LA CROSSE, Wisc. – Savion Flowers delivered a walk-off grand slam on Thursday night to send the Thunder Bay Border Cats to their fifth loss in six outings.
It was an inning that started with plenty of promise for the visiting Cats.
Tied 7-7, reliever Jabe Schlehuber struck out the first two La Crosse Loggers he faced.
Then disaster struck.
He walked John Pearson and Carson Ohland, before giving way to Carson Priebe. Priebe walked Xander McLaurin and Flowers stepped up to the plate and pounded a 2-0 count over the wall in centre-field to deliver an improbable 11-7 triumph.
The Border Cats led 3-0 and 4-2 at various points of the contest, but a four-run seventh put the Loggers ahead 7-4. Thunder Bay stormed back with three in the eighth to tie the game at seven runs apiece.
Calvin Warrillow drove in a pair with a bases-loaded double in the third.
Calbe Watkins hit a lead-off home run off Jake Jakubowski to open the eighth, cutting La Crosse’s lead to 7-5 at the time.
Dylan Snead singled off the freshly inserted Jack Mount to score a second run in the eighth, and then, with the bases loaded, Mount plunked Tyrus Hall to even the game.
Eddie Peters had three RBIs for La Crosse, the first-half champions in the Great Plains East Division.
John McDonald got the start for Thunder Bay, going four innings while allowing two runs on three hits and four walks. Aaron England took the mound for La Crosse to start the game, surrendering four runs, just one of them earned, on five hits and four walks. He struck out eight.
Mount earned the win for the Loggers, improving to 2-0. The loss went to Schlehuber.
Thunder Bay (3-8) and La Crosse (6-5) tangle again on Friday.
The Border Cats return home on Saturday to face the Eau Claire Express (6-5).
