Nathanael Frederking (pictured), jumps for a ball on a play at second base during Tuesday’s 7-6 win over the Rochester Honkers.

The Thunder Bay Border Cats moved into a first place tie with Rochester atop the Great Plains East Division after a thrilling come from behind 7-6 victory over the Honkers before an enthusiastic crowd of 804 at Port Arthur Stadium. The Cats are now 10-5 in the second half standings while the Honkers are 9-4. Thunder Bay also owns the best overall record in the division at 28-21.

The Cats were down 6-1 before they exploded for six runs in the fifth inning to take the opener of the two-game series. Keegan Garis (Indiana State University) delivered a two-run single and Sam Stem (Gonzaga University) added an RBI groundout to cut the Honkers lead to 6-4. Jackson Cooke (University of Tennessee at Martin) followed with a bloop two-out, two-run single to right field to tie the game 6-6, and then scored the winning run on an RBI triple by Ty Brooks (University of South Alabama). Cooke finished with three hits, two runs batted in, and two runs scored.

Nick Veselinovic (Niagara University) picked up his first win of the season in relief with a pair of scoreless innings, while striking out two. Tanner Vaughn (Fort Hays State University) turned in a gutsy and stellar performance out of the bullpen to notch his first save. The righthander fired 3 2/3 shutout innings with two strikeouts.

The Cats wrap up their six-game homestand on Wednesday at 6:35pm against Rochester in their final appearance at the stadium until August 5th. It’s “Bark In The Park Night” presented by Pet Valu as fans can bring their dogs to the game. The first 100 dogs thru the gates receive a free treat bag from Pet Valu. It’s also “Weenie Wednesday” with 2-for-1 hot dogs courtesy of Sysco Food Service, plus there’s free seat cushions courtesy of Tbaytel while supplies last. Gates open at 5:30pm and the stadium ticket office opens Wednesday at 10:00am.

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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.