The Willmar Stingers showed why they clinched the first half title in the Great Plains West Division on Friday as they rolled over the Thunder Bay Border Cats 21-2 before 1,025 fans on fireworks night at Port Arthur Stadium. Willmar broke open a scoreless game with a four run fourth inning and exploded for six runs in both the sixth and eighth innings. The Stingers had 16 hits and took advantage of 15 walks issued by Border Cats pitchers as they improved their record to 24-7. The Cats dropped to 16-13 and they now trail Eau Claire by one game for top spot in the Great Plains East Division with three games to play in the first half of the schedule. The Express beat the Huskies 6-5 in Duluth.
Peyton Fosher (University of Nevada) took the loss for Thunder Bay as he surrendered five hits and four runs over four innings. Patrick Engskov (University of Oklahoma) had a 2-for-3 night at the plate with a run scored. The Cats and Stingers continue their four-game series on Saturday afternoon at 1:35pm. Kannon Carr (Jefferson College) will come out of the bullpen to make his first start of the season for the Cats. Saturday is the Canada Day jersey auction presented by Impala Canada as the Cats players will be wearing special jerseys to be auctioned off in support of Special Olympics.
(photo of Trey Lewis courtesy of James Mirabelli Photography)
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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’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world 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, over 325 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 (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. 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 favorite team.
