Eight-error night disastrous for Cats

The good news is the Border Cats have raised their team average 16 points in two games. The bad news is they’ve give up 26 runs.

On Saturday it was an eighth-inning meltdown that cost them a shot at victory. Leading 7-6, reliever Jorge Rodriguez was torched for six runs – only one of them earned – and the Cats lost their third straight contest, falling 12-7 at the hands of the host expansion Willmar Stingers.

Rodriguez (0-3) took his third loss in four outings and saw his ERA soar to a gaudy 16.22.

In total, just three of Willmar’s 12 runs were earned on the night, thanks to a team-record eight-error outing. On the season the Cats have given up a league-high 24 unearned runs.

It was the fourth straight win for the Stingers (9-7), who were paced by three-RBI efforts from Jordan Smith and Jared Norris.

Tyler Pryor went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBI to lead the Border Cats (5-10). P.K. Kitamura continued his hot-hitting ways, picking up a pair of hits and driving in his first run of the season. Kitamura leads the team with a .400 average.

The two teams meet again on Sunday.