The Border Cats and Bucks combined for 21 runs on Friday, but Thunder Bay came out the losing end of a 15-6 decision to Waterloo before a fireworks night crowd of 1,825 at Port Arthur Stadium. The Cats battled back to tie the game 6-6 through six innings, but the Bucks scored four times in the seventh, and five more times in the top of the ninth. The loss dropped Thunder Bay’s second half record to 17-17 and 35-33 overall on the season.
Sam Stem (Gonzaga University) hit his fifth home run of the year for the Cats, a two-run shot over the right field fence. Japanese righthander Kokoro Wada (Oxnard College) took the loss in relief.
The Cats and Bucks close out the 2024 season on Saturday at 6:35pm. Peter Fusek (University of Wisconsin-Parkside) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Thunder Bay. It’s “Fan Appreciation Night” presented by 91.5 CKPR with plenty of prizes and giveaways. The grand prize is a trip for two anywhere Porter Airlines flies. 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.