Photo courtesy of Doug Timmermann of JK Richards Photography
LOVES PARK, IL – Fond du Lac came to town having only one win against Rockford this season, but the hot-hitting Dock Spiders continued to produce runs as they defeated the Rivets 17-2 on Thursday night.
Chase Kueter (Dubuque) and the rest of the Rockford (35-26, 18-9) pitching staff got lit up by the Dock Spiders (31-31, 15-11), led by Andrew Bullock (Western Carolina), who finished the night with six hits and a pair of home runs.
The Dock Spiders, who have played much better in the second half of the season, scored early and often in the game. Kueter pitched a scoreless first for Rockford, but after that it was all Fond du Lac. Bullock led off the 2nd with a shot over the left-center field wall, and AJ Lewis (Missouri) added an RBI double for the 2-0 Fond du Lac lead.
Rockford evened it up in the same frame. Trevor Paradoski (Texas Tech) singled home a run and Brett Whelton (McNeese State) scored on an error tie the game 2-2.
After the 2nd, though, the Dock Spiders began to pull away. Nick Fortes (Ole Miss), who scored a run in the 2nd inning, hit a two-RBI double with one out to take back the lead 4-2 in the 3rd. The Dock Spiders put up another two spot in the 4th, as Thomas Luevano (Creighton) walked and scored off a Luke Mangieri (Bradley) triple. Mangieri also scored in the inning, and Fond du Lac led 6-2 after four.
Things did not improve for the Rivets. After the 2nd inning, they managed eight base runners for the entire game but could not must any runs. Fond du Lac, however, wasn’t done scoring.
Led by Bullock, Fond du Lac notched another run in the 5th and two more in the 6th as Bullock went deep for the second time of the game. The Rivets looked as if they ran out of steam in the 7th inning, as Fond du Lac plated six thanks to a pair of Rivets errors. The Dock Spiders added another run in the 8th, when Luevano led off with a triple and scored when Mangieri. Bullock got his sixth hit of the night in that same inning, and although it was a meaningless single, it capped off an impressive night. Bullock’s stat line ended at 6-for-6 with two home runs, a double, five RBIs, and four runs scored. Fond du Lac scored their last run of the evening in the 9th.
Rockford got its first two batters into scoring position in the 8th, but the subsequent hitters were unable to bring them home. Rockford failed to score in the 9th, and fell by a final score of 17-2.
The season is coming to a close in the next few weeks for the Rivets. But not to worry! Rockford still has five home games remaining. Tomorrow is the last time the Rivets will play the Dock Spiders. It’s Super Hero Night! Come dressed as your favorite super hero to the stadium – gates open at 5:35 p.m. The Rivets are back on Saturday and Sunday for a pair of games against Green Bay as well. Call 815.240.4159 to inquire about buying your tickets today.
The Rockford Rivets are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League, which will play its 24th season of summer collegiate baseball in 2017. 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, 180 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (Washington Nationals), two-time World Champion Ben Zobrist (Chicago Cubs) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (Boston Red Sox), Jordan Zimmermann (Detroit Tigers), Curtis Granderson (New York Mets) and Lucas Duda (Mets). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website, NorthwoodsLeague.com.
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