Walk-off HR sinks Cats in Rochester

Mike Lukkason knows how to end a game with flair.

The Rochester Honkers shortstop smacked a walk-off home run off Thunder Bay Border Cats reliever Tony Viger in the bottom of the 10th inning, propelling his side to a 4-3 Honkers home-field win on Friday night.

An inning earlier Trevor Podratz did the same to Cats reliever Jordan McCoy, spoiling Thunder Bay’s ninth-inning rally that saw them retake a 3-2 lead.

The Cats, with the loss, fell to 1-2 on the young season.

Scott Donley drove home the first run of the ninth for the Cats, plating Matt Jones with a single to right. Thunder Bay’s Kurtis McCallum tied the game three batters later, driving in Ryan Casillas from third on a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded.

Jones, who began the game as DH before finishing it behind the plate, in the first inning, singled home Brett Kay, who had stolen second base after reaching on a hit to left, for the game’s first run off Rochester starter Matt Kent.

But Kent settled in after the rough start, allowing just five hits and the one run in eight solid innings.

Blake Fonfara struck out three and surrendered just one run himself, but only lasted four innings before being replaced by Chad Richie in the fifth.

McCoy took over to start the seventh.

The Honkers and Cats hook up again in Rochester on Saturday night.