ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Thunder Bay Border Cats completed the series sweep of the Rochester Honkers with a 6-3 victory Wednesday night at Mayo Field.
Alito McBean got the start for Rochester and turned in one of his best performances of the summer despite being handed the loss.
The San Diego State left-hander ran into trouble early. After recording two quick outs in the opening inning, recent Thunder Bay addition Jaco Steinburg stepped to the plate for his first Northwoods League at-bat and lifted a solo home run just over the short porch in left field to give the Border Cats a 1-0 lead.
McBean responded by escaping the inning with the help of a 6-4-3 double play and quickly settled into a rhythm. Rochester’s offense was quiet through the first two innings before breaking through in the bottom of the third.
Nick Bowron started the rally with a leadoff walk after working a full-count at-bat. Mikey Brunetti followed with a single before Matt Maize drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly. Angel Santiago then delivered an RBI single to give the Honkers a 2-1 advantage.
Thunder Bay answered in the fifth. McBean opened the inning with back-to-back strikeouts, but Jesus Vasquez doubled into right field to put the tying run in scoring position. Nate Negre followed with an RBI single to even the score before the Border Cats added another run to reclaim the lead at 3-2.
Negre credited his approach at the plate for his success after finishing with two RBIs.
“I think just really, you know, not selling out to one pitch,” Negre said. “Just seeing whatever he throws me, and my approach was thinking right-center. He backed up the slider both times, and I just stayed on it through the middle. Good results on both swings.”
The Honkers answered in the bottom half of the inning. Bowron again reached with a leadoff walk before Piotr Pulubinski was hit by a pitch. Matt Maize battled through a quality plate appearance to load the bases, and Santiago lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to tie the game at 3-3.
Neither team scored in the sixth, sending McBean back to the mound in the seventh with 11 strikeouts already on the evening.
Thunder Bay took control in the final frame. Anticil opened the inning with a solo home run before McBean recorded a called third strike for the first out. The Border Cats then strung together timely hits to plate two more runs, taking a 6-3 lead they would not relinquish.
Following the game, Thunder Bay manager Joe Ellison discussed what has fueled his club’s offensive success.
“I mean, sticking to an approach and just executing as much as we can, and having team at-bats and extending innings,” Ellison said. “Again, just trying to play team baseball as best we can. I think that’s the adjustment that’s really helped our offense.”
The Honkers were held to just four hits and could not generate a late rally as Thunder Bay completed the three-game sweep.
Rochester returns to Mayo Field on Thursday for a doubleheader against the La Crosse Loggers, with first pitch scheduled for 12:05 p.m.
####
The Rochester Honkers 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. Now in its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world 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, 360 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 two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion and Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.rochesterhonkers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Honkers as your favorite team.
