Scott Donley homered and went 3-for-5 at the plate in his Northwoods League debut, but the Thunder Bay Border Cats fell way short on Day 1 of their 10th season.
Ben Moore drove in three runs Wednesday night and the Alexandria Beetles roughed up a trio of Cats starters, taking the opening day contest 12-3 at home.
Coley Bruns, on a temporary contract with the Cats, lasted just four innings on the mound, surrendering six runs, five of them earned, battling control problems throughout his appearance, which marked the debut of new Thunder Bay manager Andy Judkins.
Bruns walked five and tossed a pair of wild pitches, staking the Beetles to a 2-0 lead in the first, an advantage they’d never look back from.
Moore did the damage in the first, driving home Will Fulmer with the season’s first run, a play that saw Johnny Tolson come home on an error charged to Cats 1B Ryan Casillas.
Bruns set the Beetles down in order in the second, after Donley’s solo blast cut the Alexandria lead in half, but was torched for three more runs on four hits in the third as the home side began to pull away.
Moore doubled to score Fulmer a second time, then with the bases loaded Josh Carpenter plated Moore and David Borchardt with a single to left.
The Cats got out of the inning when Dylan Raper was set down swinging.
Fulmer scored a third time in the fourth, reaching when he was hit by a pitch, ultimately stealing home for a 6-1 Alexandria lead.
The Cats got two back in the top of the fifth when Donley, also signed to a temporary contract to start the season, hit an infield single that brought Matt Jones around to score from third. Casillas then scored on a Jordan McCoy single to left, but Thunder Bay gave the runs right back – plus two more – in the bottom half of the inning.
Chad Richie replaced Bruns to start the fifth and promptly walked the first batter he faced. With one out he hit Jared Musgrove and the runners advanced 90 feet apiece on a wild pitch.
Raper then doubled to score them both, putting the Beetles up 9-2. Raper later scored on a Fulmer double.
David Garcia made it 12-2 in the seventh, doubling off Richie to score two more.
Cats reliever Thomas Rogers came on to mop up his predecessors’ mess in the eighth, giving up two hits, but no runs, in an inning of work.
Michael Reed (1-0) lasted four innings, giving up one run on five hits to earn the win for the Cats. Bruns (0-1) was tagged with the loss.
The two teams will go at it again on Thursday night at Knute Nelson Memorial Park. The Cats and Beetles will open Thunder Bay’s home schedule on June 4 at Port Arthur Stadium.
Cat tracks: Thunder Bay outfielder Kurtis McCallum, who plays at North Dakota's Mayville State University, went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Cats. He became the seventh Lakehead player to don a Border Cats uniform in 10 seasons.
