FOND DU LAC, WI – Austin Wagner (University of Mary) tied his season-high with seven strikeouts, and the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders scored the first eight runs of the ballgame to beat the Lakeshore Chinooks 8-3 on Sunday afternoon.
The win sends the Dock Spiders to a 6-1 record, tied with Wisconsin Rapids for the top spot in the Great Lakes West Division, while the Chinooks fall to 1-6, tied with Green Bay in fifth place.
Wagner earned the win, extending his shutout streak to 11.1 innings before he finally surrendered a run in the sixth.
At the plate, the Dock Spiders scored a first inning run for the fifth time this season, tallying four off three hits. Kyte McDonald (Wichita State) tallied his first home run of the year with a solo shot to left.
“It felt really good to hit the homer,” said McDonald. “I’ve played two years here and that was my first home run at home.”
Fond du Lac then knocked Lakeshore starter Caleb Strack (Winona State) out of the game in the second after three more runs on one hit, two walks, two sacrifice flies and an error.
In the fifth, the Dock Spiders would score their eighth run of the afternoon, tallying a run off Anthony Frechette’s (George Washington) RBI single to bring Evan Smith (West Virginia) home. New addition Cam Karczewski (Triton College) reached base three times, drawing two walks and lining a single to right in the fifth. The lineup struck out just three times while they drew 11 walks and were hit once.
In the bullpen, Josh Culliver (Minnesota) made his first appearance in the Northwoods League since 2018 with the Waterloo Bucks. He allowed a run on three hits over two innings, striking out two.
The Dock Spiders are on the road tomorrow at Kapco Park against the Chinooks, with Sean Duffy (High Point) slated to start. They’ll return home on Wednesday, June 8 against Green Bay at 6:35 p.m.
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’ 28th 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 280 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 (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit dockspiders.com 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.