FOND DU LAC, WI – The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders exploded for nine runs in the first inning in game one of their doubleheader against the Madison Mallards to set the tone for two big wins, 14-6 and 11-0 in a sweep at Herr-Baker Field on Wednesday.
In game one, the Dock Spiders used two home runs in the first inning to get out to an early 9-0 lead. Branden Comia (Illinois) started a career-best day at the plate with a triple in the inning. Cole Messina (South Carolina) smashed his fourth home run of the year to make it 3-0, and then Comia launched a grand slam over the scoreboard in left to make it 9-0.
Comia would later tally a single and then an RBI double in the seventh to become the first Dock Spiders in franchise history (since 2017) to hit for the cycle. He also tied his career-high with five RBI.
On the pitching side, Logan Tabeling (Illinois) dazzled in his first start in a Dock Spiders uniform. He struck out six over 4.2 innings of work and set a new Dock Spiders season-high with 90 pitches. After he allowed three in the third inning, the Dock Spiders would use back-to-back fielder’s choices to bring home two more and extend the lead to 12-3.
In the seventh, the Mallards would score three in the top half of the inning, but the Dock Spiders struck back for two runs on back-to-back doubles from Comia and Nolan Tichy (UMass) to put the game at 14-6.
Andrew Pogue (1-4, Illinois) got the win in relief while Drew Erdei (0-3, Hillsdale College) took the loss.
In the nightcap, the Dock Spiders would again score early off an RBI triple from Daylen Reyes (UCLA) and an RBI single from Alberto Rios (Stanford) to take a 2-0 lead. Trey Seeley (Cypress) got the start and threw 2.2 shutout innings with two strikeouts.
The Dock Spiders would strike for three in the fifth inning when Andrew Sojka (CSUN) brought home a run with a double, and then Reyes and Rios were hit and walked to bring home two more to make it 5-0. Tichy would add two more with a two-run home run in the sixth to stretch the lead to 7-0. His homer set a new franchise for the most home runs hit at Herr-Baker Field by the Dock Spiders in a single season with 14.
George Henkel (Milwaukee Area Technical College) made his first appearance of the summer in the sixth and retired 12 of the final 13 batters to earn the win. The Dock Spiders would tack on four more runs over the final two innings with one hit, five walks, and two hit batters. Alex Hayes (0-2, Madison College) took the loss in the nightcap.
The doubleheader sweep was the first from the Dock Spiders since June 23, 2021, against the Wausau Woodchucks. They improved their record to 29-26 on the year and 10-11 in the second half. The Mallards fell to 23-33 overall, 5-15 in the second half. The Dock Spiders will hit the road tomorrow for the start of a two-game series in Green bay against the Rockers. First pitch for both games 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.
