Local Sports

A four-run eighth helped the Thunder Bay Border Cats snap a four-game slide on Saturday night.

The celebration will have to wait a week.

Clinching a playoff berth, in the whole scheme of what the Thunder Bay Chill have planned this summer, is a minor necessity.

Baseball fans who have purchased a seat for the upcoming World Junior Baseball Championships can now go and see the seating available at Baseball Central. Crews have been working since last weekend to install bleachers at the venue.

Mike Steed must have seen something in Ryan Court. Locked into the four-hole is what has proved to be a mostly anemic offence, the Border Cats manager stuck with the Sleepy Hollow, Ill. native as he slumped his way through the first half.

Ilya Kovalchuk and Ryan Johnson aren’t usually mentioned in the same breath. The former is a freewheeling, goal-scoring machine who happens to be the toast of the NHL’s free agent world this summer.

What a difference a goal makes. Just ask Marc Staal.

The math is simple. Win half of their remaining games and the Thunder Bay Chill will be conference champions, earning the right to host the four-team first round playoff tournament.

A bit of wind and a wild pitch kept the Border Cats at the bottom of their division Thursday night.

Drew Erwin gave up runs in both extra innings and the Thunder Bay Border Cats lost their second straight game Wednesday night, falling 7-6 at the hands of the Alexandria Beetles.