Adam Metivier (pictured), delivers a pitch Tuesday against the Eau Claire Express.

The Thunder Bay Border Cats had a big rally on Tuesday night, but the Eau Claire Express put away the game late and went on to a 12-5 win before 1,085 fans at Port Arthur Stadium. Thunder Bay suffered its fourth straight loss to fall to 15-16 in the second half standings and now trails first place Eau Claire (19-12), by four games in the Great Plains East Division with four games remaining in the regular season.

The Cats were down 5-0, but battled back to tie the game 5-5 with a pair of runs in the sixth inning and three more in the seventh. Sam Stem (Gonzaga University) narrowly missed a grand slam in the seventh, but had to settle for a long RBI single off the top of the right field fence, to make it 5-3. The Cats knotted the game after a run scoring single by Riley Iffrig (Indians State University) and an RBI groundout by Garrett Sloan (Bowling Green State University). However, the Cats bullpen couldn’t hold on as the Express scored seven runs over the final two innings to take the second game of the four-game series. Iffrig and Stem both collected three hits apiece on the night.

Adam Metiver (Piedmont University) started for Thunder Bay and gave up five runs on nine hits over six innings. Japanese righthander Koshiro Ohno (Tokyo International University) suffered the loss in relief in his season debut.

The Cats and Express meet again Wednesday at 6:35pm. It’s “Weenie Wednesday” with 2-for-1 hot dogs presented by Sysco Food Service. It’s also “Ladies Night” with the annual “Diamond Dig” presented by Vince Mirabelli – Re/Max First Choice Realty Limited. The first 250 ladies thru the gates will have a chance to come on the field after the game and dig for a pair of 14K white gold diamond studded earrings valued at $1000. Gates open at 5:30pm and the stadium ticket office opens at 10:00am.

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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’ 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.