The Thunder Bay Border Cats returned home Wednesday and got back into the win column with a 6-3 victory over the Eau Claire Express before 803 fans on a rainy night at Port Arthur Stadium. The win moves the Border Cats back into sole possession of first place in the Great Plains East Division by one game over the Express with five games remaining in the first half of the Northwoods League schedule. Thunder Bay’s Jack Pineau (Creighton University) had his most impressive outing of the season in picking up his first win. The righthander pitched six shutout innings, allowing just three hits, and striking out four to even his record at 1-1. Caleb Bunch (Northwestern State University) fired two hitless innings, with three strikeouts, for his second save.
The Cats were leading 2-0 when they tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, with the big blow coming on a two-run double by Patrick Engskov (University of Oklahoma). Engskov had two hits and three runs batted in as Thunder Bay improved its record to 16-11. Travis Chestnut (Texas A&M University) again ignited the offence going 3-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored while Logan Johnstone (Washington State University) drove in two runs and scored once on a 2-for-3 night at the plate.
The Cats continue their six-game homestand on Thursday when they close out their two-game set with the Express at 6:35pm. Caden Fiveash (Northwestern State University) gets the start on the mound for Thunder Bay. The righthander has appeared in five games and is 1-1 with a 2.70 earned run average. It’s also “Thirsty Thursday” with $5.00 tall boys from Sleeping Giant Brewery.
(photo of Jack Pineau courtesy of James Mirabelli Photography)
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The Thunder Bay Border Cats 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’ 30th 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, over 325 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 World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). 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.bordercatsbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rockers as your favorite team.