Woodchucks Fall in Fondy

FOND DU LAC, WI – The Wisconsin Woodchucks (43-26) left 11 runners on base in a 5-1 loss to the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders at Herr-Baker Field Wednesday.

The loss combined with Madison’s win means that the Woodchucks now cling to a mere one game lead in the Great Lakes West Division race.

Starting pitcher Dane Miller struck out seven over seven innings of work, both season highs for the Columbia right-hander. However, the Dock Spiders did some damage in a three-run second inning which proved to be enough for the first-half champs to win. Miller was tagged with his first loss of the season.

The Woodchucks struggled offensively against Dock Spiders’ starter Taylor Middaugh, who kept the visitors off the board until the top of the fifth.

Harrison Long’s opposite-field bloop single drove in Colton Vincent and cut the deficit to 3-1. But the Woodchucks left two men on base and never threatened the tying run after that.

The Dock Spiders added insurance runs in the fifth and sixth but could not score in the seventh. Reliever Charlie Campbell pitched a scoreless eighth in his second appearance as a Woodchuck.

Payton Nelson and Clayton Mehlbauer each contributed two hits in the loss, but neither came around to score.

The Woodchucks are just 3-8 against the Dock Spiders this season. The first-half champs have won four of the five meetings at Herr-Baker Field.

Up Next

The Woodchucks will look for a series split tomorrow at 6:35 p.m. in Fond du Lac. They’ll then return home for the final time in the regular season to take on the Rafters at 6:35 p.m. Friday. The team’s 72-game schedule concludes Saturday in Wisconsin Rapids.

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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.