Peter Fusek (pictured), who was in uniform for all 138 games over the past two seasons for the Border Cats, delivers a pitch Saturday against the Waterloo Bucks.
The Thunder Bay Border Cats dropped their season finale on Saturday, losing 15-8 to the Waterloo Bucks before a Fan Appreciation Night crowd of 1,135 at Port Arthur Stadium. The Cats finished the 2024 Northwoods League season over the .500 mark with a record of 36-35 and 19-17 at home.
The Cats had a 3-1 lead through three innings, but the Bucks erupted for five runs in the fourth and added six runs in the top of the sixth to complete the two-game sweep. Sam Stem (Gonzaga University) homered for the second straight night, giving him six for the season, and collected three hits to finish with a .324 batting average. The left fielder also scored three times. Riley Iffrig (Indiana State University) wound up with a .333 batting average after going 2-for-5 with two runs batted in and a run scored. Terrence Moody (St. Cloud Technical & CC) and Tripp Johns (State Fair Community College) both added two hits.
Peter Fusek (University of Wisconsin-Parkside) started for Thunder Bay and took the loss to fall to 3-1. The righthander pitched four innings and allowed four hits and six runs, although only one run was earned. Fusek was the iron man of the Border Cats as he was in uniform for all 138 games the team played over the past two years.
Earlier on Saturday, pitcher Max Ramirez IV (Niagara University) was named to the 2024 Northwoods League Postseason All-Star Team. The righthander was also selected to the NWL All-Star Game and pitched for the Great Plains Division at the mid-summer classic July 23 in Mankato. Ramirez IV finished second in the league in wins as he compiled a 6-1 record, with one save, and a stellar 1.93 earned run average in 13 appearances.
2025 Border Cats season tickets are now on sale:
Season Tickets – Thunder Bay Border Cats (northwoodsleague.com)
###
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.