By John Baldridge/Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
FOND DU LAC, WI – In a thrilling game at Herr-Baker Field on Wednesday, the Dock Spiders narrowly lost to Lakeshore, 11-9, in extra innings to start the second half of the season. This loss moved the Dock Spiders to 0-1 and 13-21 overall.
The Chinooks took an early lead, scoring one run in the first inning and another in the third, with a solo home run by Joey Nerat (Dallas Baptist), making it 2-0.
The Dock Spiders responded in the bottom of the third inning with a five-run surge, highlighted by a grand slam from Parker Knoll (Lawrence), which put them ahead 5-2. They extended their lead in the fourth inning by adding two more runs, making it 7-2.
Dock Spiders’ starter, RHP Amar Tsengeg (Northwestern), pitched five innings, allowing seven hits and two earned runs while striking out five.
The bullpen took over in the sixth inning, but Lakeshore’s offense exploded, bringing 12 batters to the plate and scoring seven runs to take a 9-7 lead on five hits and three walks. This rally was highlighted by a two-run triple from Joey Nerat.
The Dock Spiders chipped away at the deficit, scoring one run in the seventh and another in the eighth inning. A leadoff pinch-hit triple in the eighth by Travis Strickler (Embry-Riddle) set the stage for Donavan Canterberry (Xavier) to drive him in, tying the game at nine.
The game remained tied and went into extra innings, due to a strong relief performance from RHP Colton Angell (Southeastern CC), who entered in the seventh inning. Angell held Lakeshore scoreless through the ninth inning, allowing no earned runs and striking out two over his four innings of work.
In the top of the tenth inning, with runners on second and third and two outs, a ground ball hit by Ty Wisdom (Kansas) to first baseman Caden Shapiro (Princeton) resulted in a throwing error that allowed two runs to score, giving the Chinooks an 11-9 lead. Angell retired the next batter, ending the inning.
In the bottom of the tenth, the Dock Spiders loaded the bases with two outs but were unable to bring any runs home, concluding the game with a strikeout and giving Lakeshore the 11-9 victory.
The Dock Spiders will wrap up their four-game stretch against Lakeshore on Thursday, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. on Independence Day at Lakeshore. The Dock Spiders will play the next five games on the road before returning home next Tuesday against Madison.
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
