Thunder Bay, ON — June 9, 2025 – The temperature as the game started was on 16c. Then in the first inning it started to rain. Fans were chilled by the weather.
Cue the dramatics at Port Arthur Stadium! The Thunder Bay Border Cats pulled off a gutsy 5–4 win over the Eau Claire Express on a cool, rainy Monday night, thanks to a clutch eighth-inning rally that had the home crowd of 358 fans on their feet and roaring.
The showdown started as a pitching duel under the drizzle, with both teams locked in a scoreless battle through the first three innings. But in the fourth, the Border Cats scratched across the game’s first run, breaking the stalemate and drawing first blood.
Not to be outdone, Eau Claire swung back in the sixth, plating two runs and adding two more in the seventh to take a commanding 4–1 lead. It looked like the Express were ready to ride off with the win — but the Cats weren’t done yet.
Cue the comeback.
The Border Cats clawed their way back with a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh to tie things up 4–4. With momentum shifting, the game rolled into the eighth, and that’s when Thunder Bay pounced.
Enter: Jeremy Sheffield
The Georgetown standout sparked the inning with a laser double to right field, swiped third on a gutsy steal, and set the table for the heroics. After a strikeout from Lucas Johnson, it was Manny Alberto who stepped up and delivered — lifting a sacrifice fly to bring Sheffield home and push the Border Cats ahead 5–4.
Braxton Templin drew a walk to keep the pressure on, but the inning ended on a groundout. Still, the damage was done — Thunder Bay had the lead, and now it was up to the bullpen to slam the door.
L. Zmolik picked up the win in relief, moving to 1–0 on the season. Eau Claire’s J. Kirby took the loss, dropping to 0–1, while Thunder Bay closer J. Hohensee locked things down in the ninth for his second save of the year.
Stat line? Eau Claire outhit the Cats 9–6, but Thunder Bay played a flawless defensive game — zero errors — while the Express tripped themselves up with two.
Final: Thunder Bay 5, Eau Claire 4
Game Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes
Temperature: 61°F, raining
Attendance: 358
Next up, the Border Cats continue their home stand as they prepare to host the St. Cloud Rox later this week. With momentum building and the bats heating up, this Border Cats squad is starting to look like a team that knows how to grind — and win — in crunch time.
