Cats roughed up on the road

The Thunder Bay Border Cats have to have hit rock bottom.

Because if it gets any worse than Saturday night’s shellacking at the hands of the hometown Mankato MoonDogs, it might be time to find another sport to play.

The shell-shocked Cats were pasted 27-5 in their 2013 road finale, the MoonDogs scoring 10 runs in the sixth and nine more in the seventh as manager Dan Holcomb turned to position players Brad Burcroff, Tyler Duplantis and Dylan Becker after starter Clint Knoblauch failed to escape the fourth and reliever Anthony Pastrana was lit up in a hurry.

It was the most runs an opponent has put up against the Border Cats this season, the third time the other team has crossed the 20-run threshold.

John Michael Twichell and Zack Zehner had career nights for Mankato, each driving in six runs. Twichell hit a pair of homeruns to take over the Northwoods League lead at 15, while Zehner blasted his fifth for the MoonDogs, who moved to within a game of Duluth in the overall standings, the key tiebreaker should first-half winner Waterloo take the North Division crown again.

Mankato starter and winner Zach Hobbs retired the first nine batters he faced before the Cats got on the board in the fourth when Duplantis doubled to score Tyler Stetson.

The Cats head home Sunday for a Subway Field date with the Rochester Honkers.