Seven-Run 7th Inning Lifts Dock Spiders Past Rafters

After allowing 11 runs in the
first three innings, the Dock Spiders (9-8) roared back and scored nine runs in
the last four innings to stun the Rafters (12-6) and win a wild Saturday afternoon
contest, 13-11.

 

The
Rafters’ bats would waste no time in getting on the board, scoring six runs on
five hits in the top of the 1st to get out to an early 6-0 lead.

 

The Dock Spiders started up
their offense in the bottom of the second, starting with an RBI-double from Victor Scott II (West
Virginia University), his fourth RBI of the year that made
it 3-1. Ryan Ritter (University
of Kentucky) brought home another run after reaching on a
fielder’s choice. The Dock Spiders drew to within three after Sam Novitske (University
of Oregon) drove in Scott from third to make it a 6-3
game.

 

The
Rafters pulled away and poured it on in the third inning, scoring five runs on
five hits and batting around the order to put the Dock Spiders down, 11-3. The
Rafters would only muster two more hits over the next six innings.

 

Scott
II would start the slow comeback for Fond du Lac, hitting his second RBI-double
of the game in the bottom of the third to make it 11-4.

 

One of the highlights of Saturday’s
game came in the bottom of the fifth when Tim Elko (University of
Mississippi) launched a drive into right field and slid
into third for a leadoff triple, becoming just the second Dock Spider this
season to earn a three-bagger (Sam Novitske). Elko would score after Parker Noland (Vanderbilt
University) grounded out to second.

 

Novitske
notched RBI number two of the day after sending a liner into right field that
plated a run to bring the Dock Spiders another run closer in an 11-6 game.

 

Fondy broke things open the
very next inning, pushing seven runs across on only four hits to take the lead.
The Dock Spiders batted around the order and walked five times in the seventh. Brayden Frazier (University
of Iowa) started the scoring in the inning with a single
to right that scored Noland. Ritter drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in
another run, followed by a single to right from Novitske to plate another and
make it 11-9. That’s when John Rhodes (University
of Kentucky) delivered a two-RBI single to left that tied
the ballgame at 11.

 

Elko reached on a walk to
load the bases, followed by consecutive walks to Noland and Aaron Anderson (Liberty
University) that allowed two more runs to come in for the
Dock Spiders to cap off the seven-run inning and give them the 13-11 lead.

 

The Rafters managed one hit
in the ninth, a leadoff single, but the defense helped Nate Thomas (Northern
Illinois University) out and spun a perfect 4-6-3 double
play, their third turn of the day, to get two quick outs. Another batter
reached on a walk, but Ritter secured a pop fly in shallow left to complete the
epic comeback and secure the 13-11 Dock Spiders victory.

 

The Dock Spiders’ pitching
staff combined for nine strikeouts on the day, led by Ryan Duffy (University
of Minnesota), who struck out three in three innings. Trace Hoffman (University
of Iowa) fanned two batters in two innings and allowed
only one hit to record the win and move to 2-2. Thomas allowed only one hit in
the ninth to get his third save of the year.

 

The
Dock Spiders will travel to Wausau tomorrow to finish their July 2nd game
against the Wisconsin Woodchucks and play their originally scheduled July 19th
game in seven innings. Game one will start from the fourth inning at 1:05 pm,
the same time that the game was postponed back on the 2nd. Game two will start
thirty minutes after game one and will be played in seven innings.