Border Cats lash out 19 hits, crush Express to sweep season-opening series

They’re doing it with pitching. They’re doing it in the field. And the Thunder Bay Border Cats are most certainly getting it done at the plate.

The Cats, winners of just 23 games last summer, broke out in a big way on Wednesday afternoon at Tbaytel Park at Port Arthur Stadium, torching the visiting Eau Claire Express for 19 hits on their way to a convincing 12-3 victory and a 2-0 start to the Northwoods League season.

Kyle Comer had three hits and three driven in, Alan Baldwin collected four hits and scored three times and temporary second baseman Grant McKown added three more RBIs to the five runners he drove home on opening night to lead the way offensively.

How hot were the Cats’ bats?

The top six guys in the lineup – Jared James, Baldwin, Nate Steger, Mikael Mogues and McKown – combined to go 15-for-25 with 11 runs scored and 10 driven in.

“We’ve gotten a lot of production out of the top of the order, the middle of the order, everyone,” said Comer, who played with the Border Cats last season, but is only on a temporary contract in 2015.

“Everyone’s having good at bats, working counts, getting base hits, moving guys over. It’s just good offensive baseball right now.
Interim manager Lou Bernardi said it’s all about patience at the plate, the approach.

“We’re working at bats and we’re waiting for our pitch. We’re not swinging at the pitcher’s pitch. When that happens, and when you build a pitch count up, pitchers are forced to throw fastballs and they’re forced to throw to contact – and we’re not missing them right now.”

The Cats also got another great game from their bullpen, relievers Jack Mahon and Kyle Glover Jr. allowing just two hits and two walks in four innings of work, spelling starter Jeremy Charles, effective in five innings of six-hit, three-walk work.

“If you have success on the mound, and especially in the bullpen late in the game, it could be fun. It could be fun,” Bernardi said.

It wasn’t so fun for Eau Claire left-handed starter Emanuel Castelleno, who was chased in the fifth after giving up six runs on 10 hits.  He was replaced by Kale Latorre, who would go the rest of the way, surrendering six runs on nine hits and five walks.

The Cats struck first in the third, scoring twice before McKown got caught in a run-down, taking off after Comer struck out, the ball getting away from Express catcher Nathan Krause. With McKown in no-man’s land Baldwin broke for home from third, scoring easily when the throw to the plate was off the mark.

The Express, who were shut out on opening night, finally got on the board in the fifth, Austin Listi and Tyler Jones driving in runs on back-to-back hits off Charles.

But the Border Cats struck back with three more in the bottom half of the inning, Comer singling home Mogues and McKown for a 6-2 advantage.

Thunder Bay scored twice in each of the next three innings, the Express’ lone remaining score an unearned run credited to Mahon after a McKown miscue – his second in two days – allowed Tyler Jones to advance to third and score on a Brady Burzynski ground out.

“We did a really good job of keeping it clean, not making mistakes in the field and taking good at bats, making pitches when we needed to and getting guys coming out of the pen throwing strikes – eliminating the things that get you beat,” Baldwin said.

Attendance, buoyed by the annual school-day crowd, was 1,350.