THUNDER BAY – Sometimes you have to be lucky to be good.
The Thunder Bay Border Cats loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning on Tuesday night, playing in their first-half finale, and thanks to a couple of untimely errors by the Rochester Honkers defence, stole away a 2-1 victory to finish at 18-16.
Canadian Ty Hamilton stepped to the plate to face Drew Peters and hit a grounder to second baseman Brendan O’Sullivan, who fired home to gun down Ty Brooks and prevent the winning run from crossing the plate.
Catcher Augusto Mungarrietta tried to send the game to extra innings, but his throw to first, to complete what would have been an inning-ending 4-2-3 double play, sailed into right field, allowing Brayden Kuriger to race home from second to seal the win for Thunder Bay.
It was a wild finish, said Hamilton, who plans to remain with the team for the second half.
“The bats weren’t going early. They had a good pitcher on the mound and our guy was going too. (Caleb) Bunch was unreal tonight. We found a way to scratch (one) across, got to the bullpen, finally and got it done at the end,” Hamilton said.
“It was not exactly the prettiest win, but we’ll take it.”
Brooks said it’s the type of game players love.
“They’re a lot of fun. It was back-and-forth the whole game. Both pitchers threw well. We got the last crack at it and were able to come around and do it in the end.”
It was a pitchers’ duel from the very start.
Bunch, making his final start for the Border Cats, retired 15 of the first 16 batters he faced, but his Honkers counterpart, Gauge Lockhart, was equally up to the task, pulled with two outs in the eighth only because league rules dictate starters can’t face a new batter after they’ve thrown their 110th pitch.
Lockhart held the Cats to just five hits and gave up just three walks while not allowing a Thunder Bay baserunner to reach third before giving way to reliever Drew Peters.
The Cats had their chances, but couldn’t land the knockout punch they needed.
Brody Chrisman doubled to lead off the fourth, but was stranded at second.
The Border Cats had runners on first and second with one out in the seventh, but pinch hitter Brayden Kuriger, stepping in for No. 9 hitter Nathanael Frederking, grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
Bunch left after seven innings, a two-hit, nine-strikeout effort that appeared like it might have been wasted when the Honkers finally broke through in the top of the eighth against Tanner Vaughn, the second Thunder Bay pitcher of the night.
Vaughn quickly retired the first two Rochester hitters, but hit Ryan Tiger on an 0-2 count. A wild pitch landed Tiger on second and leadoff hitter Paul Schoenfeld then drove him home with a single to centre.
Peters struck out Lucas Terilli and Hamilton to start the eighth, but Cole Ketzner responded with a sharp single to centre.
Duncan Mathews walked, landing pinch runner Peter Fusek on second and Brody Chrisman singled on a 3-2 count to score Fusek with the game-tying run.
Max Ramirez IV took over in the ninth for the Border Cats and retired the side in order to preserve the 1-1 tie. He was credited with the win, improving to 4-0.
Thunder Bay finished the first half at 18-16, good for third in the Great Plains East. They’ll open the second half against the St. Cloud Rox at home on Wednesday night.
