THUNDER BAY – The Border Cats may be in the middle of a lengthy losing streak, but they also don’t show any quit.
After dropping six straight on the road, the Cats on Saturday night returned home to Port Arthur Stadium, looking to right ship.
Instead, they dropped a 15-9 decision to the Mankato MoonDogs, walking 13 batters and hitting one more in a game in which neither pitching staff had much control on the mound, the two sides combining for 25 walks and four hit batters, not to mention a total of 29 hits.
Unfortunately for the slumping Cats, the MoonDogs made a little more of their chances, the Cats hitting into a pair of bases-loaded double plays when the game was still in reach in the middle innings, stifling any thought of a successful comeback bid.
Pitching coach Nolan Atkins, filling in for manager J.M. Kelly who was away from the team for a previously planned occasion, said it’s been a rough patch for the team, but nothing they can’t overcome.
“Yeah, obviously it’s a little disappointing, the last couple of games. Guys are playing hard. They’ve done a really good job of not quitting. The pitching, we’ve got to pitch a little better to win games. The hitters are doing a good job. It’s just like everyone tells their kids – you’ve got to get back on the horse and do it again tomorrow.”
The MoonDogs pounced on Thunder Bay starter Jack Pineau in the first, hitting him hard, but were only able to come out of the inning with a 2-0 lead. Kai Roberts tripled to lead off the game, one of three hits Mankato managed in the innings.
The Border Cats took the start in stride, responding with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first, also sending eight men to the plate.
Travis Chestnut reached on a bunt single and stole second and third, two of his four stolen bases in the contest – giving him a league-best 29 on the season – and scored on a throwing error by Mankato catcher Ariel Armas.
Tyler Kehoe singled to score Patrick Engskov and Peter Fusek gave Thunder Bay the lead with a single to right that plated Ryder Hernandez.
The Border Cats chased MoonDogs starter Max Hansmann in the second, Engskov picking up an RBI single and Chestnut completing a delayed steal of home, giving the home side a 5-2 lead, to the delight of the 1,055 on hand.
Unfortunately, the same fate awaited Pineau in the third.
Three of the first four batters reached, though Pineau (L. 1-2) did record a pair of outs. It was the third that proved to be tricky.
James Agabedis III smacked a single to left that brought two men home and Asher Bradd followed with a two-run double to left to land two more, the MoonDogs taking a 6-5 lead they’d never relinquish.
Six more came across in the fourth with Canadian Jacob Gajic on the mound, keyed by Roberts’ bases-loaded (and bases-clearing) double that upped the Mankato lead to 12-5.
Roberts finished the night 3-for-6, with two doubles, a triple and four RBI.
“That was a couple of fun innings,” said Roberts, the third-leading hitter in the Northwoods League with a .356 batting average.
“We were coming off a game yesterday, a 1-0 game. We got four hits last night and I think we kind of came into this game with a chip on our shoulder and we were looking to see balls up and keep hammering them.”
Thunder Bay added two runs in the sixth to close the gap to 12-8, but the MoonDogs put it away with three in the eighth off reliever Ryan Vondracek, the fourth of six Thunder Bay pitchers on the night.
The Cats and MoonDogs wrap up their two-game set on Sunday. Game time is 1:35 p.m.
