By John Baldridge/Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
Fond du Lac, WI – The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders fell to the Green Bay Rockers on Friday night at Herr-Baker Field, with a final score of 16-11. Dock Spiders with the loss moved to 6-12 on the season.
Green Bay took an early lead in the first inning, with a home run from Peyton Mansfield (Jacksonville State) putting them ahead 2-0. The Rockers added another run later in the first and one more in the second inning, extending their lead to 4-0.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Dock Spiders rallied and scored five runs to take their first lead of the game. An inning that featured three hits, which allowed the Dock Spiders to briefly hold a 5-4 advantage.
The Rockers retook the lead in the fourth inning by scoring three runs, bringing the score to 7-5. However, the Dock Spiders responded in the bottom of the inning. Tyler Neises (Georgia Tech) delivered a single that scored a run, narrowing the gap to 7-6. Shortly after, Quinten Perilli (Elizabethtown) hit a grounder that led to an error by the first baseman, allowing Caden Shapiro (Princeton) to score and tie the game at seven after four innings.
Green Bay pulled ahead again in the fifth inning with three more runs, highlighted by a single from Luke Moeller (Yavapai CC) that scored one run, followed by a double from Taylor Shultz (Georgia State University) that brought in two more runs. This put the Rockers up 10-7. The Dock Spiders managed to get one run back in the bottom of the inning when a bases-loaded walk scored Drew Barragan (Embry-Riddle), making it 10-8.
In the seventh inning, the Rockers extended their lead further. A single from Sam Miller (Columbia) brought in two runs, pushing their advantage to 12-8. The Dock Spiders answered back in the bottom of the seventh. Parker Knoll (Lawrence) hit a ground-rule double to the left-center field gap with two outs, scoring Preston Knott (Northwestern) and making it 12-9. With runners on second and third, the next batter, Tyler Neises, flew out to end the inning and the Dock Spiders’ threat.
The Rockers added one more run in the eighth and three in the ninth, extending their lead to 16-9. Despite the Dock Spiders scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth, they fell short, and the game concluded with a final score of 16-11.
The Dock Spiders are set to return to Madison on Saturday for their second matchup in four days against the Mallards at Warner Park. The first pitch is 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
