Turner Spoljaric (pictured), pitched six shutout innings as the Border Cats made it four straight wins on Monday in Duluth.
The Thunder Bay Border Cats won their fourth consecutive game and completed a two-game sweep of the Duluth Huskies with a 3-2 win on Monday night at Wade Stadium. The Cats remain in first place in the Great Plains East Division with a 5-1 record and improved to 23-17 overall on the season. Thunder Bay also leads the 12-game season series with Duluth 6-4 in the battle for the Superior Cup.
Turner Spoljaric (University of Oregon) was outstanding on the mound in his first start for Thunder Bay. The native Lisle, Ont., and son of former Major League pitcher and Toronto Blue Jay Paul Spoljaric, tossed six shutout innings, allowing three hits, while striking out five. The righthander departed with a 3-0 lead, but following a rain delay, the Huskies scored twice in the bottom of the seventh inning. Mason Lemons (Arkansas State University-Moutain Home) came on in the last of the ninth and got the final two outs for his first save.
The Cats opened the scoring in the second inning on an RBI single by Nathanael Frederking (Boston College) and scored a pair of runs in the fifth on an RBI double by Zane Skansi (Creighton University) and a sacrifice fly by Brody Chrisman (Purdue University). Frederking went 3-for-4 at the plate and also scored a run, while Chrisman and Ty Hamilton (Florida Southwestern State College) both collected two hits in the victory.
The Cats continue their six-game road trip on Tuesday in Waterloo, Iowa, against the Bucks at 7:35pm ET. Max Ramirez IV (Niagara University) will take his 4-0 record to the hill in the opener of the four-game series at Riverfront Stadium.
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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.