THUNDER BAY – The return of Zane Skansi and Peter Fusek is paying early dividends for the Thunder Bay Border Cats.
Skansi enjoyed a 3-for-5 night on Tuesday, homering and riving in a pair to help lead the visiting Border Cats to a 5-3 win over the Rochester Honkers, completing a season-opening two-game sweep at Mayo Field.
Fusek, who entered the game to start the sixth inning, the Cats clinging to a one-run lead, tossed four strong innings of relief, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out three to preserve the win and pick up the save.
Leadoff hitter Lucas Terilli had two hits and a walk in five plate appearances, doubling and scoring twice. He also drove in a run.
Thunder Bay scored once in the top half of the first to grab the early lead, but Rochester got the run back in the second, Nico Defazio doubling home Cooper Schwindt with a blast to centre off Cats starter Andrew Hardin.
Skansi homered to lead off the third against Rochester stater Cooper Marshall (L, 0-1), and Thunder Bay added two more in the fourth.
Trey Fikes doubled to lead off the frame, took third on a Kenneth Sugi single to right and scored with Alex Urlaub at the dish. Jacob Miller later added the Cats fourth run, scoring on a Terilli single.
Up 4-1, Hardin found trouble in the fifth when Mattie Thomas homered with one aboard, cutting Thunder Bay’s lead to 4-3.
They’d get one of the runs back in the sixth, Skansi doubling in Terilli, who walked to open the inning, with reliever Aaron McCurley on the bump.
Fusek set down nine straight batters before hitting Ryan Tiger with one out in the ninth, then got Noah Rodriguez to fly out to right and Thomas, representing the winning run with two aboard, to fly out to deep centre to end the game.
The Border Cats (2-0) are the lone unbeaten team in the Northwoods League’s Great Plains East Division. Thunder Bay heads to LaCrosse on Wednesday for the first of two against the Loggers and will play their home opener on Friday against the Minnesota Mud Puppies.
Game time is 7:35 p.m. with fireworks to follow.
