FOND DU LAC, WI – It was an eighth inning single from Brendan Ross (Notre Dame College) that gave the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters a 5-4 lead over the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, a lead they would hold on to until the end in a Dock Spiders loss on the road at Witter Field on Tuesday night.
Josh Howitt (2-0) earned the win for the Rafters while Garner Spoljaric (0-2) took the loss for Fond du Lac. Alec Burnett (U Indy) earned his first save of the year in a perfect ninth inning.
The win saw the Rafters (20-2) extend their lead to 8.5 games over the Dock Spiders (11-10), who sit in second-place in the Great Lakes West Division.
The game featured three different lead changes in the first three innings, and saw eight of the nine total runs score in the first four.
Grant Hussey (West Virginia) started the scoring with a solo shot to right in the first inning, his first home run of the summer after hitting 11 this spring as a Mountaineer. Wisconsin Rapids would respond with a two-run homer to take a 2-1 lead. In the second, the Dock Spiders would tally two more to re-take the lead when an error scored Stephen Schissler (Nova Southeastern), and then Tyeler Hawkins (Louisville) drove in Evan Stone (South Carolina) with a single.
After the Rafters scored two more in the third to take a 4-3 lead, Alejandro Macario (Nova Southeastern) drove in Schissler with a deep sacrifice fly to center. The Rafters would take the lead in the eighth and retire 11 of the final 12 Dock Spiders to take the win.
Both teams will match-up tomorrow at Witter Field for the series finale before the Dock Spiders head to Kalamazoo. 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.
