By John Baldridge/Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
Fond du Lac, WI – In a high-scoring contest featuring 32 runs and 32 hits, the Madison Mallards defeated the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders 18-14 at Herr-Baker Field on Tuesday night. With this loss, the Dock Spiders’ record dropped to 5-10 for the season.
Madison took an early lead, scoring one run in the first inning and adding four more in the second to go up 5-0. The Dock Spiders responded in the third inning with a three-run home run from Tyler Neises (Georgia Tech), his first of the season, narrowing the score to 5-3.
In the fourth inning, Madison sent ten batters to the plate and scored five runs, extending their lead to 10-3. The Dock Spiders answered back in the bottom of the fourth with four runs of their own, reducing Madison’s lead to 10-7.
The Dock Spiders tied the game in the fifth inning with a three-run home run by Parker Knoll (Lawrence) to left field, his third home run of the season, making the score 10-10.
Madison regained the lead in the sixth inning with a double from Will Verling (Louisville) that scored Justin Best (Florida State), making it 11-10. The Mallards added two more runs in the sixth and three runs in the seventh, pushing their lead to 16-10.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Dock Spiders fought back with a double from Aiden Jolley (Georgia Tech) that drove in two runs. They managed to score four runs in the inning, cutting the Madison lead to 16-14.
In the ninth inning, the Mallards scored two more runs, setting the score at 18-14. The Dock Spiders put two runners on base in their half of the ninth but were unable to score, resulting in a final score of 18-14.
The Dock Spiders will travel to Madison on Wednesday to face the Mallards again, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:05 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
