THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay Border Cats rebounded in a big way on Canada Day afternoon.
Playing a matinee affair against the top-ranked Willmar Stingers, a team that romped over them 21-2 the night before, the Cats scored four time in the eighth inning on Saturday and pulled out a 10-6 win to stay within a game of first place in the Northwoods League’s Great Plains East Division.
The win kept their dreams of clinching the division’s first-half playoff berth alive, with just two games left on their schedule before it resets to the second half. Eau Claire (19-13), which led the Border Cats (7-13) by a game heading into Saturday's play, downed Duluth 8-6 to maintain their one-game advantage. The loss eliminated Duluth from contention.
Thunder Bay will need to win at least one of their remaining two games to claim the first-half crown and an automatic playoff berth, but the Express control their own destiny and can clinch with wins on Sunday and Monday, regardless of what the Border Cats do against the Stingers (24-8), who have already claimed the Great Plains West first-half title.
All four runs the Cats scored in Saturday's eighth inning came with two out.
Tyler Griggs started the ball rolling, singling to right to score Cole Ketzner, who reached on a one-out single off Willmar reliever Tyler Bryan, breaking a 6-6 tie.
Jonah Sutton followed with a three-run shot to left that put the game away, making a winner out of reliever Caleb Bunch, who took over from Jacob Gajic with two outs in the seventh, the Stingers having scored three off the Canadian left-hander to erase a three-run Border Cats lead.
Tyler Kehoe also homered for Thunder Bay, who scored five in the first to take a 5-2 advantage and remained in front until Willmar tied it in the seventh.
Kannon Carr started for the Border Cats and lasted three-and-a-third, giving up three runs on four hits and four walks.
Will Whelan got the start for Willmar (24-8) and was gone before the first inning ended, giving up five runs on three hits and four walks.
Bryan took the loss, dropping to 2-2, which Bunch was the winner, improving to 4-0.
