Dock Spiders Suffer 1st Loss of the Season

FOND DU LAC, WI – The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders fell to the Madison Mallards 7-4, snapping their five-game win streak to start the year.

The loss drops the Dock Spiders to 5-1, tied with the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters for the lead in the Great Lakes West Division. The win snaps the Mallards three game losing streak, and sees their record improve to 3-3 on the year.

The Mallards tallied two runs in the second to take a 2-0 lead, but the Dock Spiders rallied for three runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 3-2 lead. Luke Novitske (Cal State East Bay) lined a single to center to score Connor Manthey (Bradley). The next batter, Evan Smith (West Virginia), lined a triple to the wall in right-center to score Cole Messina (South Carolina) and Novitske. The triple was Smith’s first hit as a Dock Spider, part of a two-hit night.

In the third, the Mallards scored three runs on three singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly to retake the lead at 5-3. The Dock Spiders were unable to get any closer, matching the Mallards run in the fifth with one of their own to keep the deficit at two.

The Mallards bullpen combined for six innings of shutout pitching with eight strikeouts and a walk, while the Dock Spiders bullpen allowed two runs in six innings with nine strikeouts and two walks.

Seth Morano (1-1) earned the win after three and a third innings of relief, while Dock Spiders starter Reed Gallant (1-1) took the loss in his second career start. Steven Lacy earned his first save of the year, striking out four of the six batters he faced.

The Dock Spiders are back at Herr-Baker Field on Sunday afternoon against the Lakeshore Chinooks (1-5) at 1:05 p.m.