FOND DU LAC, WI – Sawyer Smith’s (St. Cloud State) game-saving, diving double play at short on Wednesday night gained national recognition from SportsCenter, as the play was included in the Top 10 Plays at number four (watch the full highlight).
The double play, which happened in the eighth inning with runners on first and second, kept the game tied at six between the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders and Lakeshore Chinooks. The Dock Spiders would then use a career-high 3.2 shutout inning from reliever Noah Magee (Ole Miss) before Tyeler Hawkins (Louisville) was hit by a pitch in the 10th inning with the bases loaded to give the Dock Spiders a 7-6 walk-off win.
The win, combined with a Wausau Woodchucks loss, puts the Dock Spiders 1.0 game behind Wausau for the final Northwoods League playoff spot with three games to go. If the two teams are tied at the end of the regular season, the Dock Spiders would reach the postseason, as they own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Woodchucks. The Dock Spiders enter today at 35-33, while the Woodchucks come into today at 36-32. If the Dock Spiders make the playoffs, they will host the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters at Herr-Baker Field on Sunday in game one of the Sub-Divisional Playoff Series.
The Dock Spiders and Chinooks will meet for their final match-up of the season tonight at 6:35 at Herr-Baker Field. Today marks Marty Paulsen Appreciation Night, as the Dock Spiders celebrate the 50-plus year career of the former Fond du Lac High School baseball coach, who retired this past spring. The first 250 fans will also receive an Arañas de Muelle drawstring bag courtesy of Moraine Park Technical College. Saturday night’s home game at 6:35 is Fan Appreciation Night at the ballpark for the final 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.
