FOND DU LAC, WI – The Madison Mallards jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the third inning, and staved off three different comeback attempts from the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders in a 5-2 Fond du Lac loss at Herr-Baker Field on Monday night.
Dock Spiders starter Austin Wagner (Mary) took the tough-luck loss after he allowed three runs over 6.1 innings, becoming the second Dock Spiders pitcher to throw into the seventh inning this year. Michael Finan (1-1) earned the win after five innings of two-run ball, and Steven Lacey earned his second save in an eight-pitch ninth inning.
The loss dropped the Dock Spiders to 11-9 on the year, in second place in the Great Lakes West Division and 7.5 games back of the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. The Madison win saw them improve to 10-12 on the year, 9.5 games back of the Rafters.
The Mallards got off to a hot start, scoring three runs on four hits and an error in the third inning. In the bottom half, the Dock Spiders would tally a run when a Nick Mitchell (Western Illinois) fielder’s choice to short scored Evan Smith (West Virginia) from second base. The Dock Spiders would get the tying run on, but Mallards retired two in a row to end the inning. In the fifth, the Dock Spiders would cut the deficit to one after an RBI base hit from Grant Hussey (West Virginia). Fond du Lac would again put the tying run in scoring position, but Finan used a strikeout to escape the jam.
The Mallards bullpen would hold the Dock Spiders hitless over the final four innings, scoring two on offense in the seventh to extend the lead to three.
Tomorrow starts a five-day road trip for the Dock Spiders, as they’ll travel to Witter Field for the first time to take on the Rafters. First pitch is scheduled for 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.
