By John Baldridge/Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
Fond du Lac, WI – The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders’ game against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, which spanned over two days, ended with an 11-7 loss for the Dock Spiders. This result moved the Dock Spiders’ record to 11-18 on the season.
The Rafters began the scoring in the first inning with a leadoff home run by Owen McElfatrick (Northwestern), making it 1-0.
In the second inning, the Rafters sent ten batters to the plate and scored six runs, highlighted by five hits, including a triple from Walker Buchanan (Virginia), extending their lead to 7-0.
The Dock Spiders got on the board in the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run to center field from Aiden Jolley (Georgia Tech), making the score 7-1. The Rafters responded in the third inning with a groundout by McElfatrick that scored Landon Gaz (California Irvine), increasing their lead to 8-1.
In the fourth inning, the Dock Spiders cut the deficit with a single from Quinten Perilli (Elizabethtown) that drove in two runs, making the score 8-3.
The game then entered a rain delay at 8:06 p.m., after 1 hour and 31 minutes of game action. It was eventually suspended and rescheduled to continue on Saturday.
When the game resumed, the Rafters added two runs in the fifth inning with an RBI single from Max McGwire (San Diego) that scored two runs, extending the lead to 10-3.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Dock Spiders cut the lead by plating three runs, highlighted by a two-run double from Adam Cootway (UW-Whitewater) that made the score 10-6. The Rafters added another run in the sixth inning, bringing the score to 11-6.
The score remained the same until the ninth inning, when the Dock Spiders brought in a run with three straight singles with two outs, the third coming from Caden Shapiro (Princeton), making the score 11-7. However, the next batter grounded out, ending the game with a final score of 11-7.
Game two with the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters is set to follow the conclusion of game one on Saturday evening.
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
