Trey Fikes (pictured), homered and drove in two runs Sunday in Eau Claire against the Express.
The Thunder Bay Border Cats closed out their longest road trip in franchise history on Sunday with a 6-5 loss to the Eau Claire Express at Carson Park. Playing 13 straight games away home, the Cats went 4-9 and now stand at 15-14 in the second half standings, two games behind the first place Express atop the Great Plains East Division.
The Cats got off to a great start, jumping out to a 4-0 lead thanks to a solo home run in the first inning from Trey Fikes (Three Rivers College) and a three-run shot in the top of the second off the bat of Garrett Sloan (Bowling Green State University). But Thunder Bay couldn’t tack on any more runs to pad the lead, and the Express went up 6-4 by scoring three times in the last of the fifth inning. The Cats got one run back in the top of the ninth on a Fikes sacrifice fly, and had runners on first and second with one out, but stranded them both on base to end the game. Sloan, Thomas Cooper (Valparaiso University), and Sam Stem (Gonzaga University) all had two hits on the afternoon.
Ryan Vondracek (Crown College) pitched well in relief, but suffered his first loss of the season. The lefthander went five innings and allowed five hits and three runs, although only one run was earned.
The Cats finally return to Port Arthur Stadium on Monday night to open a six-game homestand to conclude the regular season. The Cats will face Eau Claire in the opener of a four-game series in a battle for first place with first pitch set for 6:35pm. NWL All Star Max Ramirez IV (Niagara University) is scheduled to take his 6-0 record to the mound for Thunder Bay. Monday is also “Team Photo Night” courtesy of Primary Foto Source as the first 250 fans thru the gates will receive a 2024 team picture. Fans can also use their Bogo Cards and receive two grandstand tickets for just $22. The stadium ticket office opens on game days at 10:00am.
###
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.