FOND DU LAC, WI – The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders battled back after being down 9-5 against the Kalamazoo Growlers, but the Growlers were able to fend off a comeback in a 9-8 Dock Spiders loss on Wednesday night at Herr-Baker Field.
The loss drops the Dock Spiders to 15-14 on the season, while the Growlers won their fourth straight to improve to 19-12. Tyler Johnson (3-0, Alma College) grabbed the win while Nate Leibold (0-1, UCLA) took the loss. Eamon Horwedel (Ohio University) notched his second save of the year after a one-two-three ninth inning to seal the win for Kalamazoo.
Multiple Dock Spiders had multi-hit nights, including Nick Mitchell (Western Illinois) and Parker Noland (Vanderbilt), who each tallied three hits. Grant Hussey (West Virginia) and Alberto Rios (Stanford) each had a two-hit night. Rios tallied two doubles in his return to Fond du Lac after being with the Dock Spiders in 2021.
The Dock Spiders jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, scoring first for the ninth straight game. They would tally two in the first off two Kalamazoo errors. Then, in the second, the Dock Spiders would score two more on an RBI groundout from Tyeler Hawkins (Louisville) and an RBI single from Jackson Loftin (Oral Roberts).
Over the next three innings, Kalamazoo’s offense exploded, as they scored two in the third, four in the fourth and three more in the fifth to take a 9-5 lead. Eight of the nine runs came with two outs. The Dock Spiders would then start the comeback with an RBI single from Garrett Cutting (Oregon). In the sixth, Noland drove in Hussey to make it 9-7 with a double for his third hit of the night.
On the mound, Reed Gallant (Rice) held the Growlers at bay, striking out seven over the final four innings, including a seventh inning where he struck out the side. The seven strikeouts were a new career-high for Gallant.
In the eighth, the Dock Spiders would cut the lead to one after an error brought home Noland when the ball deflected off pitcher Quinn Waterhouse (SIU-Edwardsville) when Kyte McDonald (Wichita State) stole second.
The Dock Spiders and Growlers will meet tomorrow night in the series finale at Herr-Baker Field. 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.
