Border Cats earn first win of the season, knock off Willmar 11-7

WILLMAR, Minn. – Finally!

The Thunder Bay Border Cats on Thursday night avoided setting a Northwoods League futility mark, staving off a 16th straight loss to start the season with an 11-7 win over the host Willmar Stingers to improve to 1-15.

Robert Boselli had a huge night at the plate for the Cats, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI, while Shane Shepard collected three hits in five trips to the plate, also scoring three times. Gui Gingras and Johnny Juarez also drove in a pair of runs apiece for Thunder Bay, who entered play last in hitting and pitching in the Northwoods League.

Thunder Bay jumped out in front in the second, scoring three times on Willmar starter Corey Binger. They added three more in the third to go up 6-0.

But the Stingers roared back with three of their own in the bottom of the third to cut the Border Cats lead in half, starter Jordan Thompson surrendering the runs on a balk, a sacrifice fly and a single.

He’d leave after 4.1 innings of work, the Stingers cutting the lead to one in the fifth on a two-run Greg Lambert home run.

Joey Burris took over on the mound and shut the door with two quick outs, then tossed two more scoreless innings to get the Cats into the eighth.

Thunder Bay added single runs in the sixth and seventh, piling on three more in the ninth.

Willmar scored two runs off Border Cats reliever Vinny Santarsiero in the ninth, leaving runners on first and second when Willmar’s Billy Quirke grounded out to end the game.

The Stingers, who will host the Cats again on Friday, fell to 6-10.