Brown delivers seven strong innings, Cats collect pair of wins

Two wins over the top team in the North Division has the Thunder Bay Border Cats thinking they just might be able to salvage the first half of their Northwoods League season.

Evan Mistich slammed a two-run, walk-off homer in the second extra inning to give the Cats a 3-1 win over the visiting St. Cloud River Bats, completing a game suspended Wednesday night due to rain. In the nightcap Ken Battiston broke out of  a season-long slump with a homerun and four RBI and hometown favourite Eric Brown went seven strong, leading Thunder Bay to an overpowering 8-3 triumph.

The Cats (10-11), pulled to within 2.5 games of Rochester, idled by rain on Thursday, knocking St. Cloud (12-10) out of top spot in the process and handing them a fourth straight defeat.

“Anytime you can take a series from any team that’s in first or second place you feel great. We’ve already got the series now, and then we’ll go in and play tomorrow carefree and hopefully get another game on first place,” Battiston said.

The best is yet to come from the Cats, he added.

“Most of us are trying get used to the wood bats, because we come from (an) aluminum (league). The sweet spot on the wood is a little smaller. But now that we’ve adjusted to that, we’re starting to roll.”

Battiston, who was hitting .186 heading into the contest, with one homerun and four RBI, said the Cats have been building toward success for quite some time, and have managed to put everything together this week.

As far as his own numbers, he’s just taking it one at bat at a time.

“The stats, you really can’t look at (them),” he said. “You’ve just got to keep plugging away and hit the ball and get your work in. As baseball says, they’re going to fall eventually.”

And fall they did – not just for Battiston – as they Cats pounded out 11 hits, including four for extra bases.

As good as Brown was in the second game, allowing just five hits and one run in seven innings, St. Cloud starter Nick Sutherland was equally shaky, getting in trouble in the first and finding more in the third.

Tyler Pryor drew a one-out walk. P.K. Kitamura followed with a single over the second baseman, and after a passed ball, the Cats had runners on the corners.

Ryan Court walked to load the bases and Mistich drove home the two lead runners with a loop shot over shortstop to give the home team, playing in front of 702 at Port Arthur Stadium, a 2-0 lead.

St. Cloud got one back in the top of the fourth on a routine ground out by Chaz Frank, but 2-1was as close as the River Bats would get.

After Brown (2-0) set down the side in the fifth, the Cats gave him some breathing room, scoring three times. Kitamura crossed the plate on a double by Court, who then stole third and came home on a throwing error by catcher Adam Weisenburger. Mistich walked and scored on a Battiston double.

A one-out walk and subsequent single by Court and Mistich set the stage for Battiston in the seventh, as the Cats took a commanding 8-1 lead.

It’s nice to see some runs being put up on the board, said Brown.

“Absolutely, the guys batted really well today and with run support, I’m never going to say no. It’s nice to see and the guys are playing good defence behind me. There were a couple of errors that were really tough, but they were early and we refocused and the guys played well.”

Brown, who pitches for the University of British Columbia, said it’s a good feeling pitching in front of his hometown crowd.

It also feels good to move up the standings and into sixth place, though only 2.5 games separates them from top spot.

“What we’re trying to do is take it one game at a time and get back into this,” Brown said. “Playing the No. 1 team here should give us a chance to take some games and get back into contention.”

Are the Cats a contender?

“Absolutely,” he said. “We got our first road wins under us, getting back here and getting on a roll is good for us.”

Reliever Jorge Rodriguez, put on the mound in a mop-up role, had a fourth straight poor showing, allowing two runs in the eighth on two hits, a walk and a hit by pitch. Brad Delatte shut the Bats down in order in the ninth to preserve the five-run victory.

Cat tracks: The Cats have released a trio of players from their roster. Pitcher Nate Kennedy, who was injured, catcher Brooklyn Foster and recently arrived Joel Stubbs, who was 0-for-6 in three appearances, have been let go.