Cats back to .500

Cullen Mahoney knows how to make a good first impression.

The Thunder Bay Border Cats shortstop, making his Port Arthur Stadium debut Thursday night, singled home a pair of runs in the fifth inning as the Cats (8-8) cruised back to .500 with a 4-2 triumph over the visiting Willmar Stingers.

Mahoney, who joined the team in Duluth on the Cats most recent road trip, later left the game with a tweaked hamstring, but said it felt good to help deliver the win.

“That’s something we had trouble with on the last road trip, making the clutch hit or the clutch play. I was the guy tonight, but the team’s picking everyone up, so I think it’s going to be a big year.”

That’s music to manager Mike Steed’s ears, who said every win counts at this stage of the season, with the Cats 3.5 games back, trailing four teams and only 19 games to go before the first half crown is awarded.

“To come out after a long travel day and show a little bit of intensity throughout the game was a big plus for us,” said Steed, in his second year as the Border Cats skipper.

Another positive was the performance of the bullpen, which at times this year has been nothing short of disastrous.

Former Stinger Logan Birr started this one for the Cats, but was pulled with one out in the sixth after giving up three straight singles, including an RBI hit by Mitch Rowan that plated Eduardo Gonzalez and knotted the score at two runs apiece.

Alec Smith, the younger brother of former Cat Cameron Smith, got them out of the jam in the sixth, but after getting two quick outs in the seventh, walked the bases full.

Steed wasn’t taking any chances, and turned to Donnie White, the only pitcher on the squad who hasn’t allowed a run this season.

“Donnie’s been our guy all season, and we just wanted him for one out tonight. He’s been used a lot and he’s been successful every time out, so that was a plus for us,” Steed said.

Willmar opened the scoring in the first, when Jason Leblebijian smacked a sharp liner to left that Cats outfielder Ino Patron misjudged. The ball hopped over his head and rolled to the wall, the triple scoring Robert Elliott easily from second.

Thunder Bay was held in check through the fourth by Stingers starter Dan Russell, making his first start of 2011 after a pair of relief appearances.

Mahoney put the Cats ahead by one, then after Willmar tied it in the sixth on a Rowan single, Thunder Bay bounced back in their half of the inning. T.J. Bennett scored the eventual winner on an Evan Weibel single, then Ty Wosleger came home on a Patron one-out grounder.

"We really needed to go ahead because I thought our bullpen was really taxed yesterday," Steed said.

Lee Valencheck took over in the eighth, walking one batter and striking out three, including Gonzalez to end the game.

The performance earned Valencheck his first save of the campaign.

Cat tracks: Second-year catcher Will Thorp will not play with the Cats this season because of a hip flexor suffered in college. Thorp did not dress for the Cats in 2011 ... The Cats are hitting a dreadful .209 as a team this year, last in the Northwoods League. The pitchers, on the other hand, are third with a 3.16 ERA ... Attendance was just 521 ... The two teams will tangle again on Friday.