Bats crush Cats 8-1, homestand ends on four-game losing streak

In the baseball equation, four runs in four games usually equals four losses.

The Thunder Bay Border Cats are mathematical proof.

The Cats latest defeat, their fourth in a row, came Saturday night at the hands of the St. Cloud River Bats (9-13), an 8-1 thrashing that plummeted the rapidly disintegrating Northwoods League squad squarely into the North Division basement.

Manager Mike Steed, whose team went 1-4 during a five-game home-stand and sits at 9-15 after 24 dates, said the Border Cats have nowhere to go but up from here.

It starts with five straight against division-leading Mankato, three on the road, then a pair back in Thunder Bay on Thursday and Friday.

“Absolutely,” Steed said. “We hold our own fate now. Mankato’s ahead of us and we know we can gain full games by beating them and that’s what we need to do is get on that roll and it’s a double bonus for us, a winning streak and we can gain ground.”

But for that to happen, things have to change on the field.

The second-year manager said he thought he had the team going in the right direction after Friday’s 5-2 defeat, and was at a loss for why the Cats came out so flat in front of 1,005 fans at Port Arthur Stadium.

“It stings even more today because I thought today before we had a great day of preparation. I was very encouraged by the way we came out and got our work done ... I thought from that tonight that we were going to come out and win this ballgame,” Steed said.

“Right now it’s a low point. It’s a little discouraging for myself. It’s mentally draining for the entire club, players and coaches. We need to just flush this week out of our system and hopefully tomorrow with the off day we can get rid of the week and just focus.”

It was encouraging for the first inning in the Border Cats dugout, with the team taking a 1-0 lead on Alex Guthrie’s single that scored Brett Kay from third.

But the River Bats got the run back in the second and took the lead for good in the third.

Andy Henkemeyer was doubled home by Mitchell Garver to give St. Cloud the lead, then Garver scored on a Carlos Lopez single.

Thunder Bay starter Tyler Mack (1-2), tossed 27 pitches in the inning, three short of the league maximum, and Steed knew he’d be going to the bullpen earlier than anticipated.

Mack made it through the fourth unscathed, but couldn’t escape the fifth.

Lopez and Bryan Haar hit one out singles, then executed a double steal, setting up a two-run single by 1B Jeremy Banks, the second run scoring when Kyle Mossbarger couldn’t hang on to the throw in a close play at the plate.

Cats reliever John Jeanes was hit hard too, lasting through the sixth and two more runs, the final offense of the ballgame.

River Bats starter Austen Wisroth picked six relatively strong innings, allowing eight hits and one run, striking out four and walking just two. Tim Verthein took over in the seventh and surrendered just two hits the rest of the way, picking up a save despite the lopsided score.

Cat Tracks: Starter Stefan Olson (0-1) has been shut down due to injury and won’t pitch again for the Cats in 2011 ... Thunder Bay reliever Donnie White has yet to allow a run in 11 innings this season, tied with Willmar’s Anthony Consiglio for the most innings without being scored upon ... Thunder Bay’s Ino Patron, who was 2-for-4 with a stolen base, is hitting .421 in the past seven days, an 8-for-19 hot streak. David Fallon is hitting a meagre .048 over that same span ... The Cats have just one win in their past eight games.