FOND DU LAC, WI – The La Crosse Loggers powered their way to a 21-12 victory over the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders at Herr-Baker Field, in front of a crowd of 999 fans.
Loggers starting pitcher Cassius Thomas (Stanford) delivered a solid performance, going five innings, allowing five runs on three hits, and striking out four.
Fond du Lac’s starter, Miles Vandenhuevel (Eastern Arizona College), struggled, lasting just 3.1 innings while surrendering seven runs on five hits.
The Loggers wasted no time getting on the board, scoring two runs in the first inning thanks to an RBI groundout from Case Sanderson (Nebraska) and a sacrifice fly by Mitch Wood (Iowa).
They added another run in the top of the third on a Luke Anderson (BYU) RBI groundout, extending their lead to 3-0.
La Crosse broke the game open in the fourth inning, posting a six-run frame. Contributions came from Ian Collier (Texas State), Sebastian David (Stanford), Matt Miura (Hawaii), and Mitch Wood (Iowa), giving the Loggers a commanding 9-0 advantage.
The offensive onslaught continued in the fifth inning with a solo home run by Ian Collier (Texas State), pushing the lead to 10-0.
The Dock Spiders showed signs of life in the bottom of the fifth, scoring six runs. Garrett Hietpas (Winona State), Preston Knott (Northwestern), Adam Cootway (UW-Whitewater), and Travis Strickler (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical) all drove in runs to cut the deficit to 10-6.
The Loggers added another run in the top of the sixth when Case Sanderson (Nebraska) scored on an error.
However, the Dock Spiders answered back in the bottom half of the inning, capitalizing on a Loggers’ defensive miscue to bring in two more runs, making it an 11-8 game.
In the top of the seventh, the Loggers’ offense exploded once again, scoring ten runs. Sebastian David (Stanford), Case Sanderson (Nebraska), Zach Wadas (TCU), Elijah Ickes (Hawaii), Matt Miura (Hawaii), and Luke Anderson (BYU) all contributed, extending the lead to 21-8.
The Dock Spiders managed to score three runs in the bottom of the seventh, highlighted by an RBI groundout from Garrett Hietpas (Winona State) and a two-RBI single from Colton Angell (Southeastern CC), but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback.
They added one more run in the ninth, but the Loggers held on to secure a decisive 21-12 victory.
The Loggers now return home to face the Waterloo Bucks in a two-game series, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. tomorrow.