The Thunder Bay Border Cats opened their final home series of the regular season on Wednesday with a 12-6 win over the Rochester Honkers before 1,479 fans at Port Arthur Stadium.
Trailing 2-0, the Cats erupted for six runs in the bottom of the second inning, all coming with two outs, to take a 6-2 lead and the home side added three more runs in the fifth inning and another trio of runs in the eighth. Bennett Crafton (Bradley University) extended his hitting streak to 16 games as the centre fielder went 2-for-4 with a two-run single, while also scoring twice to raise his batting average to .343. Stevie Waters (University of British Columbia) had a hit and collected four runs batted in, while Ayden Hadley (Northwest Missouri State University) recorded three hits with a double, one RBI, and two runs scored. Alex Kean (UNC at Asheville) had a 2-for-5 night at plate with a double, a run scored, and a pair of RBI.
Tyler Bribiescas (University of Arkansas-Monticello) made his final start for the Border Cats a memorable one. The senior lefthander improved his record to 6-4 as he pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing five runs, with nine strikeouts. Jacob Steinberg (Belmont Abbey College) got the final seven outs, including three by strikeout, to close out the win.
The Border Cats play their final home game on Thursday against the Honkers at 7:05pm. Braden Gluth (North Dakota State University) will get the start for the Cats on Fan Appreciation Night presented by Wolseley Canada Inc.