Spitters fall to Dock Spiders; Four selected for NWL all-star game

Andrew Rosenthal, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·2 min read

Jul. 9—FOND DU LAC, Wis. — The Traverse City Pit Spitters lost an early lead and fell 5-4 to the Fond Du Lac Dock Spiders on Thursday night.

The Pit Spitters, who already clinched a playoff spot, move to 1-2 for the second half of the season and 22-17 overall.

Traverse City took a 3-1 lead after two runs in the first inning and one in the second. Fond Du Lac scored the go-ahead run to take the lead in the fourth inning, but Traverse City tied the game in the fifth at four runs.

McGwire Holbrook hit an RBI single for the Dock Spiders with runners on first and second to score Victor Scott and take take the lead.

Will Mabrey (0-1) took the loss in relief.

Michael Stygles, Zeb Roos and Miles Simington each had two hits. Chris Monroe had two RBIs.

Four Pit Spitters selected for NWL All-Star Game

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Four players from the Traverse City Pit Spitters will be represented at the Northwoods League all-star game on July 20 in Mankato, Minn.

The four players selected are first baseman and designated hitter Chris Monroe (University of Illinois Springfield), starting pitcher Jeremy Neff (Richmond), relief pitcher John Beuckelaere (Madonna) and closer Evan Gates (North Carolina A&T).

In 2019, the last previous year of the all-star game, the Spitters sent three players.

Monroe hit .319 in the first half of the season and held a nine-game hitting streak. Monroe will also be participating in the July 19 Home Run Derby, hitting five dingers this season to rank first in the Great Lakes Division and third overall in the NWL.

Neff holds a 2-2 record on the mound with a 1.74 ERA in 31 innings pitched, 28 strikeouts and 14 walks. He didn't allow a run in three of his four starts.

Beuckelaere (1-1) holds an ERA of zero, one of four qualifying pitchers in the NWL to share that statistic. Among the four, Beuckelaere faced the most batters. He leads Spitters relievers in strikeouts at 21.

Gates is the NWL leader in saves (8) with a 1.15 WHIP in 13 relief outings.

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