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Solid pitching Key to Border Cats ending 9-game slide

Erik Key tosses seven shutout innings to earn first win of 2018.
Brady Gulakowski
Rochester's Christian Robinson (left) is tagged out at home by Border Cats catcher Brady Gulakowski while pitcher Andy Key looks on on Sunday, June 17, 2018 at Port Arthur Stadium. (Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY – The long wait for a win is over.

The Thunder Bay Border Cats on Sunday backed seven strong innings from starter Erik Key with a solid day at the plate and in the field and ended the team’s nine-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Rochester Honkers at Port Arthur Stadium.

Key, who struggled in his earlier starts this season, finally put it all together, allowing just five hits, three walks and most importantly, no runs, to pick up his first win of 2018.

He’s just happy for his teammates, who have been in most of the games during the Border Cats slide, but could find a way to close things out.

“It’s amazing that we got it on Father’s Day too,” Key, a Texas native who struck out four in his fourth start of the summer.

Outfielder Ben McConnell, who had a pair of doubles and drove in a run, said losing nine in a row was starting to frustrate the team.

“Every day at the end the game we just kept our heads high, because it’s going to come eventually. Today it finally came and I feel like it’s going to release some pressure off us and we’ll start to have some fun out there,” said McConnell, hitting just .203 this season.

That’s precisely what manager Mitch Feller was thinking.

The losing streak wasn’t for lack of effort, but he’s glad it’s finally over, his team improving to 5-15 in first-half play.

“I think it’s more off their shoulders so they stop pressing,” he said. “I don’t play the game. They are the ones who go out and play every day. We’re just looking for an opportunity to try to succeed as best they can. So I think the weight off their shoulders is more than mine. I think it’s finally good to be done with the game, go to the locker room with a W in your column, instead of a loss.

“They played good enough in some games; we just haven’t come out with favourable results until today.”

Key got a boost in the opening inning, when Christian Robinson was gunned down at the plate trying to score on a Michael Michalak single, left-fielder Billy Cook firing a strike to catcher Brady Gulakowski to end the early threat.

The Border Cats jumped out in front 1-0 in the third, McConnell doubling home Connor Fabing, a pitcher forced to serve as the team’s designated hitter because of suspension to Evan Russell and the decision to release Ryan Drake.

They were unable to convert with runners on second and third and no one out, but doubled their lead in the fourth on a Nick Conti RBI groundout off Honkers starter Chad Tworek, who also lasted seven innings, allowing four runs on nine hits and a walk.

Thunder Bay got to Tworek again in the fifth, doubling their lead with a pair of runs, Gulakowski doubling home Cook. Gulakowski later scored on Brandon Trammell’s two-out single.

Rochester’s lone run came in the eighth, closer Andrew Gross surrendering hits to the first two batters he faced, which led to Casey Dunlap scoring on a Christian Robinson groundout.

Gross struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth to send the Cats back on the road with a win.

Thunder Bay enjoys a league-wide off day on Monday, then heads to Rochester for a rematch with the Honkers on Tuesday night.



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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