Cats split in Willmar, fall four back

Tanner Nivins hit a pair of homeruns and drove in three on Sunday to lead the Thunder Bay Border Cats to a 5-2 win over the Willmar Stingers in the opener of a twi-night doubleheader.

However the Cats bats would go silent in the second half of the twin-bill as Willmar (13-12) rebounded to earn the split with a 5-1 decision.

Zak Miller took over from starter Michael Woytek and reliever Brad Delatte, who entered with two outs in the fifth, earned the win and improved to 4-1.

Miller allowed one run on four hits and a walk in two innings.

Drew Erwin pitched the seventh – both games were shortened by two innings after rain washed away their Saturday date – to earn the save, his league-leading eighth.

In Game 2Evan Mistich gave the Cats (11-13) a 1-0 lead in the first, driving home Nivins, who upped his average to .386 with another two-hit performace.

But the lead wouldn’t last long.

The Stingers scored twice in the bottom of the first and added three more in the fourth in support of southpaw starter Wally Marciel (2-0). Garrett Yount allowed five runs in six innings, but just two of them wee earned.

The Cats made a pair of errors in the loss, one by Yount and one by SS Brandon Doe, his fourth miscue in three games.

The Cats get a rare day off on Monday before starting a record nine-game homestand on Tuesday, beginning with the last place Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers (9-16).

Thunder Bay is now four games behind first-place Rochester (14-8).