The Thunder Bay Border Cats made their return to Port Arthur Stadium a winning one, prevailing 14-9 over the Rochester Honkers in their 2025 Northwoods League home opener in front of 1,369 fans on Wednesday.

The Border Cats gave the Thunder Bay crowd plenty to cheer for early, taking a 2-0 lead through two innings and expanding the margin to 7-0 after five innings.

The Border Cats bats were led by designated hitter Trae Cassidy (Ohio University), who went 5-for-5 at the dish and crossed the plate 5 times while also contributing 2 RBI. Leadoff batter Corey Morro (University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma) went 2-for-3 at the plate, collecting 3 RBI.

Right hander Makaio Cisneros (Pensacola State College) had a strong start, throwing 4 scoreless innings and striking out 7 in his Border Cats debut.

Reliever John McDonald (Creighton University) was credited with the win on the mound.

With the victory, Thunder Bay improves to 2-1 on the campaign.

The Border Cats and Honkers continue their four-game series Thursday night with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET.  It’s “Thirsty Thursday,” with Sleeping Giant Brewing Company’s RBI Lager tall cans available for $7. During the four-game homestand, there’s also fireworks following Friday’s game with the Honkers, which starts at 7:35 p.m.

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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’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history 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, nearly 2400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 380 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 (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford 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, two-time Silver Slugger 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.