By John Baldridge/Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
Fond du Lac, WI – Right-handed pitcher Justin Roitman (Ellsworth CC) had his longest outing of the season, tossing five scoreless innings for the Dock Spiders on Thursday night. Despite his strong performance, the Dock Spiders fell 3-1 to the Battle Creek in the second game of a doubleheader at Herr-Baker Field. With this loss, the Dock Spiders’ record dropped to 7-17 for the season.
The game remained scoreless until the sixth inning when Sam Griffith (Oakland) laid down a sacrifice bunt with one out, allowing Aiden Abrogast (Eastern Michigan) to score and make it 1-0. Battle Creek extended their lead in the seventh inning with a single from Cayden Wotipka (Lower Columbia) that brought home Alex Fernandes (Memphis), pushing the score to 2-0.
In the eighth inning, Battle Creek further increased their lead. Josh Schleichardt (Clark College) led off with a double, followed by a single from Sam Griffith that brought Schleichardt home, making the score 3-0.
The Dock Spiders responded in the bottom of the eighth inning when Aiden Jolley (Georgia Tech) hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Preston Knott (Northwestern) to cut the deficit to 3-1. With two outs, Quinten Perilli (Elizabethtown) walked to load the bases, but Caden Shapiro (Princeton) struck out, ending the inning and the Dock Spiders’ threat. Throughout the game, the Dock Spiders left ten runners on base.
In the ninth inning, Drew Barragan (Embry Riddle) led off with a single. The Dock Spiders managed to get two runners on base with two outs, but a strikeout ended the game, securing a 3-1 victory for Battle Creek.
The Dock Spiders hit the road and head Wausau tomorrow with first pitch 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. Entering its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 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 350 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 (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, 2021 and 2023 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner, and two-time All-MLB first-team 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
