FOND DU LAC, WI – The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (8-3) are back in action at Kapco Park in Mequon, Wisconsin against the Lakeshore Chinooks (3-8) in the series finale after last night’s 12-inning loss. The Dock Spiders sit in second place in the Great Lakes West Division, while the Chinooks are tied for fifth with the Green Bay Rockers. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m., with coverage starting at 6:20 on the Dock Spiders Radio Network.

TODAY’S STORYLINES

NWL AFTER DARK: It took 12 innings and over four hours of baseball to decide a winner in the series opener between the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders and the Lakeshore Chinooks, with the Chinooks taking the opener 9-8 off a walk-off single to right in the 12th. Neither team scored in extra innings before the walk-off single, and the teams combined to strike out 12 hitters over the three extra frames. Christian Ruebeck dazzled for the Dock Spiders in his two innings, getting out of a bases loaded jam in the 10th with back-to-back strikeouts before working out of a two-on, one-out jam in the 11th. The Chinooks scored the final five runs of the game after the Dock Spiders took an 8-4 lead when they scored all eight between the third and sixth inning. Both teams combined to use 15 pitchers in the longest game of the year for both teams.

STRIKEOUTS, STRIKEOUTS AND MORE STRIKEOUTS: Friday night’s game featured a combined 12 strikeouts in extra innings alone. The two teams combined for 30 strikeouts during the game, with each side striking out 15 times. For Chinooks pitching, 10 of their 15 strikeouts came after the seventh inning. The Dock Spiders tallied six over the final five innings.

MULTI-HIT MAGIC: Nick Mitchell continues to tally big nights early on for the Dock Spiders, as he collected his second straight multi-hit game on Friday for his team-leading sixth of the year. Between his spring season at Western Illinois and this summer, Mitchell has recorded 25 multi-hit games in 57 appearances. He also recorded three RBI on Friday to become the first Dock Spider to reach double-digit RBI on the year. Mitchell is also one of just four Northwoods League players to have at least 10 RBI and five stolen bases.

A SEASON OF NAIL BITERS: Friday night’s game was the second straight game between the Dock Spiders and Chinooks decided by one run. The Dock Spiders used a two-run eighth inning on Monday to come back and beat the Chinooks 5-4, while the Chinooks walked it off on Friday night. This year, the Dock Spiders are 3-1 when games are decided by two runs or less, and six of their first 11 games have been decided by three or less.

KEEPING THE GAME ALIVE: On Friday night, the Dock Spiders recorded two outfield assists in a game for the first time this year. Nick Mitchell gunned down the game-tying run in the eighth at the plate and Evan Smith combined with Cash Rugely to nab the game-winning run at third in the ninth after a relay from right field. The Dock Spiders have tallied three outfield assists this year, one to each base.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHING MATCH-UP

RHP DAVID CRAIG (FDL): Craig makes his first career collegiate start tonight, after throwing 17 pitches on Thursday to close out a win against Green Bay. The righty threw a season-high 3.1 innings at Madison on June 3, but has never thrown more than four innings in an appearance in 2022.

LHP TOMMY LAMB (LAK): Lamb started on June 3 against Wisconsin Rapids, his only appearance of the season after 12 starts last summer for the Chinooks. Lamb exclusively worked out of the bullpen for Creighton this past spring.