LHP JUSTIN MILLER (MAD): Miller makes his season debut for the Mallards after making 18 appearances with Purdue-Fort Wayne this spring. Over 48.2 innings, he walked 37 and struck out 57. Over his final five appearances, he allowed four runs in 12 innings.
