FOND DU LAC, Wis. – In their second trip to Fond du Lac this season, the Kenosha Kingfish (23-26) were unable to take advantage of Dock Spider (31-19) mistakes as they lost 6-5.
Kenosha starter Nick Long (Florida) had a rocky start to his outing giving up five straight singles to the first five batters of the game. Fond du Lac scored three runs but a double play helped the Kingfish get out of the inning.
Long was great from then on out finishing his start with five innings pitched, three runs allowed on six hits, and four strikeouts. The first inning was the only blemish in an otherwise good start for Long.
The Kingfish did not lead during the game but were consistently just one run down. The Kingfish scored two runs in the top of the second to make it a one-run ballgame. Will Wagner (Liberty) walked to lead off the inning followed by a Marty Bechina (Michigan State) single. Jack Weiller (Virginia) singled to load the bases then Mike Madej (NW Florida State) knocked in the first Kingfish run with a single. Evan McDonald (Fairleigh Dickinson) brought in another run with a groundout.
Having allowed two runs in the bottom of the sixth, the Kingfish responded in the next half scoring two of their own. Madej singled with two outs to extend the inning followed by a McDonald walk. Then back-to-back singles by Carson McCusker (Oklahoma State) and Scott Dubrule (Jacksonville) brought them both home to cut the lead.
Fond du Lac followed up with one in the next half, which Kenosha again matched in the top of the eighth. Jack Yalowitz (Illinois) was brought home on another Madej RBI single. Bechina attempted to tie the game up on a short flyball to right field but was unfortunately thrown out at the plate for a double play.
The Kingfish had two runners on in the ninth but they were left stranded by Dock Spider reliever Zach Bryant.
The Kingfish will be back for the series finale in Fond du Lac Friday for a 6:35 p.m. game. Trent Palmer (Jacksonville) will be making his final start before the All-Star break, where he and Josh Serio (UW-Milwaukee) will represent the team. Friday’s game can be listened to online for free on the Kenosha Kingfish Radio Network on Ustream.
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The Kenosha Kingfish are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Entering its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, more than 185 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.KingfishBaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Kingfish as your favorite team.
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