Error hands Border Cats extra-inning win

Offense wasn’t the problem Friday night as the Thunder Bay Border Cats and Waterloo Bucks squared off for a fourth straight night.

In the end it was a defensive miscue that gave the Cats a fourth straight win.

Waterloo third baseman Sean Borman was charged with an error in the top of the 10th inning, the mistake allowing Phillip Lyons to score his fourth run of the night and cap a 12-11 victory for the streaking Border Cats.

Danny Bethea had three hits in six at bats, driving in three for Thunder Bay (5-4), while Cory Kay socked his second homerun of the season and had three RBI hitting in the eight-hole.

Blake Fonfara started this one for the Cats, and lasted five innings, yanked after giving up six runs. Chad Richie and Jason Kafka were equally ineffective in relief, giving up two and three runs respectively for Thunder Bay, which opened a 4-0 lead in the first, only to see Waterloo score two in the third, one in the fourth, three in the fifth, two in the sixth and three more in the seventh to go up 11-10.

The Cats were up 10-8 after scoring five in the sixth, Kay’s solo shot the key blast.

Freddy Villalobos smacked a pair of homers and had four RBI in a losing cause for the last-place Bucks (2-7).

Thunder Bay pulled to within one game of Mankato and Willmar in the Northwoods League North Division standings.

The Cats and Bucks wrap up their five-game set on Saturday in Waterloo, where Thunder Bay will attempt to complete a five-game series sweep.