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Cats record most wins since 2008 but fall short of playoffs for seventh straight year

THUNDER BAY – In baseball there is often a narrow margin between winning and losing. A timely hit here or a big out there can make all the difference.
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Thunder Bay's Carter McEachern (9) is embraced by Border Cats teammates after leaving the field in his final Northwoods League game at Tbaytel Park on Sunday. (Matt Vis, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY – In baseball there is often a narrow margin between winning and losing.

A timely hit here or a big out there can make all the difference.

Too often this season the Thunder Bay Border Cats found themselves on the wrong side of that line.

The Border Cats closed the curtain on their 2015 campaign with a 6-1 victory over the Duluth Huskies, ending the season with a 33-38 record, which marks the organization’s highest win total since the 2008 championship season.

Before the season owner Brad Jorgenson and first-year manager Danny Benedetti were talking about the team returning to the postseason, or at least posting a winning record. While the results fell short it does not diminish the skipper’s pride in his group.

“I want to win the championship every year, that’s what we’re here for. Not winning it is a little bit of a disappointment but next year maybe we’ll get some guys back and some new guys in here and hopefully we can win a title for Thunder Bay,” he said after the last game.

“Sometimes it comes down to it just being baseball. One-run losses killed us this year and that is what it is. It comes down to winning ballgames. Winning or losing by one run isn’t the greatest feeling in the world, you’re always biting your nails and your palms are sweating.”

The Border Cats, who finished 6.5 games back of the Huskies for the overall record playoff spot in the North Division, were 7-15 in contests decided by one run. As Benedetti lamented, if the team had sported just a .500 record in those tight games the playoff race would have looked a lot different.

A 3-11 start to the second half further hurt the team’s chances at battling for a playoff spot. Thunder Bay finished the second half with a 16-20 mark.

After two seasons where the Border Cats had just 44 wins combined, Jorgenson said it was a much-needed boost for a continually competitive club to take the field each and every night.

“I still feel like this was a winning team. They represented themselves well on the field and I would say we had an incredibly successful season,” he said. “I don’t really remember one game we were really out of.”

While the Border Cats remained near the bottom of the league in attendance, the club had its highest average since 2012 at 759 fans per game. While it still trails many other teams, it is a sign of improvement.

The Border Cats were led offensively by Jared James, who closed the year with a .364 batting average leaving him second in the entire 18-team circuit. He also added five home runs and 30 runs batted in. He was named a postseason all-star.

James, who was drafted in the 30th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves, hopes to carry the momentum from this season into next year at Long Beach State University.

“I just wanted to work on my swing. My season at Long Beach wasn’t really good and I just wanted to come in and build on my confidence, get some-at bats and work on my swing,” he said.

“I really feel like I established myself back as a potential prospect for the draft. I really wanted to build up my stock and I feel like this season at least granted me the opportunity for next year’s draft.”

What makes up for the final record is the pride Benedetti takes in the accomplishments of his players. He listed the strong bat of James, shortstop Matt Batten’s fielding prowess and reliability of Greg Weissert as players who are all likely to claim postseason honours. Dan Rizzie, who arrived late, closed the season with a 24-game hitting streak which is the fourth longest in league history.

“The number one thing for us to do is develop these kids and figure what their weaknesses are and attack them,” he said. “It’s not about wins and losses. It’s also about getting them better for when they get back to school.”

Jorgenson said he hopes to bring the team back next season, though he won’t make that promise yet.





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