The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders’ (13-17) solid offense stunned the Madison Mallards (21-10) 11-5 at the Duck Pond. Madison now has 10 losses on their record, this defeat marks the sixth loss in front of their home crowd.
Madison jumped on the Dock Spiders early, taking a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, after Ben Anderson (Georgia) ran home off an RBI single by Justice Bigbie (Western Carolina). Following Bigbie’s lead, an RBI single by Drew Williams (San Jose State) put the Mallards on top, 2-0, with only one out.
Propelling the Mallards even further, Ryne Stanley (North Carolina A&T) stepped up to the plate and slammed a two-RBI single to make the score 4-0 heading into the second.
The Mallards lead did not phase the Dock Spiders, whose bats took control of the game in the top of the third inning. An RBI single by Andrew Bullock (Western Carolina) put Fond du Lac on the board, trailing 4-1 with one out. Behind Bullock, Tim Elko (Mississippi) ripped an RBI double to score one, followed by an error on the infield to give the Dock Spiders a free pass and cut the lead to one, 4-3.
Fond du Lac’s bats continued to cause damage to the Madison defense, as an RBI single by Luke Robinson (Western Carolina) tied the game at four. The Mallards lead began to fade as an RBI single from Aaron Anderson (Flagler) gave the Dock Spiders their first advantage of the night, making the score 5-4.
Inning four was no different for the Dock Spiders. An RBI double by Kellen Sarver (Illinois) added another run on the board, giving Fond du Lac a 6-4 lead.
Madison started to get back into a groove in the bottom of the inning. A lead off triple by Anderson, who would later come home on a wild pitch, cut the Dock Spiders lead by one, 6-5.
The Doc Spiders’ bats continued to put heat on the Mallards’ defense. A walk with the bases loaded contributed Fond du Lac’s 7-5 lead. The two run lead did not last long as Bullock knocked a grand slam over the right field fence to give the Dock Spiders a whopping 11-5 lead.
Throughout the remainder of the game the Mallards were unable to come up with an answer, winding up with the 11-5 loss.
Jarrett Scheelk (Madison College) was charged with the loss after giving up five runs in the fifth. The win was awarded to Max Ambramavich (Central Missouri).
Turning Point
The Dock Spiders scored five runs in the fifth inning to open up a 11-5 lead over Madison. The Mallards were unable to come up with an answer, winding up with the loss.
Top Mallards
- Ryne Stanley was awarded Impact Player of the Night, after contributing a walk and a two-RBI single.
- Andre Nnebe (Santa Clara College) went two-for-four, scored a run and drew a walk.
- Tanner Bradley (Rend Lake College) pitched through two and third innings. He earned three strikeouts and allowed only one walk.
Up Next
Tomorrow, the Mallards and Dock Spiders will retreat to Herr Baker field to conclude their series. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. The game tomorrow marks game one of an eight game road trip for Madison.
