THUNDER BAY – Bombs away!
The Thunder Bay Border Cats turned to the long ball on Wednesday morning and rocketed their way past the Waterloo Bucks 10-6, snapping a three-game losing streak in completing the final six innings of Tuesday night’s contest that was halted by rain.
Zane Skansi made it happen in a hurry.
Up 1-0 and ahead 3-1 in the count to start the day, Skansi drilled the first pitch he saw over the wall in left-centre.
Two batters later, Cole Ketzner smashed another Brayden Gluth offering over the wall in right. By the time the inning was over the Cats led 6-0.
Not to be outdone, Lucs Terilli opened the fourth with a solo shot of his own.
The Border Cats sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning, scored three more times – all on bases loaded walks by reliever Andrew Dusablon – and opened a double-digit lead over the Bucks, who entered play on Tuesday night just a game behind the Border Cats (12-7) in the Great Plains East Division.
“It felt great, it was my first of the year,” said Terilli, a junior at Eastern New Mexico University.
“It was a big swing. I’ve been lining out a lot. It felt good.”
The pitching staff did its job and then some - at least until it was too little, too late for the Bucks.
Julian Parson tossed three innings of no-hit ball before the rain came, then gave way to Max Ramirez IV, who pitched 2.2 innings without giving up a hit, though he did give up a run when Lucas Moore belted a ball to left that tangled up Skansi. The ball went over his head and was ruled an error, allowing Christian Smith to trot home, the Bucks finally getting on the board.
The Bucks first hit didn’t come until there was one out in the seventh, southpaw Carter Wall on the mound for Thunder Bay.
Wall struggled over 2.1 innings of relief, allowing four runs on five hits and a pair of walks, but had enough in the tank to finish things off, further preserving the Border Cats bullpen, knowing they’ll be playing three games on Wednesday, thanks to the rainout and a schedule day/night doubleheader.
Border Cats manager J.M. Kelly said it was important to remember how to win.
“We’ve been playing well, we just let a couple slip away from us. It was nice to get back in the win column. It felt like it was a total performance all around. Max Ramirez came in and did a phenomenal job out of the bullpen, and those other guys.”
Thunder Bay moved a game-and-a-half in front of Duluth and La Crosse in the race for the first-half division title and a spot in the Northwoods League playoffs. The first half ends on July 2.
