FOND DU LAC, WI – The Madison Mallards defeated the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders 4-0 on Wednesday afternoon at Warner Park in Madison off a seven-inning, one-hit performance from Madison starter Beau Nichols (Lincoln Memorial).
Nichols earned his second win of the year after he and Steven Lacey (Delta State) combined to allow one batter to reach during the game, retiring 27 of the 28 batters that they faced. Davis Rokose (0-1, Georgia) took the loss for Fond du Lac.
The win saw the Mallards improve to 21-23 overall, and to 3-5 in the second half. The loss for the Dock Spiders saw them fall to 23-20 on the year, 4-5 in the second half.
The shutout marked the first time the Dock Spiders had failed to score a run in a game since June 22, 2021 against the Mallards in a 5-0 shutout loss.
The Mallards scored all four of their runs in the first two innings off Rokose. They tallied two in the first off a bases loaded single from Payton Smith (Georgia Gwinnett). A bases loaded single from Scott Shaw (Rider) brought home the second run of the inning, but Andrew Sojka (CSUN) nailed a runner at the plate from center field to end the threat. In the second, the Mallards tallied two more off a bases loaded hit-by-pitch and a fielder’s choice.
Both pitching staffs were brilliant over the final seven innings. Reed Gallant (Rice) tied his career-high with five shutout innings before Zachary Gaudreau (Northeastern Oklahoma A&M) worked around two walks for a scoreless eighth.
The Dock Spiders tallied their lone hit of the afternoon in the seventh when Sojka beat out a slow groundball to second.
The Dock Spiders finish up their two-game road trip tomorrow night against the Lakeshore Chinooks at Kapco Park. 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.
