Published On: June 23rd, 2022

FOND DU LAC, WI – The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders staged a three-run comeback attempt in the ninth, but the Kalamazoo Growlers induced a game-ending groundout to end a 7-5 Dock Spiders loss at Homer Stryker Field in Kalamazoo on Tuesday night.

The loss was the fourth in a row for the Docks Spiders, who fall below .500 for the first time this year at 11-12. The win saw the Growlers improve to 14-10 on the year.

For the third straight game, the Dock Spiders scored the first run when an error brought home Garrett Cutting (Oregon) after his first hit of the summer. Starter Josh Culliver (Minnesota) was terrific through four innings, allowing one hit and one walk while using 17 pitches to get through the first two innings.

The Growlers offense came alive in the five, when they tallied two runs after an RBI single and a groundout to take a 2-1 lead. They would tack on two more in the sixth with an RBI double and a two-RBI single to extend the lead to four.

The Dock Spiders bounced back in the seventh when Cole Messina (South Carolina) drove in a run with a single. Kalamazoo scored two in the bottom of the inning off a single and safety squeeze to push the lead to five.

In the ninth, Fond du Lac had three of the first four reach, and brought home three runs on a single, wild pitch and a sacrifice fly to make it 7-5. With the tying run on deck, the Growlers recorded the final out on a grounder to third.

Tyler Johnson (2-0, Alma College) earned the win for Kalamazoo while Christian Ruebeck (1-1, Kansas State) took the loss in the series opener,

The Dock Spiders and Growlers conclude their two-game series tomorrow night, with first pitch scheduled for 5:35 Central Time, 6:35 local time in Kalamazoo.

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.

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