FOND DU LAC, WI – The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders went into extra innings for the second game in a row but fell 90 feet short of bringing the tying run home in a 10-inning, 6-5 loss against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters on Thursday night at Herr-Baker Field.
The loss broke a two-game winning streak for the Dock Spiders and saw them fall to 25-23 overall and 6-8 in the second half. The Rafters improved to 40-9 with the win, and 11-3 in the second half.
Both teams exploded on offense in the first inning. The Rafters tallied four runs in the top of the first off an RBI double from Colin Tuft (Virginia), an RBI walk from Harrison Owen (Consumes River), and a two-RBI single from Levi Jensen (North Alabama). The Dock Spiders would respond in the bottom half with a two-run single from Branden Comia (Illinois).
Comia’s Illinois teammate, Andrew Pogue, came in to start the second out of the bullpen and dazzled for the second straight appearance. After he threw 3.2 shutout innings with seven strikeouts against the Lakeshore Chinooks last week, Pogue tossed five innings of one-run ball. He struck out five, including three in the sixth inning. Pogue’s lone earned run came in the sixth when Aidan Brewer (Hillsdale College) tallied a solo shot to extend the Rafters lead to 5-2.
In the bottom half, Kemp Alderman (Ole Miss) would lead the charge on a comeback with his first home run of the season. The solo shot made it 5-3, and Alderman’s Ole Miss teammate, Noah Magee, would shut down the Rafters to pave the way for a Dock Spiders comeback.
Magee struck out four batters and allowed one hit over three innings of work to keep the game at 5-4 after Alderman singled home a run in the seventh for his first multi-hit game of the summer. In the bottom of the ninth, the Dock Spiders manufactured the game-tying run off two walks and two hit batters to tie the game at five. Alderman would draw the bases-loaded hit-by-pitch for his third RBI of the night, and tied the game.
In the tenth, the Dock Spiders would retire the placed runner on a fielder’s choice to Parker Noland (Vanderbilt) at third base, but a double from Owen gave the Rafters a 6-5 lead. The Dock Spiders got the tying run to third in the bottom of the 10th, but Connor Kurki (Coastal Carolina) induced a flyout to left field to earn the save.
Preston Howey (3-2, St. Mary’s) took the win for the Rafters. Garrett Houston (2-1, Georgia-Gwinnett) took the loss for the Dock Spiders.
The Dock Spiders and Rafters finish their two-game set tomorrow night at Herr-Baker Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. on Wizardry Night, with fireworks presented by Fox Communities Credit Union after the game.
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.
