Fond du Lac defeats Rafters, 10-9

The Dock Spiders get its first walk-off win of the season off the bat of second baseman Matt Hansen with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

On a Father’s Day afternoon the Dock Spiders took down the Rafters off a double-digit team hitting performance– clocking 10 hits and 10 runs. Fond du Lac and Wisconsin Rapids went back-and-forth throughout all nine innings with the Dock Spiders coming back from a four run deficit.

Offensively Matt Hansen and Kelsen Johnson led the hit column being the only Dock Spiders to have a multiple-hit performance. Three-time Dock Spider Kelsen Johnson went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, two RBI, a walk and a hit-by-pitch.

The player of the game for the Dock Spiders was once again Matt Hansen who went 4-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a walk. In the past five games Hansen has batted .556 going 10-for-18 with three runs and five RBI. Hansen’s hot-streak has helped fuel the Dock Spiders offense in the past stretch of hard fought games.

On the mound the Dock Spiders used a combined three arms with Air Force Academy product Gunner Gilmore earning his first win of the season in three innings or work. Starter Mason Weckler set a high in for innings pitched in a single outing– going five innings while striking out two Rafters.

A huge difference-maker for the Dock Spiders were the two errors in the eighth and ninth innings from the Rafters that extended the game for Fond du Lac and paved the way to complete the comeback at Herr-Baker Field.

The Dock Spiders will look to surge with the momentum from back-to-back wins as well as from today’s walk-off win with a two game home-and-home series with the Kenosha Kingfish from the Great Lakes East subdivision.

Next game for the Dock Spiders is tomorrow at 6:35 p.m. against the Kenosha Kingfish for Emergency Services Night with a special character appearance where the Dock Spiders will honor area police officers, fire fighters, and first responders with a $1 ticket offer and fan-favorite characters will make a special appearances.

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.