Thunder Bay – Sports – Sunday night brought us a heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat battle between the Thunder Bay Border Cats and the Duluth Huskies at Port Arthur Stadium. In a see-saw affair, the Huskies snatched an 11-10 victory with a crucial top-of-the-ninth run.
Duluth came out swinging with a whopping 14 hits on the day! They walked 10 times and took four hits for the team, but here’s the kicker—they left an eye-popping 17 men stranded on base!
Meanwhile, the Thunder Bay Border Cats kept pace with eight hits, eight walks, and four hit batters, leaving 11 men on base.
This game was a rollercoaster of missed opportunities and edge-of-your-seat action!
The Border Cats roared to an early lead, scoring two runs in the first and second innings, putting the Huskies in a 4-0 hole. But Duluth clawed back, tying the game after four innings. It was a wild contest with scoring in 12 of the 18 frames and an explosive final three innings that saw both teams rack up five runs each.
Newcomer Jayden Duplantier of the Texas Longhorns made an electrifying debut for the Huskies, going 2-for-3, singling home the first run, walking twice, and stealing two bases. But it was Cardel Dick who stole the show. Dick’s two-out RBI single to center gave Duluth their first lead. The teams continued to trade runs, with the Huskies leaving the bases loaded twice, narrowly avoiding disaster.
In the seventh and eighth innings, the Border Cats capitalized on Husky errors, scoring five runs without a single hit—thanks to walks, stolen bases, wild pitches, and a balk. Border Cats manager J M Kelly called a time out that led to the strategy. The Cats followed the plan and that led to regaining the lead.
That balk came as the Huskies pitcher seemed frozen in choosing which runner to try to throw out.
Duluth, however, had their own four-run inning in response, highlighted by Dick’s clutch three-run homer. Dick finished an impressive 3-for-5 with a walk and four RBIs.
With the game tied at 10 entering the ninth, the Huskies eked out the go-ahead run on a Border Cats error by third baseman Ty Brooks. Joshua Butler then held his nerve, navigating a tense final inning with Border Cats runners on second and third to secure the 11-10 win for Duluth.
The Cats and Huskies wrap up their series on Monday with a special start time of 11:05am with the first School Day game of the season. Andrew Hardin (Southwestern University) will take his 2-0 record to the mound for Thunder Bay. The grandstand is sold out; however, fans can purchase tickets on the OPS/Wakefield Oil Change Plus Party Deck or the Salt & Pepper Catering Tiki Bar. Those tickets will be on sale at the stadium box office beginning at 9:00.
The Border Cats next head on the road with a return homestand starting on Saturday.
Northwoods League Baseball Recap: June 9, 2024
Traverse City 14, Battle Creek 0 What a blowout! The Traverse City Pit Spitters hammered the Battle Creek Battle Jacks with a commanding 14-0 victory, thanks to a 16-hit onslaught. Michael Tchavdarov from Davenport University was on fire, going 2-for-6, scoring three times with a three-run homer in the second and a two-run double in the eighth. Vahn Lackey from Georgia Tech added to the fireworks, going 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in the sixth. Brett Denby, also from Georgia Tech, went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Brett Rozman from Central Arizona College contributed by going 3-for-5 with two RBIs. On the mound, Jayden Dentler from Western Michigan University threw five innings, striking out five, and allowing just three hits for the win.
Wisconsin Rapids 8, La Crosse 5 The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters triumphed over the La Crosse Loggers, 8-5, in an action-packed game. Kyler McIntosh from Alabama State University was stellar, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. Greyson Shafer from BYU was perfect at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a double. Bryson Stripling from the University of North Georgia added a solo home run. Tristin Crusenberry from Campbellsville University earned the win, throwing four scoreless innings with five strikeouts.
Green Bay 12, Lakeshore 7 The Green Bay Rockers rallied with a five-run ninth inning to topple the Lakeshore Chinooks, 12-7. Lukas Torres from Wagner College had a day, going 3-for-5 with a solo homer in the first and a two-run triple in the ninth. Lane Allen from Blinn College went 3-for-4 with a two-run triple in the sixth. Cooper Kelly from Oral Roberts University went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Gene Trujillo from the University of New Mexico went 3-for-4 with a two-run double and a solo homer. Jake Toporek from Wagner College earned the win with three innings of scoreless pitching.
Kenosha 8, Rockford 7 The Kenosha Kingfish walked it off against the Rockford Rivets, winning 8-7. Trey Swiderski from John A. Logan College went 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs. Vytas Valinicius from the University of Illinois went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Noah Jouras from Davidson College hit a solo homer. Jack Zebig from Maryville University added a two-run homer. Colin Hawkins from UIC earned the win with a scoreless inning.
Waterloo 10, Eau Claire 8 The Waterloo Bucks exploded with an eight-run first inning to defeat the Eau Claire Express, 10-8. Ben Wilmes from the University of Iowa went 3-for-5 with a double, triple, and three RBIs. Lucas Moore from the University of Louisville went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a stolen base. Brennan Hudson from Georgia State University went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Marcus Heusohn from UIC went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Brady Blake from the University of Kansas added a solo homer. Jacob Phillips from Guilford College earned the win with five innings of one-run ball.
Madison 8, Wausau 7 The Madison Mallards edged out the Wausau Woodchucks, 8-7. Jake Munroe from John A. Logan College hit a two-run homer. Charlie Marion from Madison College went 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Val Cerna from Central Methodist University went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs. Brayden Smith from Iowa Western Community College went 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI. Mason Buss from Kansas State earned the win with five innings of one-run pitching.
Fond du Lac 11, Kalamazoo 2 The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders cruised past the Kalamazoo Growlers, 11-2, with a four-run ninth inning. Drew Barragan from Embry Riddle Aeronautical went 2-for-5 with a two-run single and a two-run homer. Parker Knoll from Lawrence University went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a stolen base. Drew Prosek from Gulf Coast State College went 2-for-5 with a double and a two-run homer. Tyler Stack from Xavier University added a solo homer. Justin Roitman from Ellsworth Community College earned the win with 4.2 innings of one-run ball.
Kokomo 11, Royal Oak 6 The Kokomo Jackrabbits pulled off a six-run eighth inning to defeat the Royal Oak Leprechauns, 11-6. Jack Anderson from Case Western Reserve University went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and a two-run single. J.J. Dutton from Indian Hills Community College hit a two-run homer and collected four RBIs. Bodee Wright from Montana State University Billings went 3-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs. Jack Dupuis from Olivet Nazarene University went 2-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI. Michael Lareau from Belmont University went 3-for-4 with a triple. Aiden Berggren from Shorter University earned the win with a scoreless inning.
Badlands 5, Minnesota 4 The Badlands Big Sticks edged out the Minnesota Mud Puppies, 5-4. Tyler Tobey from Metro State University of Denver went 1-for-3 with two runs. Evan Appelwick from Miami University Ohio went 2-for-3 with a double. Troy Berg from Iowa Central Community College went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases. Lincoln Berry from Minnesota State University Mankato hit a solo homer. Nick Ibrahim from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Brayden McCollough from San Jacinto College earned the win with a scoreless inning.
Mankato 19, Rochester 7 The Mankato MoonDogs crushed the Rochester Honkers, 19-7. Josh Alexander from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette hit a grand slam. Louis Magers from Minnesota State University Mankato went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer. Cooper Neville from Grand Canyon University went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer. Carter Vrabel from Tennessee Tech University was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Luca Dipaolo from USC went 2-for-4 with a solo homer. Tanner Shumski from Minnesota State University Mankato earned the win with four scoreless innings.
Minot 14, Bismarck 11 The Minot Hot Tots rallied with a six-run ninth inning to defeat the Bismarck Larks, 14-11. Lucas Pringle from Charleston Southern University went 1-for-2 with two RBIs. Trae Cassidy from Ohio University went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Tristan Moore from the University of Houston went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. C.J. Richmond from Western Michigan University went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Ayden Sauerbrei from Minot State University earned the win with two scoreless innings.
St. Cloud 11, Willmar 10 The St. Cloud Rox used a five-run fourth inning to defeat the Willmar Stingers, 11-10. Jackson Hauge from the University of Kansas hit a grand slam. Ben Hugdon from the University of Kentucky went 1-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs. Sawyer Smith from the University of Kansas hit a solo homer. Andrew Sojka from California State University Northridge went 3-for-5 with a double and two homers. Maximus Martin from Georgia State University went 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs. Sean Hogan from Ave Maria University earned the win with 1.1 innings of work.
