Fond du Lac defeats Wisconsin Rapids, 3-1
The Dock Spiders start off the second half of the Northwoods League season in the win column after a hard fought, defensive game went the way of Fond du Lac after a 14 strikeout performance by Noah Wech and Luke Parise.
In the first game of the second half, the defenses of both the Dock Spiders and the Rafters came up big. The Rafters would find the scoring column in the opening inning but were held scoreless in the following eight frames by a top-tier pitching duo of Noah Wech and Luke Parise who held the Rafters to only two hits in the entire game. The Dock Spiders were down 1-0 up until the bottom of the fifth where James Hankerson Jr. batted home Jalen Gellings to tie the game. Fond du Lac would strike again in the sixth and the eighth to pull away in the defensive battle.
The top performer on the night for the Dock Spiders was Noah Wech who went seven innings and threw a single game-high in the 2025 campaign of 102 pitches. Wech also set a single game-high for the 2025 Dock Spiders with 12 strikeouts on the night. Overall, Wech only gave up two hits, one walk and one unearned run in one of the best starts from a Dock Spider in recent memory.
Also dealing on the mound was Dock Spider closer Luke Parise who earned a team-high fifth save after two innings of work with no hits, no runs and two strikeouts on eight batters faced.
Offensively no Dock Spider found the hit column multiple times as Fond du Lac was held to six hits on the night. TP Wentworth, Jonathan Fitz and Landon Mensik each knocked a double to greatly help the Dock Spiders offense which faced a stout pitching rotation from Wisconsin Rapids that struck out 13 Dock Spiders.
Fond du Lac starts off with a win in the second half as they look to turn it into momentum as they take on the Rafters tomorrow to close out the two-game series at Herr-Baker Field.
Next game for the Dock Spiders is tomorrow, July 2 at 6:35 p.m. CT which falls on a Caleb Durbin Jersey Giveaway promotion where the first 500 fans through the gates will receive a Caleb Durbin replica jersey courtesy of LEB Insurance Group. The game also falls on a Drink Wisconsinbly Wednesdays with Sunny 97.7 where patrons can enjoy half-priced Drink Wisconsinbly Old Fashioneds.
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.