THUNDER BAY -- Things are beginning to get better for the Thunder Bay Border Cats.
After battling the La Crosse Loggers for 10 innings in a game with six lead changes, Border Cats baserunner Evan Russell slid home safely to beat a throw home, earning the club's second-straight win in walk-off fashion.
The Border Cats record now sits at 8-21, and they've climbed out of last place in the Northern Division.
The opener of the Wednesday day-night doubleheader twisted and turned before reaching its final result.
In a season where home runs have been seldom at Port Arthur Stadium, a crowd of mostly elementary school students saw one come off the bat of Border Cats catcher Brady Gulakowski.
“I just sat on it and capitalized,” Gulakowski said.
The home run came in the fourth inning to give the Border Cats a 2-1 lead.
Cam Pearcey, playing in just his fifth game in a Thunder Bay uniform, twice drove home a run to knot the game.
In the seventh, he sawed off a double that grazed the the third base line. The ball caught the Loggers off-guard, and McConnell came in all the way from first base.
“He came back with something soft and I put a good swing on it,” said Pearcey.
The Border Cats would eventually take the lead in the bottom of the eighth after McConnell coaxed out a bases-loaded walk.
However, Cats reliever Andrew Gross couldn’t seal the deal in the ninth, walking two batters and hitting another. A sacrifice fly off the bat of La Crosse's Shane McGuire sent the contest into extra fames.
Despite the blown save, Gross sat down the Loggers in order in the 10th and instead was rewarded with a win.
McConnell bounced a one-out ball down the first-base line to give Evan Russell enough time to race home from third, beating the throw to slide in safe.
“I think these guys have shown it all year they’ve been pretty resilient,” Border Cats manager Mitch Feller said. “This is a young club that never wants to give up in these games… this one was a fun one to be in all around.”
Joey Cardamon will take the mound for the Cats tonight at 7:00 p.m. when they take on La Crosse in in the nightcap of the doubleheader.
