THUNDER BAY – Billy Cook’s been the Border Cats best hitter all season long.
He was at it again on Tuesday night.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth, Cook blasted a 1-2 pitch from La Crosse starter Grant Judkins deep over the wall in left field, the grand slam his second long-ball of 2018.
It broke open a 2-0 contest at the time and propelled Thunder Bay to a 6-2 win in front of 659 fans at Port Arthur Stadium, helping Cats starter Alex Nolan improve to 3-0 after a sparkling two-hit, shutout performance over seven innings.
First baseman Brady Gulakowski had a 3-for-4 night at the plate, scoring once on a passed ball in the second. Catcher Gunner Hellstrom followed with an RBI groundout to cap the two-run frame.
The Loggers (13-14) got their runs in the ninth off closer Andrew Gross, who gave up a two-run shot to Harrison Freed, his fourth of the season.
Nolan lowered his ERA to 2.08, second on the team behind Joey Cardaon’s 1.93.
The Cats (7-21) and Loggers will play a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday, the opener scheduled for 11 a.m.
Cat tracks: A glance at the Northwoods League rosters shows plenty of major league bloodlines in the summer circuit. Here’s just a few: Jake Randa, son of former Kansas City Royals third baseman Joe Randa, tops the league with 28 RBI for Madison. Teammate Tyler Plantier, who’s hitting .343, is the offspring of Phil Plantier, who spent parts of eight seasons in the majors during the 1990s, hitting 34 HRs for San Diego in 1993. Duluth’s Nicholas Sogard is a cousin of Milwaukee Brewers infielder Eric Sogard, and the nephew of former big leaugers Dave and Steve Sax. Meanwhile Rockford’s Jake Vander Wal is the son of ex-Montreal Expos outfielder John Vander Wal, who spent 14 years in the majors, belting 24 homers with Pittsburgh in 1994. Thunder Bay’s Brandon Trammell is the son of Bubba Trammell, who spent seven years in the majors with Detroit, Tampa Bay, both New York teams and the San Diego Padres.