THUNDER BAY – SPORTS – The Thunder Bay Border Cats moved into a first place tie with Rochester atop the Great Plains East Division after a thrilling come from behind 7-6 victory over the Honkers before an enthusiastic crowd of 804 at Port Arthur Stadium. The Cats are now 10-5 in the second half standings while the Honkers are 9-4. Thunder Bay also owns the best overall record in the division at 28-21.
The Cats were down 6-1 before they exploded for six runs in the fifth inning to take the opener of the two-game series. Keegan Garis (Indiana State University) delivered a two-run single and Sam Stem (Gonzaga University) added an RBI groundout to cut the Honkers lead to 6-4. Jackson Cooke (University of Tennessee at Martin) followed with a bloop two-out, two-run single to right field to tie the game 6-6, and then scored the winning run on an RBI triple by Ty Brooks (University of South Alabama). Cooke finished with three hits, two runs batted in, and two runs scored.
Nick Veselinovic (Niagara University) picked up his first win of the season in relief with a pair of scoreless innings, while striking out two. Tanner Vaughn (Fort Hays State University) turned in a gutsy and stellar performance out of the bullpen to notch his first save. The righthander fired 3 2/3 shutout innings with two strikeouts.
The Cats wrap up their six-game homestand on Wednesday at 6:35pm against Rochester in their final appearance at the stadium until August 5th. It’s “Bark In The Park Night” presented by Pet Valu as fans can bring their dogs to the game. The first 100 dogs thru the gates receive a free treat bag from Pet Valu.
It’s also “Weenie Wednesday” with 2-for-1 hot dogs courtesy of Sysco Food Service, plus there’s free seat cushions courtesy of Tbaytel while supplies last. Gates open at 5:30pm and the stadium ticket office opens Wednesday at 10:00am.
