{"id":17403,"date":"2026-07-21T22:40:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T03:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/rochester-honkers\/?p=17403"},"modified":"2026-07-21T22:40:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T03:40:37","slug":"thunder-bays-power-surge-lifts-border-cats-past-honkers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/rochester-honkers\/2026\/07\/21\/thunder-bays-power-surge-lifts-border-cats-past-honkers\/","title":{"rendered":"Thunder Bay’s Power Surge Lifts Border Cats Past Honkers"},"content":{"rendered":"

ROCHESTER, Minn.<\/strong> \u2014 Thunder Bay relied on the long ball Tuesday night, hitting three home runs to defeat the Rochester Honkers 5-2 in the opener of a two-game series at Mayo Field. The victory marked the Border Cats’ first game since July 13 after an extended break caused by the wildfires in Canada.<\/p>\n

Owen Meyers made his fourth start of the season for Rochester and kept the Honkers in the game with another steady outing.<\/p>\n

Thunder Bay starter Connor Romine received the ball from manager Joe Ellison but lasted just 1.1 innings. After escaping a first-inning jam with runners on the corners and one out thanks to Seth Thompson grounding into an inning-ending double play, Romine surrendered a leadoff solo home run to Jacob Neutz in the second inning. Braden Gluth entered in relief and stranded the inning.<\/p>\n

Meyers cruised through the first three innings while Rochester added another run in the third. Mikey Brunetti, batting out of the bottom of the order, launched a leadoff solo home run to left field to extend the Honkers’ lead to 2-0.<\/p>\n

Thunder Bay’s offense was quiet through the first three innings before coming alive in the fourth. Cleanup hitter Alex Kean opened the inning with a single, and with two outs, Colin Fisher tied the game with a towering two-run home run to left.<\/p>\n

Meyers made few mistakes throughout the night, but Fisher capitalized on a hanging breaking ball to even the score.<\/p>\n

“Yeah, he just gave me a breaking ball up,” Fisher said. “It didn’t break much, and I just stayed through the middle with it and was simple with it. Luckily, I got some barrel on it.”<\/p>\n

After Rochester’s early power display, both offenses cooled off as the bullpens settled in. Ethan Froud was especially effective for Thunder Bay, tossing three scoreless innings while striking out three.<\/p>\n

Border Cats manager Joe Ellison praised his bullpen’s effort after the game.<\/p>\n

“Ethan was very good, you know, for the most part,” Ellison said. “He located his fastball. His breaking ball wasn’t quite where he probably wanted it to be, but he competed, and then everybody after that did their part.”<\/p>\n

With the game tied entering the seventh, Thunder Bay broke through again. Jesus Vasquez doubled to lead off the inning from the No. 9 spot, bringing the top of the order to the plate. Nate Negre followed by driving a two-run home run to left field, giving the Border Cats a 4-2 advantage.<\/p>\n

The blast ended Meyers’ night, and Vaughn Johnson finished the inning, but Rochester’s offense was unable to answer.<\/p>\n

Thunder Bay added an insurance run in the eighth when Colin Fisher doubled home Mark Ross from first, extending the lead to 5-2. John Creviston made his first appearance of the series and retired the Border Cats the rest of the way, but the Honkers’ offense could not mount a comeback.<\/p>\n

The loss drops Rochester three games behind first place in the Great Plains East standings. The Honkers and Border Cats will wrap up the series Wednesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at Mayo Field.<\/p>\n

####<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u2019 32nd<\/sup>\u00a0season, 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 \u00a0and 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\u00a0<\/em>watchnwl.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and on ESPN+. For more information, visit\u00a0<\/em>www.rochesterhonkers.com<\/a><\/em>\u00a0or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Honkers as your favorite team.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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