THUNDER BAY – A ninth-inning meltdown against just about any team is troubling.
Against the red-hot Wausau Woodchucks, it’s downright disastrous.
The Thunder Bay Border Cats made two errors in the final inning on Saturday night, the two-out miscues leading to three unanswered runs that propelled the Woochucks to an improbable 5-3 loss in front of more than 1,000 fans at Port Arthur Stadium.
Closer Sean Heppner gave up a lead-off single to Christian Smith-Johnson to open the ninth. Smith-Johnson took second on a Deiten LaChance sacrifice bunt. Heppner struck out Logan Kreske for the second out, the Cats clinging to a 3-2 lead at the time.
Pinch-hitter Isaac Webb walked and then the trouble began.
Cats second baseman Cole Leclair made an error that let Smith-Johnson score the tying run. An error by third baseman Kyle Morrison, combine with a wild pitch from Heppner, allowed two more to score, giving Wausau a two-run lead.
Seth Clausen came on to close things out and struck out Zane Skansi, Morrison and Cole Ketnzner to end the game and hand the Border Cats their fourth loss in five games.
Wausau jumped in front early, scoring a pair against Thunder Bay starter Jack Pineau in the third on a Max Galvin single to right. Lucas Terilli singled in one run in the bottom of the third to cut the Woodchucks lead to 2-1, a score that stood until the seventh.
Reliever Slaide Naturman retired the first two Thunder Bay hitters but hit Terilli. Skansi singled and Morrison smacked an RBI double, tying the game 2-2
The Border Cats took their first lead of the night in the eighth. Brody Chrisman led off the inning with a single against Ian Hoslett. Chrisman was caught stealing before Ty Hamilton and Ty Brooks drew back-to-back walks. Trey Fikes singled and Hamilton eventually scored the go-ahead run on a dropped third strike.
Pineau, one of five Thunder Bay pitchers on the night, went four innings, allowing two runs on three hits and an equal number of walks. His Wausau counterpart, Clayton Burke, allowed one run on five hits and two walks. Both starters struck out five.
Heppner took the loss, with the win going to Hoslett.
The Cats (11-6) and Woodchucks (16-3) meet again on Sunday at Port Arthur Stadium at 1:35 p.m. Despite the defeat, Thunder Bay maintained its two-game lead in the Northwoods League’s Great Plains division after losses by Duluth, Waterloo and La Crosse, who all fell to 9-8 on Saturday.
