MoonDogs stop Border Cats cold

Chase Simpson drove in four runs Friday, including his fifth homerun of the season, to lead the Mankato MoonDogs to a lopsided win over the visiting Thunder Bay Border Cats.

Timothy Arakawa scored three times, while Zach Zehner had three hits and crossed the plate twice in the 9-4 victory.

The second-place MoonDogs improved to 17-9 with their fourth straight win, that helped them keep place with top-ranked Waterloo (20-6) in the race for the second-half North Division crown. Mankato is just two back of Duluth in the overall standings, the tiebreaker that would come into effect if Waterloo wins both the first- and second-half titles.

Philip Lyons did the most damage for the struggling Cats, driving in three on the night, which included his 11th double of the campaign.
Cats starter Anthony Pastrana was chased after two innings, giving up three hits and four runs while striking out two.

Mankato starter Kahana Neal lasted just a single inning in a second straight rough star, giving up two runs on three hits. Sam Clay took over and was credited with the win.

The two teams will try it again on Sunday.

The last-place Cats (6-20) return home for their final eight-game home-stand of the Northwoods League season on Sunday when they host the Rochester Honkers.