LA CROSSE, Wisc. – The Thunder Bay Border Cats need to turn things around in a hurry.
The Cats on Saturday dropped their fourth straight game to open the second half of the Northwoods season, dropping 12-inning, 9-8 decision to the host La Cross Loggers at Copeland Park, their 0-4 mark burying them in last place in the Great Plains East.
The Loggers scored two in the eighth off Thunder Bay reliever Brendan Cindric to send the game to extra innings.
Cindric has a 16.20 earned run average in five appearances this season.
Jordan Jackson gave up the winning run in the 12th, Cody Jefferis coming home to score on a Tony Bullard single with the bases loaded.
Teams start with a runner on second base in each inning beyond the ninth, a new rule implemented in 2019.
It was a back-and-forth battle most of the night.
The Cats opened with a run in the first on a double steal attempt, Jake Engel crossing the plate as Anthony Galati was tossed out at second.
Thunder Bay regained the lead in the third on a Ryne Edmondson RBI single and again in the sixth to go up 4-3.
La Crosse then lit up reliever Logan Reid, who took over from starter Matt Anderson after five, for three runs on four hits in just two-thirds of an inning to take a 6-4 lead.
Thunder Bay bounced back with four in the seventh, Edmondson singling home Galati and scoring on Conor Allard’s ground-rule double. A balk sent him to third and he scored on a Joe Jimenez single, the Border Cats taking an 8-6 lead.
Jon Meyerring started for La Crosse (3-1), lasting into the sixth. He gave up four runs on six hits, striking out one and walking three.
Reliever Steve Bowley earned the win, tossing a perfect 12th. Jackson took the loss, falling to 0-1. Thunder Bay (0-4) heads to Rochester on Sunday afternoon. They return to Port Arthur Stadium on Tuesday to face the Eau Claire Express (3-1).
