FOND DU LAC, WI – The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders pitching staff did not allow an earned run as the Dock Spiders defeated the Lakeshore Chinooks, 5-2, at Kapco Park on Friday night.
The win was the seventh straight for the Dock Spiders, the longest winning streak in franchise history since the team won nine straight from July 27-August 5, 2020. The win also improved the Dock Spiders record to 22-15 overall, 3-0 in the second half. The Chinooks dropped to 20-19 overall, 2-1 in the second half.
Luke Vaks (2-0, College of Charleston) earned the win after a career-high four innings in relief, and Garner Spoljaric (Embry-Riddle) earned his second save. Scott Rouse (1-2, Ohio Dominican) took the loss for the Chinooks.
Nick Mitchell (Western Illinois) extended his streak to six straight multi-hit games, as he tallied his 15th multi-hit game of the year with three hits.
After falling behind 2-0 after the first, the Dock Spiders scratched back with a run in the second when Alberto Rios (Stanford) lined a single to left to bring home Jackson Loftin (Oral Roberts). Rios would strike again in the fourth to tie the game with an RBI fielder’s choice. Daylen Reyes (UCLA) would give the Dock Spiders the lead with an RBI when he reached on an error, one of four from Lakeshore on the night. In the sixth, the Dock Spiders would score another when Branden Comia (Illinois) came home on a groundout to extend the Dock Spiders lead to 4-2.
On the pitching side, Vaks came into the game in the second and tossed four shutout innings before Nate Leibold (UCLA), Noah Magee (Ole Miss), Caedon Kottinger (UCLA) and Spoljaric shut down the Chinooks offense the rest of the way. Magee, in his first appearance since 2021 at Hinds Community College, threw a scoreless seventh inning with a strikeout.
The Dock Spiders tacked on one more in the ninth when Loftin and Grant Hussey (West Virginia) tallied back-to-back doubles to put the Dock Spiders ahead by three.
Tomorrow, the Dock Spiders return to Herr-Baker Field for the first of three games in two days against the Chinooks and the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. First pitch is schedule for 6:35 p.m. tomorrow against Lakeshore before a Sunday doubleheader against the Rafters.
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.