La Crosse, WI. — The La Crosse Loggers defeated the Thunder Bay Border Cats 7-4 in front of 1,736 fans at Copeland Park on Thursday night.

Starter Sahil Patel (Ohio State) was sharp from the jump, striking out the first three batters he faced in a scoreless first. The Border Cats broke through first with a two-out rally in the 2nd, but Joey Senstock (Nebraska) answered with an RBI in the bottom of the 3rd to tie it for La Crosse. Max Burt (Iowa) then gave the Loggers their first lead with a solo moonshot to left for his first home run of the season.

Thunder Bay reclaimed the lead in the 7th, using a walk and several hits to put up three runs. Eli Small (Florida Atlantic) responded immediately with a leadoff home run to open the bottom of the frame, cutting the deficit to one heading into the 8th. After Tanner Thomas (Louisville) retired the side in order, the Loggers batted around and plated four runs to take a 7-4 lead. Thomas went back out and closed it with another 1-2-3 inning in the 9th, completing the comeback.

Patel tossed four strong innings in his Loggers debut, allowing just one run while striking out seven. Senstock and Tracen Cameron (Florida International) led the team with two RBIs apiece, while Small and Burt each contributed solo home runs. Thomas earned the win in his second appearance of the season, throwing 2.1 hitless, walkless innings with two strikeouts.

Despite stranding 17 runners, the Loggers showcased elite on-base ability , collecting 10 hits, drawing 7 walks, and being hit by pitches four times, while also benefiting from several Thunder Bay errors. La Crosse remains the only undefeated team in the Northwoods League under first-year field manager Justin Ramsey.

The Loggers head to Duluth tomorrow for a 6:35 p.m. matchup against the Huskies. Donovan Becerra (Texas Tech) is set to make his Northwoods League debut on the mound.