Dock Spiders Suffer Walk-Off Loss to the Woodchucks

The Dock Spiders suffered their third walk-off loss of the season Tuesday night, falling 10-9 to the Wausau Woodchucks after allowing four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning at Athletic Park.

Fond du Lac built an early 3-0 lead in the finale of the six-game series. Joey Arend delivered a two-run double in the third inning, and Kiernan O’Neill added a leadoff solo home run in the fourth. Wausau responded in the bottom of the third with a three-run home run to even the score at 3-3.

The Woodchucks took a 6-3 lead in the sixth inning with the help of a pair of extra-base hits. Fond du Lac answered in the seventh, scoring four runs on a wild pitch and a three-run home run by Miles Vandenheuvel to regain the lead. The Dock Spiders added two insurance runs in the eighth inning on a two-run single by Reed Strohmeyer, extending their advantage to 9-6.

Wausau rallied in the bottom of the ninth, scoring four runs to complete the comeback. Chris Patterson delivered the game-winning sacrifice fly, giving the Woodchucks a 10-9 walk-off victory.

The Dock Spiders finished with seven hits, including home runs from O’Neill and Vandenheuvel. Reed Strohmeyer and Joey Arend each recorded multi-hit games, going 2-for-4 at the plate.

On the mound, Fond du Lac pitchers combined for eight strikeouts while allowing seven free passes and five extra-base hits. Brady Hudson made his first start of the season and struck out seven batters over five innings.

With the loss, Fond du Lac fell in the six-game series 4-2. Fond du Lac will next turn its attention to the Lakeshore Chinooks in a home-and-home series.