THUNDER BAY, Ont.—It was another back and forth affair Friday night at Port Arthur Stadium in Thunder Bay, but a day after coming out on top of a close game, the Stingers fell 6-5 to the Border Cats.
Brady Anderson started on the mound for the Stingers (20-7) and was looking for his fourth win of the season, but for the first time this year he suffered a loss, giving up the most runs he has all year. Coming into the game, Anderson had a scoreless streak of 25 innings dating back to his first start and extended it two more with two shutout frames to begin the game. But he gave up two runs to Thunder Bay (13-19) in the third inning to double the amount of runs he had given up coming into the game.
But like Thursday night, the Stingers came back and this time it took just a half inning. In the top of the fourth, Willmar scratched across two runs. Brian Pruett led off the inning with single and went to second on Reagan Fowler’s groundout. Nick Rivera pushed Pruett across with a single back up the middle to cut the lead in half. Two more singles in the inning loaded the bases and Sean Beesley tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
The game stayed locked at two until the sixth inning when Thunder Bay tallied two runs that proved to be too much for the Stingers to overcome. Willmar responded with a run in the next half inning in the top of the seventh, but that was all it would get as the Border Cats’ lead stood at two.
Both teams traded one run apiece for each of the next four half innings, and one run was all the closer the Stingers could get. They attempted to rally in the top of the ninth inning, started by a Sean Beesley infield single and an error by Border Cats’ closer Lucas Scocchia that allowed Jack Ross to reach. But Beesley got tagged out trying to steal third, leaving only one on with one out. Ross eventually came into score but the Stingers left runners on second and third when Casey Hughston grounded out to end the game.
The Stingers return home to the Beehive to try to clinch the division title with two games against Rochester, Saturday and Sunday.
The 2014 season is presented by Charter. For more coverage of the Stingers visit the West Central Tribune’s website at www.wctrib.com.
Tonight’s Center for Diagnostic Imaging player of the game was Hutton Moyer. CDI is your local medical imaging provider. It’s your choice where you go for medical imaging, for MRI, CT, mammograms and pain injections, choose CDI. Visit online at myCDI.com/CentralMN.
