Two in a row

In the standings, Saturday’s 4-2 win over the Rochester Honkers means nothing.

The Thunder Bay Border Cats, with 14 wins in 31 appearances, have been out of the race for the Northwoods League’s North Division first-half crown for some time.

But manager Andy Judkins wants to set the stage for the rest of the way, and has made it clear to his ever-changing roster of players that the final five games of the opening half are all about proving they belong in the championship mix.

“We’re trying to win as many ballgames as we can here. We, as coaches, took it upon ourselves and challenged the guys to see what we can do with the last 40 games of the year and we’ll see what happens. We started off well tonight,” said Judkins, whose team picked up its second straight win, earning starter Wes Parsons his fifth win in six decisions.

It was an aggressive squad that greeted the visiting Honkers, in front of a season-high 1,332 fans on the eve of Canada’s birthday at Port Arthur Stadium.

The Cats came out running in the first, Omar Cotto’s stolen base after a leadoff single setting the tone for the rest of the night, the first of four swipes they’d record on the night.

It’s just what Judkins asked for.

“We tell them right from the start, right from the get go, that’s our game plan. Be aggressive. If you get thrown out, you’re just playing hard and that’s what we tell them.”

Cotto’s speed on the base paths paid near instant dividends, translating into a run on Patrick Gallagher’s fielder’s choice.
An error by Rochester’s Chad Wallach, son of former Montreal Expos star Tim Wallach, plated Gallagher, and the Cats were off and running, giving Parsons a 2-0 lead after one. Parson's performance was a good sign for Thunder Bay, a team that had given up 21 runs in its previous two outings combined.

The Border Cats righty set down the first six batters he faced, but Cole Lankford ended his early perfect game bid in a hurry in the third, greeting Parsons with a blast over the right-field fence to cut the lead in half.

But Thunder Bay got the run back in the bottom of the inning, thanks to more aggressive play by Phillip Lyons.

The Cats second baseman tripled with two outs, then after newcomer Adam Landecker lined a shot off reliever Jordan Milabrath’s leg, Lyons bolted for home and slid wide, just managing to find the plate for Thunder Bay’s third run of the night.

“I didn’t see it come off of his leg. I saw it shoot off after. There were two outs so I was going and I saw him catch it on the left side, so I just tried to slide around it to get my foot in there,” Lyons said.

“I was pretty surprised. I saw him catch it and then I just tried to do whatever I could to get around it.”

Lyons, who went 2-for-3, later singled home Scott Donley in the fifth to restore the two-run Border Cats lead.

Parsons, who survived into the seventh, didn’t find real trouble until that inning, when he loaded the bases with two outs, giving way to Woody Nisbet who struck out Jordan Parr to snuff the threat.

Nisbet held it through the eighth for closer Jordan McCoy and his saviour, shortstop Brett Kay.

Kay made a dazzling stop and throw to retire Brandon DeFazio to start the inning, then McCoy struck out Lankford and forced an infield pop-up to Mike Lukkason, putting this one in the books.

The two teams meet again on Sunday afternoon, the matinee affair scheduled to start at 1:35 p.m.

Cat tracks: Only twice have the Border Cats had a winning record on the road, in 2005 and 2008. Both seasons they won the Northwoods League championship. They’re 6-8 away from Port Arthur Stadium in 2012, 8-5 at home … The Cats average attendance of 964 a game is the fourth-lowest figure in the league … Lyons leads the team with 11 stolen bases. The club record is 33, set by Quinn Ciccarelli in the club’s inaugural 2003 season … Rochester backstop Trevor Podratz has six homers, second in the league behind Madison’s Tyler Marincov, who has seven … Rochester’s Chad Wallach is the son of former Montreal Expos great Tim Wallach … The Cats are losing two players on Sunday. Luke Willis (personal) and Ryan Casillas (injuries) are heading home for good … Former Border Cat J.R. Voyles is Rochester’s first-base coach.