By Lance Jones

The Thunder Bay Border Cats hung around and hung around with the Eau Claire Express but could never find the lead. Twice the home team came back from three run deficits but at the third time of asking came up on the short end of a 9-7 loss in extra innings. Thunder Bay out hit the Express 13-12 but a key out in the tenth seemed to finally solve the Cats. Eau Claire has owned the Cats this season, having won all six matchups this season.

Ryan Windham (Creighton), making his first start in either college ball or this summer had a rough first two innings for the Cats. He threw a wild pitch that allowed Spencer Myers to score in the first.

The Express would keep the train rolling in the second. David LaManna (Notre Dame) smacked a double into the left-centre alley. Brock Burton (Grand Canyon) would bring him home on a single. And Burton would count on a pass ball charged to Joe Jimenez (Chapman University). This spotted the Express a 3-0 lead.

It looked like it might be a repeat of yesterday’s game all over again. Express Starter Tanner Kohlhepp (Tennessee) had a three run lead to work with. But Thunder Bay was not ready to go out like that. A two-out rally sparked some life into the game. Conor Allard (Nevada-Reno) parked a ball into the right-centre gap for a triple. On the play Spencer Myers (Notre Dame) would leave the game after a horrendous collision in meeting with his fellow outfielder Burton. Burton tried to pull up out of the play by sliding wide, but with Myers’ momentum carrying him, meant all of the impact of Burton’s slide ended up right on Myers’ forearm forcing him from the game. It is a big loss for the Express as Myers was expected to take part in the all-star game, and without further word on his condition, we in Border Cat land hope he is doing well. The Cats would rattle off four consecutive hits including Allard’s three bagger. Jakob Newton (Florida Tech) singled home Allard. Jimenez would take a 3-1 fastball into the gap that moved Newton to third. Nate Soriano came through with a solid swing to right to push across Newton to draw it to 3-2.

Windham’s start would end in the fourth. He started to get comfortable and cruised through the third and fourth inning with just 18 pitches issued. But he finished with four strikeouts and three runs on six hits and a walk. Windham would take a no decision thanks to the Cats sixth.

And in that inning Thunder Bay would tie it after Jake Engel (Dixie State) and Anthony Galati (Sacramento City College) got aboard on back-to-back base hits. Andrew Shebloski’s (Saint Mary’s-CA) single to right tied the game off Kohlhepp and got Windham off the hook for the loss.

The Express would try to make a winner out of Kohlhepp in the seventh though. Jordan Jackson (Nevada-Reno) in his third inning of work out of the pen was hit for a double by Connor Laspina (Flagler) (Myers’ replacement in centre) on the first pitch of the frame. Matt Bottcher (Illinois-Chicago) in a sacrifice bid got aboard beating a throw on the bunt to put two on. Jackson would walk the bases loaded. And then Jackson walked home the go ahead run, on what looked like strike two at the knees. DJ DePiero (Bradley University) came in and allowed back-to-back sacrifice fly balls from the bats of Vincent Martinez (Stanford) and LaManna gave the Express their second three run lead at 6-3. All the runs were charged to Jackson.

And once again the Cats would save a pitcher’s bacon, this time in the ninth. Jimenez battled through nine pitches and earned a free pass off of Brannon Jordan (Cowley CC) the closer. Jordan managed a strikeout before the Border Cats came through on back to back singles to left from Nick Seamons (Palomar College-CA) and Engel. With the bases loaded Galati hit a ground out on the infield to score Jimenez and leave the Cats down to their last out. Enter Ryne Edmondson (Houston Baptist). The Express had been able to neutralize the Cats RBI leader this season to the tune of keeping him 1-for-17 at the plate heading into this key spot. Edmondson was down to 1-2 before he spiked home a bases clearing double to tie the game and send the home crowd into bliss.

The bliss was short lived. The Express managed to score LaManna on a Cole Cabrera (Cal Poly) double to retake the lead. With Burton at third and Cabrera aboard the Cats elected to intentionally walk Laspina to try and set up a double play against the league leading hitter Bottcher. And the plan was solid as Aaron Kern (Minot State) had it in his hands and he got the ground ball he needed. Engel the first baseman allowed that ground ball through the wickets at first on a play he’d make 99.8% of the time and that scored two more to force the Cats to have to comeback with three of their own in the home half.

With the energy zapped out of the building the Express turned to Nick Herold in for the save. The Cats started with Shebloski at second. Allard was more or less pitched around on a walk. Thomas Grilli (Panola College-TX) who came in late as a defensive replaced came through with a double to left. It scored Shebloski but Allard trying to take the standard third was thrown out by Cabrera on a big out for Herold the closer. It seemed to kill the momentum as that would have meant Grilli was the tying run. A ground out and strikeout and the Express train was moving on.

The Express leave town 6-2 with the Great Plains East lead and Thunder Bay sits in the basement at 1-7. Jordan ended up with the win for Eau Claire pushing his record to 2-0. Herold scored his third save of the campaign. Kern sits at 1-3 after taking the loss.

Thunder Bay (15-28, 1-7) welcomes in the Duluth Huskies (17-27, 4-4) on Thursday night. Duluth are just ahead of Thunder Bay in the overall standings. The Superior Cup battle has seen the Huskies out to a 3-1 lead but there are still eight meetings left in the battle of Highway 61. It is Thirsty Thursdays with $5 Tall Boys from Sleeping Giant Brewing Company and Whiskey Jacks Night with Country 105.