Border Cats Blast Honkers 15-7 After Early Offensive Explosion
ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Thunder Bay Border Cats came out swinging Friday night, jumped all over the Rochester Honkers early and rode a huge offensive start to a 15-7 win at Mayo Field.
Thunder Bay built a commanding 12-0 lead after three innings and never looked back, improving to 15-16 on the season. Rochester dropped to 17-14.
Hadley sets the tone with first-inning homer
Ayden Hadley of Sacramento State University got the party started in the top of the first, launching a three-run home run to put the Cats in front early.
From there, the bats stayed hot.
Thunder Bay piled on six more runs in the second inning and added three in the third, turning the game into a runaway before Rochester had much of a chance to settle in.
Hadley later added a sacrifice fly during a two-run ninth inning, finishing the night with four runs batted in.
Kean, Ralph and Smith fuel the offence
Alex Kean of Morehead State University also drove in four runs, doing damage without recording a base hit.
Owen Ralph of Lindenwood University was a nightmare for Rochester pitching, reaching base five times with an RBI single and four walks. Ralph also crossed the plate four times.
Dante Smith of North Dakota State University went 2-for-3 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored as the Cats kept traffic on the bases throughout the night.
Butt earns win, Hansen shuts the door
Kody Butt of Bellevue University worked through five innings to earn the victory and improve to 2-0.
The left-hander from St. John’s, N.L., struck out six while allowing seven runs on eight hits.
George Hansen of Oakland University took over from there and slammed the door. The southpaw from Superior, Wis., threw four shutout innings, allowing just one hit while striking out four to pick up his first save of the season.
Road trip wraps Saturday night
The Border Cats conclude their four-game road trip Saturday night in Rochester. First pitch is set for 7:35 p.m. ET.
Mason Kosowick of the University of Georgia is scheduled to make his first start of the 2026 season for Thunder Bay after the Bulldogs’ appearance at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
