THUNDER BAY – Sports – The Thunder Bay Border Cats successfully returned to their winning ways with a dramatic 4-3 victory over the Rochester Honkers in an extra-innings showdown. The game, held on Saturday, July 5, 2025, at Port Arthur Stadium, stretched into the 11th inning, concluding after two hours and forty-nine minutes.
The Border Cats started strong, scoring two runs early in the first inning and adding another in the third. They maintained this lead until the Honkers mounted a late-game surge, tying the score with three runs in the ninth inning. Thunder Bay ultimately secured the winning run in the 11th. Both teams demonstrated a balanced offensive effort, finishing the night with eight hits each.
Key offensive performances for the Border Cats included Jeremy Sheffield, who had an impressive outing with two doubles and a triple. Calvin Warrillow was a major contributor, tallying three runs batted in, a double, and a stolen base.
Dylan Snead also chipped in with an RBI and a stolen base, while Corey Morro added a double. Despite their offensive successes, the Border Cats committed three errors defensively.
For the Rochester Honkers, Tommy Eisenstat was a standout, hitting a home run and driving in two runs. Allan Camarillo also made his mark with a double, an RBI, and a stolen base. Joel Roberts and Payton Knowles each contributed two hits and a run to their team’s effort.
The Honkers committed one error during the contest.
The pitching battle saw Thunder Bay’s Braden Gluth deliver a dominant start, pitching six scoreless innings and allowing only one hit, while striking out six and walking three.
Will Humphrey followed with two more scoreless innings.
Peter Fusek then allowed three runs over two innings, before Carson Priebe entered and closed out the final inning, earning the win and improving his record to 1-1.
For Rochester, Patrick Fernandez started, giving up two runs in one inning. Brady Lejeune-Deacutis then pitched six innings, allowing just one run, and AJ Rasmussen added a scoreless inning of relief. The loss was attributed to Caden Klebba, whose record fell to 0-1 after allowing one unearned run over 2.2 innings.
A crowd of 662 fans at Port Arthur Stadium witnessed the intense “drama of competition,” a core element of sports that allows fans to deeply connect with the athletes’ performances.
The Cats return to Port Arthur Stadium for a Sunday afternoon game, first pitch will be at 1:35 PM.
