Two homers from Kyle West give Green Bay the win on their home opener
Ashwaubenon, Wis.- The Green Bay Rockers took down the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders 9-5 for the second time in as many days Tuesday night at Capital Credit Union Park, giving them a 2-0 record to start out their 2023 campaign.
Led by two homers from Kyle West (University of Charleston), the Rockers led by as much as six in the contest and used a four-run second inning to give themselves an early lead, in which they did not look back from for the Rockers home opener.
Green Bay struck first in the second courtesy of back-to-back RBI doubles from Luke Moeller (Arizona) and AJ Anzai (Chapman University). Then a two-RBI double from Kyle West extended the Rocker lead to four, making the score 4-0 through the first two innings of play.
Starting pitcher Brett Sanchez cruised along through the first half of the game, and recorded three strikeouts in the first four innings pitched, keeping the Rockers out in front throughout over Fond du Lac.
Green Bay scored once in each of the third and fourth innings on another RBI double from Anzai, while Kyle West hit the first Rockers homer of the season over the right field wall, giving the Rockers a 6-0 lead entering the fifth inning.
The Dock Spiders got their first runs of the game in the fifth after RBIs from Luke Notivske (Cal State East Bay) and Jack Gorman (Presbyterian) made it a 6-2 game halfway through the contest.
However, the Rockers seized the momentum right back courtesy of a second solo homer from West and an RBI double from Carlos Hernandez (Anderson University), increasing their lead back to six through six innings at Capital Credit Union Park.
After each team traded runs in the seventh, Tyler Horvath (Case Western Reserve University) entered the game in the eighth, and despite giving up two baserunners, he forced a flyout to right to keep the Rockers lead at six, putting Fond du Lac down to their final three outs.
In the ninth, Horvath came back out for his second inning of relief, and even though he gave up a two-run homer to Seth Sweet-Chick (Nevada), he retired the last two batters he faced to seal the deal for Green Bay, earning themselves a sweep of the Dock Spiders to begin the 2023 season.
Green Bay returns to Capital Credit Union Park Wednesday night as they host the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters at 6:35 p.m. Justin Levanetz will perform the pregame concert beginning at 5:35 p.m. when gates open, while it is also Woof Wednesday at the ballpark.
Single game tickets are on sale now. Visit www.greenbayrockers.com or call the ticket office at 920-497-7225 to reserve your seats today. The Rockers front office and Team Apparel Fan Shop at Capital Credit Union Park are located at 2231 Holmgren Way in Ashwaubenon. Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm.
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The Green Bay Rockers 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. Having completed its’ 29th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 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 300 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 (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB 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 www.greenbayrockers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rockers as your favorite team.