FOND DU LAC, WI – In the first Fireworks Friday game presented by Kwik Trip, the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (9-8) take on the Lakeshore Chinooks (8-10) at Herr-Baker Field. The first 500 fans will receive a Weaver bobblehead presented by Real Sportscards. It’s also Down Syndrome Acceptance Night at the ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Coverage of tonight’s game begins at 6:30 p.m. on the Northwoods League Baseball Network.
TODAY’S STORYLINES
BACK AT HOME: After a doubleheader in Madison on Thursday, the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders return home to take on the Lakeshore Chinooks. The Dock Spiders enter today in second place in the Great Lakes West Division, six games behind the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. The Dock Spiders split their doubleheader on Thursday, with both games decided by double-digit runs. The Chinooks enter today as winners in six of their last eight. They split their doubleheader at Green Bay yesterday, tallying a season-high 17 runs in game one. Over their last five games, the Chinooks have scored 40 runs, an average of nine per game.
AGAINST THE CHINOOKS: Today marks the fifth of 12 match-ups between the Dock Spiders and Chinooks during the 2022 season. The Chinooks swept the Dock Spiders in a series at Kapco Park on June 10 and 11. As a team, the Dock Spiders have tallied 25 runs over their four games against Lakeshore and have stolen nine bases in 13 attempts.
SPLIT IT UP: The Dock Spiders and Madison Mallards split their scheduled doubleheader on Thursday. The Dock Spiders took game one 15-2, while the Mallards took the nightcap by a score of 12-2. In game one, the Dock Spiders tied their season-high in runs while Alejandro Macario tied his career-high in hits (3) and RBI (5). In the fourth, the Dock Spiders tallied a season-best eight runs in the inning, sending 12 men to the plate. In relief, the Fond du Lac bullpen tossed six shutout innings to finish out game one. In the nightcap, the Mallards tallied 12 unanswered runs, including multiple runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.
WELCOME TO SAN DIEGO: In the run-up to the 2022 MLB Draft, held from Sunday, July 17 until Tuesday, July 19, the MLB Draft Combine got underway on Thursday at Petco Park in San Diego, California. Four different Dock Spiders earned an invitation to the combine, which features 255 high school and college prospects. The prospects participate in workouts in front of scouts from all 30 MLB organizations. 2021 Dock Spiders Chandler Simpson, ranked as the 90th-best draft prospect by Baseball America, and Victor Scott, a top-250 draft prospect, both earned an invitation. Jake Brooks and Derek Diamond, both members of the 2020 Dock Spiders team and top-250 prospects by Baseball America, earned an invitation. Diamond is currently playing in the Men’s College World Series with Ole Miss.
HE JUST GETS IT DONE: Dock Spiders infielder Luke Novitske tallied a hit in his ninth game of the year on Thursday in just his 11th game. Over his recent four game his streak, he’s gone 5-11 (.454) with a walk and two RBI. Novitske is third on the Dock Spiders in average, hitting .294 on the summer.
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHING MATCH-UP
LHP DAVIS ROKOSE (FDL): Rokose makes his first start since last summer with the Atlanta Crackers in the Sunbelt Baseball League. Rokose made his only appearance of the summer on Tuesday against Wisconsin Rapids, getting two outs and throwing only eight pitches.
RHP GEORGE KLASSEN (LAK): Klassen makes his second start in a row against the Dock Spiders after he allowed two runs in three innings back on June 10. The Minnesota righty hasn’t thrown more than three innings in a start this summer.
