Tyrus Riley pitched three no-hit innings in the Border Cats season opening victory in Rochester.
Five pitchers combined on a two-hitter as The Thunder Bay Border Cats opened the 2024 Northwoods League season with a 6-1 win over the Rochester Honkers on Monday night at Mayo Field. Righthander Tyrus Riley (Fort Hays State University) got the start on the mound for the Cats and pitched three no-hit innings, striking out five. That was followed by Griffin Catto (Southern Illinois University) throwing two scoreless innings as the Whitby, Ont., reliever fanned three to pick up the victory. Cats pitching didn’t allow a base hit until there were two outs in the sixth inning when the Honkers produced their lone run. Peter Fusek (University of Wisconsin-Parkside) got the final six outs to nail down the win.
Thunder Bay jumped out to a 3-0 first inning lead thanks to RBI singles by Logan McIntyre (University of Missouri-St. Louis) and Trey Fikes (Three Rivers College), which was sandwiched by a bases loaded walk to Ty Hamilton (University of Utah). Greg LaChance (University of Illinois) led the Cats at the plate with three hits, two runs scored and a run batted in, while Jackson Cooke (University of Tennessee-Martin) had a double and knocked in two runs.
The Cats and Honkers play the final game of their two-game set Tuesday at 7:35pm ET.Righthander Andrew Hardin (Southwestern University) is the scheduled starter for Thunder Bay.
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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’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world 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, over 350 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, 2021 and 2023 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and two-time All-MLB first team 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 Rockers as your favorite team.
