THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay Border Cats are in must-win territory, after dropping a third straight decision to the front-running Eau Claire Express.
Monday’s 4-2 defeat dropped the Border Cats a full three games behind the front-running Express, who have won the first three games of their six-game, home-and-home series with Thunder Bay, the first two wins closing out their opponent’s gruelling 13-game road trip.
The Express did something no other Northwoods League team has been able to do so far this season – enter a mark into Thunder Bay right-hander Max Ramirez IV’s loss column.
Ramirez readily admitted he wasn’t sharp in the early going, a pair of walks and a double in the third eventually leading to a two Eau Claire runs, both coming on infield ground-outs.
“I couldn’t find my off-speed early on and I was just leaving my fastball over the plate and they were getting a hold of it,” said Ramirez, a red-shirt junior whose sterling record dropped to 6-1 with the loss.
“Once I figured that out, around the third or the fourth, it was after they had already scored a couple of runs. I locked it in and I was able to mix speeds and I put up some zeroes from then on.”
The trouble was, the mostly new-look Thunder Bay lineup wasn’t able to do much damage against Eau Claire southpaw Evan Esch.
Riley Iffrig got to him in the first, doubling home Peter Fusek with the game’s first run, but Esch then retired 12 of the next 13 Thunder Bay batters, getting a little help defensively when Nathanael Frederking was caught trying to steal second with two outs in the fifth.
The loss leaves the Border Cats with a tough hole to climb out of, but with three more against the Express (18-12), there’s still time to claw back into the playoff race.
Ramirez said the team can’t dwell on what might have been.
‘We’re just going to keep playing good baseball. We’re just enjoying our summer. I think if we can string together some good hits and good games, I think we can put up some Ws. But it’s going to be tough.”
Thunder Bay finally got something going in the seventh, with Esch still on the mound.
Iffrig singled and took second on Thomas Cooper’s ground out. Garrett Sloan followed with a walk, as did Garrett Harrison, loading the bases with two outs.
Ethan Thomas was brought in to quell the fire, but promptly threw a pitch into the dirt that rolled to the Port Arthur Stadium backstop, allowing Iffrig to cross the plate, the run cutting the Eau Claire lead to 3-2. The Express restored their two-run lead in the eighth.
Ramirez struck out Bennett McCollow to open the frame, then hit Jake Busson, sending the Thunder Bay pitcher to the showers.
With one out and two on, Coloton Wemhoff hit into a potential double play, but after retiring Tom Otto at second, Nathanael Frederking’s throw to first sailed wide, restoring Eau Claire’s two-run lead.
Thunder Bay got runners to first and second in the eighth, with reliever Ethan Thomas on the mound, but Thomas Cooper struck out swinging to kill the threat. Garrett Sloan opened the bottom of the ninth with a single and Long walked, but Express closer Carl Cano settled down, struck out pinch hitter Blake Imhoff and retired the next two batters to end the threat.
The Cats and Express meet again on Tuesday night at Port Arthur Stadium. Game time is 6:35 p.m. Attendance was 1,002 on Monday night.
