Border Cats lose 11th one-run game of the season

The one-run losses continue to mount for the last-place Thunder Bay Border Cats.

And it’s starting to sting, said Thunder Bay all-star third-baseman Carter McEachern, whose team fell to 4-11 this season in games decided by a single run, this one a 3-2 extra-inning defeat at the hands of the visiting Rochester Honkers.

“They’re definitely not fun, especially when we’re on the short end of the stick,” said McEachern, whose rapidly sinking squad lost a fourth straight decision to fall to 4-10 in second-half Northwoods League play.

“We’ve got to just tighten up, especially myself and other guys, especially late in the game, and get a bat on the ball and push that extra run across. Hopefully they don’t come back to bite us.”

Reliever Donnie Sellers, who was charged with the loss after giving up a leadoff double to William Paschal to open the 10th that came back to haunt him after a successful sacrifice bunt and an RBI single by Rochester right-fielder Matt Fielder, said he was at a loss for words at the lack of punch in the Border Cats lineup.

“They’re getting really frustrating. I can’t really speak to it, because I don’t hit, of what some of our hitters need to do. Our pitching’s been fine. I mean, two runs (allowed) should win a ballgame every time,” said Sellers, who gave up three hits over three innings of relief, taking over from starter Johnny York to start the eighth.

“Hopefully we just change our approach and do something different these next couple of games.”

It’s starting to get to manager Danny Benedetti too.

“It’s frustrating. There’s nothing really else to say. I’m sick of it. Hopefully they are too. I’m just tired of watching it, to be honest. We need to figure something out, get more runs, stop striking out so much. It’s pretty evident what’s the problem, “ Benedetti said.

“Johnny York has a pretty good outing and we can’t get him another run. We had a guy on third base with no outs in the first inning and we can’t score him. That’s pretty disheartening.”

After York gave up a run in the top of the first, Jared James led off the bottom of the inning with a single. He went to second and then third on a throwing error by Rochester pitcher Jayson Yano, but was stranded on a ground out and back-to-back strikeouts with Tyler Green and Joe Gellenbeck at the dish.

If there was one positive for the home side, playing in front of 734 fans at Tbaytel Park at Port Arthur Stadium, it was the end of a lengthy power drought.

James blasted a two-run shot over the wall in right in the fifth, Thunder Bay’s first home run since June 29, a 16-game span.

James was also the last Cats player to homer.

It was just the team’s 12th home run of the season.

Second-place Rochester (9-5) tied it in the sixth, Fieldler, who walked with one out, scoring on a Joe DeRoche-Duffin single, making a winner out of Ricky Delgado. 

The two teams will meet again on Wednesday.