A pitchers duel broke out early at the Duck Pond. Despite a stellar performance by Madison Mallards (32-19) starter Lowell Schipper (Richmond), the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (21-30) grasped a 5-0 victory after the Mallards offense failed to come alive.

The first six innings consisted of a pitcher’s duel between Mallards starter Schipper and Dock Spiders starter Ryan Bader (Northwestern). Forty batters were retired between the two, with 15 batters retired consecutively between the top of the second and the top of the fourth innings.

Fond du Lac made their way onto the scoreboard first, after an RBI double by Tate Kolwyck (Vanderbilt) allowed the Dock Spiders to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth. Schipper remained in control on the bump, until the Dock Spiders scored once again on an RBI single by Kolwyck, to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the sixth.

Schipper exited the mound after six and two-thirds innings pitched. He received a standing ovation from his home crowd on the way back to the dugout. During his time on the mound Schipper punched five strikeouts and allowed only one walk.

In the top of the seventh, the Dock Spiders continued to crawl even further ahead of the Mallards. A sacrifice fly from Aaron Anderson (Flagler) stretched Fond du Lac’s lead to 3-0.

The top of the eighth was a repeat of the sixth and seventh innings for the Dock Spiders. Another RBI single, this time by Kellen Sarver (Illinois), extended Fond du Lac’s lead to 4-0.

Bader made his way to the Dock Spiders dugout after pitching through eight solid innings. His arm was unstoppable on the mound, throwing eight strikeouts and not allowing any walks.

Anderson contributed to the scoring of another run after slamming the ball to right field for an RBI double to give the Dock Spiders another insurance run in the top of the ninth.

Unfortunately, the offense was not there for the Mallards, as Madison was defeated 5-0 to earn their 19th loss of the season.

Schipper added the loss to his record after allowing the Dock Spiders to score and continue to keep the lead.

Bader notched the victory after throwing eight innings, preventing the Mallards from scoring during his time on the bump.

Top Mallard

• Schipper earned Impact Player of the Night for his contribution on the mound. He threw over six innings, recording five strikeouts and one walk.

 Turning Point

The first, second and third innings were solid for the Dock Spiders starter. Bader retired nine consecutive batters to help Fond du Lock prevent the Mallards offense from scoring.

Up Next

The Mallards will travel to Herr Baker field to finish the series against the Dock Spiders. After the conclusion of the series, the Mallards will continue on the road to Mequon, Wisconsin, to compete in a two-game series against the Lakeshore Chinooks (22-28).