FOND DU LAC, WI – After a 6-1 week to start the year, the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders head to Moonlight Graham Field at Kapco Park to take on the Lakeshore Chinooks (1-6) for a 6:35 p.m. first pitch. The game can be heard live on the Dock Spiders Radio Network with pregame starting at 6:20 p.m. featuring the Dock Spiders Pregame Interview.
TODAY’S STORYLINES
EARLY RUNS, EARLY WINS: The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders scored seven runs over the first two innings on Sunday to defeat the Lakeshore Chinooks 8-3 and improve to 6-1 on the young season. The win saw Fond du Lac keep pace with Wisconsin Rapids at the top of the Great Lakes West Division. The Dock Spiders tallied four runs in the first, capped off by Kyte McDonald’s first home run of the year. In the second, the Dock Spiders tallied three more runs after three straight walks to start the inning. Austin Wagner continued his dominant start to the year, extending his shutout streak to 11.1 innings before he allowed two runs in the fifth. Wagner is now tied for second among Northwoods League pitchers with 14 strikeouts.
SWIPING BAGS: With four stolen bases on Sunday, the Dock Spiders are second in the Northwoods League with 22 steals through seven games. The Dock Spiders are on pace to steal 226 bases this year, which would be the second-most in a single NWL season, behind their record-breaking 235 swipes from a year ago. Alejandro Macario, Stephen Schissler and Evan Stone are all tied for the team lead with four steals.
HOMERS AT HOME: Kyte McDonald’s home run in the first inning on Sunday was the eighth home run hit by a Dock Spider at Herr-Baker Field since the start of the 2021 season and the 38th in franchise history. In 2021, seven different players each tallied a single home run at home. The last player to hit multiple home runs in a year at Herr-Baker Field was Tim Elko, who hit two during the 2020 season. Over the franchise’s history, 39 home runs have been hit at home, compared to 109 on the road.
SPECIAL OPS: Coming into today, the league OPS in the Northwoods League is at .699. Seven of the 10 Dock Spiders with at least 20 plate appearances are above the mark, with Nick Mitchell leading the team at 1.386, almost double the league average. The Dock Spiders also lead the entire NWL in OPS, with an .855 team mark.
STRIKEOUT? THAT’S A WEIRD WAY TO SPELL WALK: The Dock Spiders are the only team in the Northwoods League that’s tallied more walks (56) than strikeouts (53) this year. They lead the league in walks, and have tallied the third-lead amount of strikeouts. The Dock Spiders, as a team, hold an 18% walk rate, five poins above the league walk rate of 13%. Four different Dock Spiders with at least 20 plate appearances have more walks than strikeouts, including Nick Mitchell, who’s struck out once in 34 plate appearances.
TODAY’S PITCHING MATCH-UP
RHP SEAN DUFFY (FDL): Duffy makes his second start on the year after he allowed three earned runs at Green Bay last Wednesday. He was dominant against lefties, striking out one and not allowing a hit to the six he faced.
LHP ERIC CHALUS (LAK): It’s the second start of the year for the Kent State lefty, after he struck out eight in five innings against Madison on Opening Day. Chalus was one of the best arms for the Golden Flashes this spring, finishing runner-up on the team in innings (56.2) and strikeouts (54).