Ashton Long (pictured), homered and drove in four runs in the Border Cats win over a the Eau Claire Express on Wednesday.

The Thunder Bay Border Cats snapped a four-game losing skid on Wednesday night with an 8-6 victory over the Eau Claire Express before 957 fans at Port Arthur Stadium. The win improved Thunder Bay’s second half record to 16-16 and 34-32 overall for the season with three games remaining. The Express are now tied with Duluth for top spot in the Great Plains East Division with both teams at 19-13.

The Cats jumped out to an early lead, scoring four times in the second inning, and they added a single run in the third on a solo home run off the bat of Ashton Long (Crown College) his first of the season. Leading 5-3, the home side added three big insurance runs in the seventh with Long delivering a two-run single. The third baseman finished with two hits and four runs batted in. Nathanael Frederking (Boston College) and Thomas Cooper (Valparaiso University) both had two hits and knocked in a pair of runs on the night. Sam Stem (Gonzaga University) went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored to raise his average to .313 and Terrence Moody (St. Cloud Technical & CC) added a couple of hits, including a double, with one walk, and a run scored.

Parker Burgess (University of Illinois) started for the Cats as an opener, as he was on a pitch count, and the Canadian righthander dominated the Express. Burgess fired three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, with no walks, and seven strikeouts. Trent Jordan (Arkansas State University-Mountain Home) came on in relief and got the win to improve to 2-1. The righthander pitched four innings and allowed three runs on six hits. After the Express scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to make it 8-6, Kyle Burns (Viterbo University) got the final three outs in the ninth for his first save.

The Cats and Express conclude their four-game series on Thursday at 6:35pm. Righthander Mason Lemons (Arkansas State University-Mountain Home) will get the start on the mound for Thunder Bay. It’s “Thirsty Thursday” with $7.00 Border Cats RBI Lager Tall Boys from Sleeping Giant Brewery. It’s also “Scotties Tournament of Hearts Night” as there will be a pair of draws for free passes to the Canadian Women’s Curling Championship, which is set for the Fort William Gardens February 14-23. Members of Thunder Bay’s Krista McCarville rink will also be in attendance. The Border Cats then close out their season with a two-game set against the Waterloo Bucks. Friday is the final fireworks show of the year with a special start time of 7:35pm and Saturday’s finale is scheduled at 6:35pm. The stadium ticket office opens on game days 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. Now in its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history 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, 360 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, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network. Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. 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 favourite team.