The Border Cats continued their extended road trip on Thursday at Athletic Park in Wausau, Wisconsin.
The Thunder Bay Border Cats took down the best team in the Northwoods League on Thursday and also gained ground in the battle for first place in the Great Plains East Division. The Cats upended the Wausau Woodchucks 4-1 at Athletic Park and pulled to within one game of first place Duluth after the Huskies lost 8-6 to the Eau Claire Express. The win improved Thunder Bay’s second half record to 14-12, while the Woodchucks saw their best overall mark in the NWL fall to 44-16.
Trent Jordan (Arkansas State University-Mountain Home) and Kobe Allen (Westminster College) combined on a four-hitter as the Cats won for the second time in three nights on the final leg of their road trip, which consists of six games this week. Jordan fired 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball to even his record at 1-1. The righthander allowed just two hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Allen earned his first save as he gave up just two hits, including a solo homer in the last of the ninth, while striking out a pair over 2 1/3 innings.
The Cats took a 1-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a wild pitch and pushed across three runs in the second on an RBI single by newcomer Mike Maanum (Upper Iowa University) and then scored two unearned runs on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Sam Stem (Gonzaga University) to jump in front 4-0. Stem led the Cats at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a run batted in and one run scored, while Maddox McDonald (Trinity University) and Terrence Moody (St. Cloud Technical & Community College) added two hits apiece.
The two teams wrap up their two-game set Friday at 7:35pm ET. Mason Lemons (Arkansas State University-Mountain Home) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Cats.
###
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’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history 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, 360 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, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network. Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. 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 favourite team.