THUNDER BAY, Ontario — The Rochester Honkers led by three runs after a half-inning of play Thursday night, but they couldn't hold that lead in a 7-6 Northwoods League college baseball loss to the Thunder Bay Border Cats.
Thunder Bay slowly chipped away at the Honkers' lead and won the game with two runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Shane Shepard hit a one-out solo home run for the Border Cats to tie the score 6-6. Joe Gellenbeck then reached on an error and scored one batter later when Mitch Bigras tripled off Honkers relief pitcher Stevie Ledesma.
Rochester's Alex Fitchett hit a two-run single in the top of the first that gave the Honkers a lead they held until Bigras' walk-off extra-base hit. Josh Davis — who went 3-for-4 in the game — added an RBI single for the Honkers in the first for a 3-0 lead.
Jackson Thoreson put the Honkers up 5-2 in the fifth inning with a two-run home run, and Joey Czarske added an RBI double in the same inning to make it 6-2.
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Thunder Bay pulled within 6-5 in the bottom of the sixth on a bases-loaded tripley by Michael Papierski.
Ledesma suffered the loss for Rochester, while Vinny Santarsiero earned the victory in relief for Thunder Bay.
Rochester (12-36 overall, 5-8 second half) play at Thunder Bay (5-8, 11-36) again tonight, at 6:05 p.m.
Border Cats 7, Honkers 6
Rochester#300#021#000#—#6#13#1
Thunder Bay#010#103#002#—#7#10#1
Rochester: Turner Buis 1-for-4; Ryan Fitzpatrick 1-for-2, 1 2B, 1 R; Joey Czarske 2-for-5, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI; Drew Ellis 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 R; Alex Fitchett 1-for-5, 2 RBI; Josh Davis 3-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI; Jackson Thoreson 2-for-5, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI; Keaton Weisz 2-for-5, 1 2B; Pitchers: Robert Paccione 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K; Brett Herber 1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB; Ricky Delgado 1 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB; Stevie Ledesma (LP) 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.
Thunder Bay: Michael Papierski 2-for-5, 3 RBI; Joe Gellenbeck 1-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI; Mitch Bigras 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI; Pitchers: Brandon Langan 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K; Seth Gill 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K; Angelo Spedafino 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K; Patrick Boyle 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 K; Vinny Santarsiero (WP) 1 1/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 K.
