THUNDER BAY – The Border Cats lost some pretty good arms when the first half of the Northwoods League came to a close.
Now it’s time for the newcomers and holdovers to come together to help the team win. So far this week, it’s been a bit of a struggle.
Coming off a game when they gave up 15 runs to the visiting Rochester Honkers, Border Cats starter Kyle Gearding could only hold the opposing hitters at bay for so long on Friday night, running into control problems in a four-run fourth innings that proved be the difference in Thunder Bay’s sixth straight loss, a 5-2 defeat in front of 974 fans at Port Arthur Stadium.
It’s bound to happen, when the likes of Kannon Carr, Caleb Bunch, Matthew Tippie, Peyton Fosher and Caden Fiveash depart the team, signed only to pitch in the first half.
The quintet combined for an 8-6 record and could be counted on to chew up quality innings.
The Border Cats, given their 0-4 start in the second half, have to find arms that can replicate that success in a hurry.
But it’s not yet time to push the panic button, said newcomer Daylan Pena, whose two-run, opposite field homer to right in the sixth inning plated the Border Cats only two runs of the night.
“We’re just coming out and having fun. We’re playing the game that we love. It’s going to happen. It’s baseball. I know we’re a little lacking on pitching right now. We don’t have too many arms, so that’s affected things a little the way we’re playing right now,” said Pena, a first-baseman from Texas State University who has 18 home runs in two seasons of college ball.
“We’re going to come back tomorrow. We’re going to play the game and we’re going to turn this around.”
Teammate Zane Skansi, who went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and was the first to cross the plate on Pena’s home run, said it’s too early to be too concerned at this point, with 32 games left to go.
“Yeah, we lost some arms, and it’s hurting us for sure right now, but I think when our guys step up and (play) and bigger role, the guys that are staying the whole summer, when they figure it out, we’ll be in a good spot,” Skansi said.
The fourth inning started out promising for Gearding, who retired the first batter he faced.
Back-to-back walks, however, brought Nico Regino to the plate and he hammered a Gearding offering, doubling to left to score Carson Stevens.
Another walk loaded the bases and Mattie Thomas replicated Regino, doubling instead to right to clear the bases, the Honkers taking a 4-0 lead they’d never relinquish.
The good news is the bullpen came through big time for the Border Cats. Cole Poiirier didn’t allow a hit over 3.2 innings, walking three and giving up a single unearned run. Thunder Bay’s Will Droll tossed two innings of no-hit, shutout ball and Michael Pirrello closed things out in the ninth, getting out of a two-baserunner jam.
The Cats bats simply weren’t up for the task in this one.
Pena gave them a chance in the sixth, closing the gap to three with his deep shot.
“I just saw the pitch, middle way, and put a good swing on it. Hopefully I continue to swing that way and we come out tomorrow and we keep winning,” Pena said.
Pena came to the plate as the tying run in the eighth, but struck out swinging against Honkers reliever Corbin Barker, who took over for starter Holden Garcia with one out in the sixth and Pena due up two batters in. Trey Lewis flew out to centre to end the threat.
The Cats and Honkers meet again on Saturday at 6:35 p.m.
