HONKERS SQUEAK PAST BORDER CATS TO SPLIT 2-GAME SET

On a gorgeous afternoon at Port Arthur Stadium, it was Rochester Honkers taking a close battle with the Thunder Bay Border Cats 5-4. The Honkers broke a 3-3 deadlock in the 8th after Austin Schell got hit by a pitch with the bases juiced. Taylor Adams then added some insurance with a sac fly which scored Logan Denholm. The Cats battled back in the bottom half after Calen Schwabe drove in a run with a single but Billy Cook then flew out to end the threat. Thunder Bay had a golden opportunity to break it open in the 7th. Dylan Caplinger smacked a RBI double to tie the game at 3 and put runners on 2nd and 3rd with none out. However, Gunner Hellstrom grounded out and on the play Caplinger got caught up between 2nd and 3rd for the 2nd out of the inning. Brandon Bossard grounded out to end the inning and the game remained tied. Connor Centala hurled a quality start going 6 innings giving up just a pair of earned runs. Luke Malone got the loss after going an inning and 3rd and giving up 3 earned runs. Hellstrom got the scoring started in the 1st with a 2 RBI single, but Rochester answered in the 2nd to even it up. Joshua Ibarra got the win for the Honkers. The Border Cats now embark on a road trip through Waterloo and St. Cloud before returning home for the final weekend of the season next Saturday and Sunday. Your final chance to catch 2018 Border Cat baseball. Saturday is fireworks night with 1st pitch at 7:35 pm.

Major League Dreams Showcase will be held Tuesday night in Madison Wisconsin. The Border Cats will send 4 players to the event Cam Pearcey, Billy Cook, Brandon Trammell, and Omar Maldonado.

Photo by: James Mirabelli