Wausau Defeats Fond du Lac, 17-16

The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders suffered a heartbreaking 17-16 walk-off loss to the Wausau Woodchucks at Athletic Park despite recording a season-high 20 hits.

Fond du Lac struck first in the opening inning on a Nate Novitske RBI double. Wausau answered with a run in the bottom of the first before the Dock Spiders erupted for five runs in the second inning. Quincy Mazeke drove in a run with a double before Joey Arend highlighted the frame with a home run to give Fond du Lac a 6-1 lead.

The Woodchucks responded with two runs in the bottom of the second, but the Dock Spiders answered again in the third as Reed Strohmeyer delivered an RBI triple to make it 7-3. Wausau cut the deficit to three in the bottom half before Tommy Googins added an RBI single and Andrew Bishop ripped a two RBI double to extend the lead to 10-4. Fond du Lac pushed its advantage to seven runs in the fifth inning on a Nate Novitske RBI single. Wausau responded with a 10-run bottom of the fifth to take the lead.

The Dock Spiders battled back throughout the late innings. Googins delivered an RBI single in the seventh to make it 14-11, but the Woodchucks answered with another run to restore a four-run cushion. Fond du Lac rallied for four runs in the eighth inning on a hit-by-pitch, a fielder’s choice, a bases-loaded walk and another Googins RBI single to tie the game.

Wausau answered with the tying run in the bottom of the eighth before drawing a bases-loaded walk in the ninth to complete the 17-16 walk-off victory. The loss marked Fond du Lac’s third walk-off defeat against the Woodchucks this season.

Despite the loss, the Dock Spiders turned in one of their best offensive performances of the year. Fond du Lac recorded a season-high 20 hits, five extra-base hits and drew 11 walks. Every player in the Dock Spiders’ starting lineup recorded at least one hit for the first time this season. Reed Strohmeyer, Joey Monetti, Andrew Bishop, Tommy Googins, Nate Novitske, Jay Campbell and Quincy Mazeke all posted multi-hit games. Strohmeyer led the offensive attack, going 4-for-6 with two runs, a triple and an RBI. His four-hit performance marked the most hits by Strohmeyer in a game this season.

The Dock Spiders return to Herr-Baker Field on Sunday for a 1:05 p.m. matchup against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. The game features a Drawstring Bag Giveaway presented by MLB Network and Season Ticket Holder Appreciation Night.

Information about ticket packages is currently available at dockspiders.com or by calling the ticket office at (920) 907-9833. Visit the Dock Spiders ballpark Box Office and Team Store during normal business hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Entering its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 24 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, nearly 2400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 380 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove, two-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network. Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit dockspiders.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Dock Spiders as your favorite team.

Date posted: July 30, 2026