It was an ugly game on a beautiful day.
The Thunder Bay Border Cats gave up 24 runs on 29 hits, breaking the team record of 21 on 23 set in 2003, to the St. Cloud Rox in a 24-12 marathon day game that lasted more than three-and-a-half hours. Another team record was broken as they walked 13 times, a record that was previously set at 10 in 2004.
Another four batters were hit by pitch.
Cats’ manager Dan Holcomb said it was a tough loss, but the pitchers were throwing well and the offense was there. In a 70-game schedule these outings sometimes happen.
The 1,864 fans on hand didn’t seem to mind as the crowd of mostly students cheered and danced despite the score.
“You can’t yell at the guys, they played hard,” he said looking at a four-game road trip that starts in Rochester Friday night.
“There were some real positives today, I mean it’s hard to see with the scoreboard but there really were.”
The Rox started strong after two outs, scoring six in the first.
Up 1-0, a comebacker from Charlie Morgan bounced off the knee of Cats’ starting pitcher Clint Knoblauch to second baseman Dylan Becker. Becker made the throw but Kyle Duplantis’ foot was off the first base bag, scoring Adam Martin.
The hits kept coming and throwing errors from shortstop Joey Hawkins and Jason Vosler, two of six for the team Thursday, kicked off a game that would test the limits Port Arthur Stadium’s scoreboard and its scorekeeper.
St. Cloud would score in every inning but the fifth, a lone bright spot on the day for the Cats’ pitching.
Kyle Duplantis hit the game’s lone home run, a two-run shot to right field, in the bottom of the first to get the Cats on the board.
The Thunder Bay bats were silenced until the bottom of the fifth when Cory Kay was gifted first base with a wild throw courtesy of third baseman Blake Headley.
A single from Duplantis would cash in Kay. Vosler would later score on a single from Dylan Goodwin. They chipped away at the lead in every inning that but couldn’t get it close.
Clint Knoblauch took the loss for the Cats, giving up eight earned runs and 11 hits with no walks or strikeouts over two innings. Alex McRae’s five innings gets the win with three earned runs on five hits with four walks and two strikeouts.
The Border Cats are now 7-9 on the season, three games out of first in the North Division.
