Early risers

The offense came alive for a second straight night at Port Arthur Stadium as the Thunder Bay Border Cats continued what they hope is a late-season push to the playoffs.

Needing to hurdle all seven other North Division teams when the night began, the Northwoods League club leapfrogged the seventh-place Mankato Moondogs (9-16), beating them for a second straight night, this time 8-5

Cats first baseman P.K. Kitamura, who scored three times and drove in the first run of the night, said the players are taking things one game at a time, not letting the club’s 9-15 second-half record discourage them as the season winds down.

“It’s getting late, it’s a long grind, but we’re a team and we’re playing for pride right now, to just see how many wins we can rattle off,” the Hawaii native said.

The Cats pulled to within five games of top spot and manager Mike Steed said despite the uphill climb, his players aren’t giving up.

“We haven’t had a lot of streaks on our side this year. I think our longest one was three. But if we can come out and sweep Mankato at home (that’s a start). We talked about it last night. We’re going to have to put a lot of wins together to even come close to the top, and this is a good start,” Steed said.

On Tuesday the Cats piled on three runs in the first and added another in the second. On Wednesday, in front of 475 fans, most of whom braved a one-hour and 39 minute rain delay, they waited until the second inning to do their damage.

The Cats scored three times, sending eight men to the plate, helped by a rocky start by Mankato southpaw Josh Moody.

Moody walked the first two batters he faced in the third, both of whom came back to haunt the Arizona State product.

Kitamura singled to score Tanner Nivins from second, the game’s first run. Then with runners on first and second, Garrett Houts was asked to bunt. He got it down, but Moody’s throw to first sailed deep into the right-field bullpen, allowing both Kitamura and Sean Miller-Jones to score and gave Thunder Bay a 3-0 lead.

The Cats added two more in the third in support of starter Zak Miller (7-2), who didn’t have his best stuff on this night.

“Our offense picked up Zak, making his first start of the year. He’s been outstanding out of the pen and I think he got a little excited early in the game. In the first inning he walked three and struck out three. He settled down, but I think he got a little tired and started leaving pitches up in his last inning. He wasn’t fooling anybody,” Steed said.

Mankato took advantage in the fifth, before Steed pulled the plug on his reliever-turned-starter.

Jordan Sterenka and Trevor Adams led off with back-to-back singles and both came around to score on Sam Lind’s double down the right-field line to narrow the gap to 5-3.

Mankato reliever Jonathan Montoya shut the Cats down in order the next two innings, but after his team pulled to within a run, he could hold them no longer.

Up 5-4. Nivins delivered in the clutch, singling home Ryan Court who had doubled with two outs in the seventh and Thunder Bay had a two-run edge again.

Turns out they’d need it.

With Miller in the showers after five, Cats reliever Paul Barton was sailing along until the eighth, having retired six straight. He walked Robbie Robinson to open the frame, and promptly saw him steal second. One out later Sam Eberle singled to right and it was 6-5 Thunder Bay.

But Montoya, entering his fifth inning of work from the pen, walked the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the inning, eventually loading the bases on a third walk. Kitamura scored from third on a wild pitch and Houts came in on Will Thorp’s sacrifice fly.

Brad Delatte, who took over pitching duties for the Cats with one out in the eighth, pitched a perfect ninth to earn the save, his fourth.