Thunder Bay native Jack Pineau (pictured), struck out eight over seven innings in the Border Cats 9-1 triumph over the Duluth Huskies.
The Thunder Bay Border Cats took to the road on Friday and hammered the Duluth Huskies 9-1 at Wade Stadium to take a 2-1 lead in the season series for the Superior Cup. The win upped the Cats first place record to 9-2 atop the Great Plains East Division. Thunder Bay’s Jack Pineau (Creighton University) dominated on the mound as the righthander went seven innings, allowing just four hits and one run, while striking out eight for his first win of the season.
Leading 2-1, the Cats broke the game open with a four-run fourth inning as Cole Ketzner (University of South Alabama), delivered the big blow with a bases clearing double. The first baseman had two hits on the night to raise his team leading batting average to .429. Third baseman Kyle Morrison (Shelton State CC) was impressive in his debut as he went 2-for-5 and also drove in three runs. Lucas Terilli (Eastern New Mexico University) added three hits and three runs scored, while Zane Skansi (Creighton University) and Greg Lachance (University of Ilinois) both chipped in with two hits apiece.
The Cats and Huskies wrap up their two-game set in Duluth on Saturday at 7:35pm ET. Caleb Bunch (Northwestern State University), back with Thunder Bay for a second year, will make his first start of the season. The righthander pitched in nine games in 2023 and had a 4-1 record with two saves and a solid 1.84 earned run average.
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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. Entering its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 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 350 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 (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, 2021 and 2023 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and two-time All-MLB first team 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.