Dock Spiders Fall Short Against Mallards

The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders fell short against the Madison Mallards 11-9 at Warner Park despite collecting 12 hits and four extra-base hits in the road matchup.

Fond du Lac jumped out to an early lead, scoring twice in the opening inning after a Mallards error and a fielder’s choice. Madison responded with a run in the bottom of the first before the Dock Spiders extended their advantage in the second inning on a Reed Strohmeyer RBI single.

The Mallards then scored the next four runs to take a 5-3 lead heading into the fifth inning. Fond du Lac cut the deficit to one in the top of the fifth after a Quincy Mazeke solo home run, but Madison answered with a run in the bottom half to regain a two-run advantage.

Madison added another run in the sixth inning to make it a 7-4 game, but the Dock Spiders continued to battle. In the seventh, Joey Arend delivered a two RBI double to bring Fond du Lac within one run once again. The Mallards responded with a four-run bottom of the seventh to extend their lead to 11-6.

The Dock Spiders mounted one final push in the eighth inning, scoring three runs off a Patrick Graham RBI double and a Jay Campbell two RBI single. However, the late rally came up short as Madison held on for an 11-9 victory.

Fond du Lac’s offense recorded 12 hits but was limited by 10 strikeouts and only three walks. Quincy Mazeke, Joey Arend and Ben Kuglitsch each recorded multi-hit performances. Arend led the Dock Spiders offensively, going 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI.

The Dock Spiders return to Herr-Baker Field on Monday for a 6:35 p.m. matchup against the Madison Mallards for Racing Night and a Can Koozie Giveaway. Fans can check out race cars from Jordan Wick Racing and other local racing teams before the game. The first 500 fans through the gates will receive a Dock Spiders can koozie presented by Carbliss.