BISMARCK, N.D. – The Thunder Bay Border Cats search for win No. 1 has stretched into day No. 3.
Cats starter Omar Maldonado only managed a single out on Wednesday night against the host Bismarck Larks, hammered for six runs – without giving up a single hit.
Maldonado walked two of the first three batters he faced and hit the third to set the stage for the Lark’s game-deciding rally.
A bases loaded walk to Matthew Warkentin plated the game’s first run. Kyle Stevens hit into a two-run fielder’s choice, aided by a Border Cats error, then Brandon Barna was hit with the bases full again, ending Maldonado’s night, down 4-0.
Tristan Hudson added another run on a sacrifice fly and Wyatt Ulrich singled home the final run of the inning o John Sakowski.
The Larks would go on to win 10-1.
Thunder Bay got its lone run in the sixth, Garret Saunders reaching on a hit by pitch and eventually scoring on an error by Ulrich, the Bismarck left-fielder.
Cruz Daddario survived into the eighth for the Larks, a three-hit, no-walk performance, and picked up th the win as Bismarck improved to 2-0.
The Cats fell to 0-2.
Jayden Metz was strong in relief for Thunder Bay, going 5.2 innings and only allowing three hits and a single run, striking out nine.
Canadian Alexander Nolan is expected to get the start on Thursday for the Border Cats when they travel to Willmar to take on the Stingers.
