A three-run seventh inning, followed by a go-ahead run in the eighth, gave the Thunder Bay Border Cats a comeback victory over the Eau Claire Express.
A sacrifice fly by Manny Alberto (Three Rivers Community College) that brought home Jeremy Sheffield, who reached on a leadoff double, held up as the game-winner in a 5-4 decision for the Border Cats at Port Arthur Stadium on Monday.
Thunder Bay went into the seventh-inning stretch trailing 4-1, but their bats ignited the rally in the bottom half of the inning.
Greg LaChance (University of Illinois) continued his hot streak, hitting a two-run single in the seventh that was followed by a run-scoring game-tying hit by Ty Hamilton (Florida SouthWestern State College) to knot the game headed into the eighth.
Hamilton, who went 2-4 on the night, was the Cwench Player of the Game for the Border Cats. Cwench is the official hydration partner of the Thunder Bay Border Cats.
Luke Zmolik (Ave Maria University) was credited with the win while Jackson Hohensee (Arizona Christian University) closed out the ninth for his third save of the season.
Thunder Bay starter Makaio Cisneros (Pensacola State College) turned in another strong performance on the mound, holding Eau Claire scoreless through five innings of work. Cisneros now sports a sparkling 0.69 earned run average through three starts this season.
With the win, the Border Cats claw back to .500 with a 7-7 record.
The Border Cats close out their two-game series against Eau Claire on Tuesday, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Ethan Froud (Pratt Community College) is the expected starting pitcher for Thunder Bay.
###
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.