FOND DU LAC, WI – The bats stayed hot for the Dock Spiders as they made it back-to-back wins with a 10-4 win over the Green Bay Booyah at home Sunday afternoon.
The Green Bay Booyah (1-4) brought in two runs in the first off a Stephen Hrustich (Northwestern University) two-RBI single to make it 2-0.
The Dock Spiders (3-1) would start their first half-inning strong as well, as Sam Novitske (University of Oregon) laced a line drive into the right-field gap for a leadoff double. Novitske advanced to third on a passed ball and later scored on a Parker Noland (Vanderbilt University) base hit to draw the Dock Spiders within one. John Rhodes (University of Kentucky) dribbled a grounder that bounced over the mound and made it to first on an infield hit. Tate Kolwyck (Vanderbilt University) sent a bullet into right-center that scored both Noland and Rhodes to give Fond du Lac a 3-2 lead.
The bats continued to produce in a big fifth inning that started with consecutive walks to Noland and Aaron Anderson (Liberty University). The man of the hour, Andrew Bullock (Charleston Southern University), who celebrated his 24th birthday on Sunday, knocked a single to load the bases. Rhodes then came up to the plate and sent a pitch into right field that scored Noland and Anderson to extend the Dock Spider lead to 5-2. A fielding error on the play moved Bullock to third and Rhodes to second.
That brought Kolywck to the plate again, who added to his big day at the plate with a sacrifice fly that moved Rhodes to third and scored Bullock to make it 6-2. Drew Stahl (University of Minnesota) got in on the scoring action and laid down a sacrifice bunt that plated Rhodes to tack on the seventh run of the game. The beat went on as Victor Scott II (West Virginia University) reached on a base hit, followed by a Knox Loposer (University of Mississippi) single to left to move Scott II to second. Scott II moved to third after an error in left. Novitske’s spot in the order came next, and he sent a hit into left that allowed Scott II to score and make it an 8-2 game.
The Booyah scored their third run of the game in the top of the fourth that drew them to within five.
Fond du Lac took that run right back in their hitting half of the fourth as the birthday boy Andrew Bullock launched a towering home run to right field to make it 9-3.
The home team added one more run in the eighth inning, another hit from Bullock, his third of the game, that scored Noland and plated the 10th run of the contest.
Green Bay salvaged one last run in the ninth before Ryan Loutos (Washington University in St. Louis) closed the game and sealed the 10-4 win for the Dock Spiders.
The pitching staff turned in another great performance with 11 strikeouts on the afternoon. Derek Diamond (University of Mississippi) started the game and turned in two innings of work with two strikeouts. Ryan Duffy (University of Minnesota) and Grant Leonard (University of Iowa) combined for three innings of work, allowed no runs, three hits, and recorded four strikeouts. Trace Hoffman (University of Iowa) recorded two strikeouts in his two innings on the mound to get his first win of the year. Loutos pitched the last two innings and struck out two en route to the Dock Spiders 10-4 win.
The Dock Spiders will travel to Green Bay tomorrow to take on the Booyah at Capital Credit Union Park at 6:35 pm.
