The Thunder Bay Border Cats returned from the All-Star break on Thursday and dropped a 5-4 decision to the Minnesota Mud Puppies before 975 fans at Port Arthur Stadium. The loss ended Thunder Bay’s three-game winning streak.
With the bases loaded in the ninth inning, Minnesota scored the winning run on a wild pitch. The Cats had tied the game 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth after newcomers Colton Allen (Texas A&M University-Kingsville) and Cade Marquardt (Briar Cliff University) completed a successful delayed double steal with runners at the corners.
Karson Krowka (Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi) led the Cats at the plate, going 2-for-5, with a pair of runs scored. Riely Hunsaker (Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi) got the start on the mound for Thunder Bay and went six innings. The righthander allowed four runs (three earned), on seven hits with seven strikeouts. Ryan Vondracek (Crown College) took the loss in relief to fall to 0-2.
The Border Cats continue their final six-game homestand Friday when they close out the two-game set with the Mud Puppies at 7:35pm. Evans Hendricks (Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi) is the scheduled starter for Thunder Bay. The lefthander has made seven starts this season and is 1-0 with a 3.73 earned run average. Friday’s game features post-game fireworks and it’s also “Fly Away Friday’s” as one lucky fan will win a trip for two anywhere Porter Airlines flies.
(photo of Karson Krowka 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.
