ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The hot-hitting Thunder Bay Border Cats are human after all.
St. Cloud Rox starter Jake Burcham threw five innings of no-hit baseball on Wednesday night, powering his team to a 6-1 win over the Thunder Bay Border Cats, the loss putting a serious blow into the visitor’s chances a first-half title in the Great Plains East Division.
With the defeat the Border Cats slipped to 18-12, and sit three back of La Crosse with just five games to go in first-half play, which wraps up on Monday.
Burcham allowed just three walks and struck out three, lowering his ERA to 1.84 in picking up the win and improving to 4-1 on the season.
Lucas Johnson finally broke up the Rox’s no-hit bid in the seventh, leading off the frame with a triple to centre.
Jeremy Sheffield had Thunder Bay’s only other hit, a one-out single in the ninth.
Matt Sargeant got the start for the Border Cats, and gave up three runs, two of them earned, on two hits over three innings, walking four. John McDonald three four innings of relief, allowing the other three runs.
Parker Burgess came on an struck out the side in the eighth.
The Cats allowed just give hits on the night. Brady Ballinger was 1-for-2 with an RBI and two walks for St. Cloud.
The two teams wrap up their two-game set on Thursday in St. Cloud. Thunder Bay returns home on Friday to open a six-game home-stand, with the Mankato Moondogs slated for the first two games.
Monday’s first-half finale against Waterloo features a post-game Canada Day fireworks celebration, with a special game time start of 7:35 p.m.
