Photo Courtesy: Ava Schieffert
FOND DU LAC, WI – The Dock Spiders were in search of their third straight win as they took the field in Wausau on Wednesday night. The looming clouds in the sky foreshadowed what was about to come as Dock Spiders starting pitcher Sebastian Guzman (Washington St. Louis) took the mound in the bottom of the first inning. The Woodchucks ambushed Guzman as they scored two runs in the bottom of the first from a two RBI single to right field from left fielder Michael Maginnis (Georgia State) that gave the Woodchucks a 2-0 lead. The Chucks offense was just getting started. In the bottom of the second inning, The Dock Spiders encountered a scary moment as left fielder Travis Strickler tracked a ball all the way to the left field fence and crashed into the left field wall and went down after he attempted to walk off the injury. Strickler walked off the field under his own power as Kelsen Johnson replaced Strickler in the game. The Chucks catcher Jake English (Kansas) launched a ball over the left field wall for a two run home run that gave the Woodchucks a 4-0 lead. Three batters later, Woodchucks right fielder Mark Shallenberger (Evansville) cranked a three run home run over the right field wall which gave the Chucks a 7-0 lead. The Dock Spiders found themselves down 11-0 headed to the top of the seventh.
They scratched a few runs across as an RBI double from second basemen Seth Sweet-Chick (Nevada) scored catcher Paul Smith (Rice). Then two RBi singles from centerfielder Jake Surane (Wisconsin Oshkosh) and left fielder Kelsen Johnson (St. Petersburg) sliced the lead down. They tallied five runs in the top of the seventh but the Woodchucks responded with three more runs in the bottom of the seventh. The Dock Spiders tallied three more runs in the top of the eighth but the Woodchucks again retaliated in the bottom of the inning as they scored two more runs. The Dock Spiders offense sputtered in the top of the ninth and the Woodchucks earned their first win of the second half of the season 16-8. Mark Shallenberger blasted a total of two home runs for the Chucks. The Dock Spiders will be back in action tomorrow night in Wausau as they take on the Woodchucks again. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 P.M. They will return home on Thursday July 6, when they start a two-game series with the Traverse City Pit Spitters. Thursday night’s game is craft brews and brats’ night presented by Fox River Brewing Company and Sheboygan Sausage with 99.5 WPKR at Herr-Baker Field, enjoy Sheboygan brats for 3$ and fans of legal drinking age may enjoy 16 oz. craft beer for 3$ each. First pitch is slated 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. Now in its’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 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 325 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 and on ESPN+. For more information, visit dockspiders.com or 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.
