FOND DU LAC, WI – The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders took game one of the doubleheader 12-4, and the Wausau Woodchucks took game two 19-6 in a two-game split on Sunday at Herr-Baker Field.
The split puts the Dock Spiders at 27-24 on the year and 8-9 in the second half. For the Woodchucks, the split saw them go to 27-25 on the year, and 10-6 in the second half.
In game one, the Woodchucks jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning off two hits and an error. In the bottom of the inning, Andrew Sojka (CSUN) tallied his fourth home run of the year to put the Dock Spiders on the board. The home run put Sojka in a tie with Grant Hussey (West Virginia) for the team lead.
In the third, the Woodchucks would tally one more before the Dock Spiders exploded for 11 unanswered runs. In the fourth, the Dock Spiders tied the game off a sacrifice fly from Daylen Reyes (UCLA) before seven straight Dock Spiders reached base. The offense tallied seven runs in the inning, capped off by a three-run double from Kemp Alderman (Ole Miss) and a three-run home run from Branden Comia (Illinois). The Dock Spiders would tally another run in the fifth and sixth to take a commanding 12-4 lead.
Nick Mitchell (Western Illinois) tied his career-high with four hits during game one. Jarrett Kenyon (1-0, South Suburban) earned the win in game one, while Tyler Denu (0-1, Evansville) took the loss.
The Woodchucks would start game two with a run in the first when Maurice Gomez (Keiser) drew a bases-loaded walk. The Dock Spiders would tie the game and take the lead in the third off back-to-back doubles from Cole Messina (South Carolina) and Nolan Tichy (UMass). Tichy, in his first start with the Dock Spiders, would build off his 2-3 appearance in game one with a three-hit game in the finale. He also drove in three runs to tie his career-high.
The Woodchucks would score 17 unanswered runs over the final three innings, including a six-run fourth inning and a nine-run seventh inning. In the seventh, 11 straight Woodchucks would reach to extend the lead to 19-3. In the bottom of the seventh, Messina and Tichy would combine to drive in three to bring the final tally to 19-6.
Matt Milner (1-0, Southwestern Oklahoma State) earned his first win while Caedon Kottinger (0-1, UCLA) took the loss.
The Dock Spiders return to action tomorrow night at home against the Green Bay Rockers. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. The Dock Spiders will honor area police officers, firefighters and first responders with a $1 ticket offer. Paw Patrol characters will also be in attendance for meet and greet opportunities.
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.
