FOND DU LAC, WI – After a first-inning home run from Andrew Sojka (CSUN), the Lakeshore Chinooks scored six unanswered runs to defeat the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, 6-1, at Herr-Baker Field on Thursday night.
The Dock Spiders loss, combined with a Wausau Woodchucks win over the Green Bay Rockers, means that a Woodchucks win or a Dock Spiders loss will eliminate Fond du Lac from playoff contention. The Woodchucks win tonight eliminated the Lakeshore Chinooks.
Sojka’s home run in the first inning gave the Dock Spiders a 1-0 lead and marked the sixth straight game that the Dock Spiders had scored first. His homer, the eighth of the season, put him in a tie with Tim Elko’s 2020 Dock Spiders season for the third-most home runs hit in a single season in franchise history (since 2017).
The Chinooks, however, would answer with a two-run home run from Matthew DePrey (Xavier) to take a 2-1 lead. They scored two more in the fifth off a two-RBI double from Bryant Diel (Northwestern Ohio). They then tallied one in the seventh off a wild pitch and another in the eighth on an RBI groundout from Tony Livermore (Northwestern) to lead 6-1.
On the pitching side, the Chinooks staff limited the Dock Spiders to two hits after the first inning. Sinjon Bobolia (Northwestern Ohio), Connor Kinney (Tufts), and Jacob Dillon (Kansas) combined to shut out the Dock Spiders over the final five innings. Bobolia (1-0) earned his first win of the summer after two shutout relief innings. Dock Spiders starter Josh Culliver (1-2, Minnesota) took the loss after he allowed two runs over four-plus innings.
The Dock Spiders will head to Wisconsin Rapids tomorrow to take on the Rafters at 6:35 p.m. In order to make the playoffs, the Dock Spiders need to win each of their final two games while the Woodchucks would have to lose both against the Madison Mallards. The Dock Spiders return home on Saturday against the Rafters at 6:35 p.m. Saturday night marks Fan Appreciation Night, as the team will say “Thank You” to fans with some surprises for the final home game of the regular season.
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.
PHOTO VIA A FLASH OF SUNSHINE PHOTOGRAPHY
