The Thunder Bay Border Cats still have a chance to claim a playoff spot on Monday night at Port Arthur Stadium in the final game of their four-game series against the Willmar Stingers that will conclude the first half of the Northwoods League schedule. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm with Thunder Bay’s Jack Pineau (Creighton University) getting the start on the mound for the Border Cats.
On Sunday, the Cats lost a heartbreaker as the Stingers struck for two runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game and took advantage of the designated runner rule to push across the winning run in the top of the tenth to upend the Cats 3-2 before 850 fans at the stadium. Cole Ketzner (South Alabama) had two hits, including a two-run single in the bottom of the third inning for the home side, that held up until the Willmar rally.
Evans Hendricks (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) started for Thunder Bay and the southpaw struck out six over 4 1/3 shutout innings, while Matthew Tippie (Texas State University) pitched another 3 2/3 scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. The duo combined to limit the Stingers to just four hits. Caleb Bunch (Northwestern State University) was a tough luck loser as his record fell to 4-1.
The Border Cats (17-14), are one game behind Eau Claire (19-14), atop the Great Plains East Division after the Express lost 11-7 to the Rochester Honkers. A Thunder Bay win over Willmar on Monday combined with an Eau Claire loss at Rochester will give the Border Cats the first half division title and lock up a playoff spot when the postseason begins on August 13th. The stadium ticket office opens Monday morning at 10:00.
(photo of Travis Chestnut 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 Border Cats as your favorite team.