Woodchucks Cruise Past Spiders

FOND DU LAC, WI – Behind an early burst of offense and sturdy pitching from starter Tyler Hoeft, the Wisconsin Woodchucks beat the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders by a score of 8-3 at Herr-Baker Field Friday night.

In a season where the Woodchucks (27-19) have struggled mightily against the Dock Spiders (30-16), it was the first-half champions who committed four costly fielding errors Friday.

The Woodchucks erased an early 1-0 deficit on Colton Vincent’s two-run single in the top of the second. Another pair would score on Tyler Kehoe’s fielder’s choice two batters later. The first of four Fond du Lac errors prevented them from ending the inning with a double play.

In the top of the third, the Woodchucks added on two more after loading the bases with only one out. A swinging bunt by Jacob Schoenvogel and a fielding error allowed Stephen Reid to score before Vincent’s groundout plated Burke.

The Chucks would once again cash in with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth. Kevin Kilpatrick grounded into a fielder’s choice at second but beat the relay to first. An aggressive play on the basepaths by Antonio Valdez allowed him to score all the way from second on the play, extending the lead to 8-1.

The Woodchucks had only six hits on the day, but they all came from the bottom five hitters in the lineup. All five of those hitters (including Burke, Ben McCabe, Schoenvogel, Vincent and Valdez) scored at least one run.

Hoeft worked seven innings of three-run ball in his longest outing of the season. He held the Dock Spiders to four hits, striking out five to earn his division-leading fifth win.

The win improved the Woodchucks’ second-half record to 6-5 and split the two-game series in Fond du Lac. The win is the first for the Woodchucks in four meetings at Herr-Baker Field this season. It ended a streak of five losses in a row in the season series, which now sits at 6-2 in favor of the Dock Spiders.

Top Performers

Hoeft improved to 5-1 with a 2.42 ERA and added to his team-leading 44 innings pitched. His five wins are now tied with the league lead.

Collin Millar pitched two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, recording one strikeout and one walk. Millar did not allow a hit, and has not allowed a run in four appearances this season.

Vincent drove in three runs, bringing his season total to ten RBIs. The Florida State catcher scored two runs and caught two runners stealing in the win.

Kilpatrick’s two RBIs added to his team-leading 33 runs driven in this season. The all-star outfielder is seventh in the league in this category.

McCabe was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored Friday. It was his first multi-hit game as a Woodchuck.

Reid scored a run and drew three walks during the game. Through 11 games in the Northwoods League, his on-base percentage sits at .500.

Up Next

The Woodchucks host the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters at 6:05 p.m. tomorrow in a game that will feature post game fireworks! They’ll play a 1:05 p.m. game Sunday before pausing three days for the All-Star Break.

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The Wisconsin Woodchucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 27-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 200 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.woodchucks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Woodchucks as your favorite team.