Cole Ketzner is greeted at home plate following his first inning grand slam as the Border Cats rolled to a 14-1 victory over Duluth in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader.
The Thunder Bay Border Cats ended up with a split against the Duluth Huskies in their doubleheader Thursday before 725 fans on a chilly night at Port Arthur Stadium. The Cats thumped the Huskies 14-1 in the opener, but Duluth rebounded to win game two by a score of 9-4.
The Cats raced out to a 9-0 lead in game one, thanks to Cole Ketzner (University of South Alabama), who delivered a first inning grand slam, an opposite field homer that hit the light pole, between the bullpens in right field. The Cats added five more runs in the second inning to win the first game of the 12-game season series against the Huskies for the Superior Cup. Jacob Miller (Jefferson College) had a big night at the plate as he went 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Kansai Sugimoto (Yavapai CC) had another solid start on the mound for Thunder Bay. The Japanese righthander fired six innings of seven hit, one run ball, with nine strikeouts and no walks, for his first win of the season.
In the nightcap, the Huskies broke open a 4-4 tie with two runs in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth as the Cats suffered their first home loss, but they still sit atop the Great Plains East Division with an 8-2 record. Lucas Terilli (Eastern New Mexico University) had two hits in the loss while Shane Kearbey (University of Missouri- St. Louis suffered the defeat in relief.
The Cats and Huskies will travel down Highway 61 for another two-game series starting Friday night at Wade Stadium. Jack Pineau (Creighton University) is the scheduled starter for Thunder Bay with first pitch at 7:35pm ET. The Cats return home on Sunday to continue their six game series with the Huskies at 5:05pm ET.
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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.
