Danny Benedetti should get thrown out of games a little more often.
Benedetti, the first-year Thunder Bay Border Cats manager, was livid after the second-base umpire called Mankato’s David Metzger safe on a steal of second, when it appeared the tag had been made. It nearly cost them the ballgame.
A wild pitch and an RBI ground out by Paul Panaccione snapped a scoreless tie – the MoonDogs first run of the series and first in more than 25 innings against the Cats.
Still steaming when the Cats came to the plate, Benedetti asked for a second opinion on a checked swing and was instantly tossed, his choice words after the first encounter with the umpires coming back to haunt him.
His players responded, though it took them another inning to get the bats going, still trying to recover from Mankato starter Connor O’Brien’s seven-inning, three-hit gem, thrown in front of just 368 fans at Tbaytel Park at Port Arthur Stadium.
With one out in the ninth, Thunder Bay-born Carter McEachern notched his second single of the night to start the ball rolling.
Alan Baldwin walked on a full count and Joe Gellenbeck, in an early 0-2 hole, was hit by a pitch, bringing catcher Dan Rizzie to the plate to face southpaw reliever Austin Warner.
After digging a quick 0-2 deficit of his own, the Xavier University product laced a walk-off double to the wall in left field, McEachern and Baldwin coming home with the improbable tying and winning runs.
“He started me off with a fastball and came back with a curve ball. On the 0-2 I was just looking for something I could fight off or get out over the plate. I was sitting on a curveball and got a hanger and put a pretty good swing on it,” said Rizzie, doubling his RBI output to four in six appearances since joining the team.
As unlikely as the 2-1 win might have been, given the circumstances, it just goes to show the game’s not over until the final out is recorded.
“That’s baseball. You’ve just got to keep your head up and clear everything out and stay focused on the process and try to compete and compete and get it going. You can’t get every call in this game. That’s why it’s a very humbling game. But we ended up on top.”
O’Brien, who hasn’t allowed a run in 22.2 innings this season, was masterful in his first start of 2015.
But not to be outdone was Thunder Bay’s Kyle Von Ruden, who kept the Mankato bats at bay all night long, allowing just three hits and four walks in eight innings.
It was a second straight stellar start for the Cats starter, who said it was an intense game to pitch in.
“But fate was on our side at the end of it and coach Danny, he stuck up for us. He thought it was right, he stuck up for us and we pulled it out.”
Von Ruden found himself in trouble in the seventh, with runners on the corner and one out. But Mankato’s Hunter Mercado-Hood was caught stealing second and Von Ruden struck out Kevin Hall to end the threat.
Benedetti said the team is struggling a bit at the plate, scoring just five runs in the three-game sweep, but frustration has yet to set in.
“The guys are still battling, like you could see there in the ninth,” said Benedetti, who had to rely on word-of-mouth on how the team’s final at bat unfolded.
“Our guys just don’t seem to give in. It’s kind of funny,” he added.
Anthony Morris earned the victory and sits at 3-1. Thunder Bay improved to 2-0 in second-half play, the MoonDogs falling to 0-2.
The Border Cats host St. Cloud on Friday night.
