Even with an eight-run lead, Drew Saberhagen said he wasn’t ready to count the win just yet.
The Willmar Stingers manager had little to worry about Thursday night at Tbaytel Park at Port Arthur Stadium.
His Northwoods League squad ripped apart the Thunder Bay Border Cats bullpen and cruised to an 11-4 win, taking three of four in the series in the process.
The Stingers pulled away for good in the seventh, scoring five runs off reliever Donnie Sellers to break open a three-run contest.
The runs came as a relief to Saberhagen, son of two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Bret Saberhagen, worried the Cats’ league-leading offence might finally break through.
“Even in the eighth, when they put up the two to make it a 10-4 game, with first and third, they were a bloop and a blast away from being right back in it. Thunder Bay swings it very well. It’s never an easy feeling over here when you’re going against the top offence in the league,” said Saberhagen, a 38th-round pick of the Oakland A's in 2004.
Taking three wins on the road, their fourth victory in five outings away from the comfort of home, is a great feeling he added, his team improving to 13-9, just a game behind the Rochester Honkers, who took over the North Division lead with a 6-1 win over Eau Claire.
“It’s just absolutely huge,” Saberhagen said.
The Border Cats were forced to go the bullpen much earlier than planned.
Starter Ty Weist lasted just one inning, giving up a hit and three walks, before being pulled after complaining he wasn’t feeling right.
The Stingers promptly jumped on replacement Zach Thiac, notching a pair of runs in the second after Grant McKown, who leads the league in hitting at .440, drove in his 20th run in 21 appearances to give the Border Cats the early 1-0 lead.
A single, an error and a walk loaded the bases for Sean Beesley, who singled home Paul Funk with the equalizer. Storm Wilson’s sacrifice gave the visitors the lead.
All told the lefty Thiac surrendered five runs on five hits and a pair of walks, leaving with one out in the fifth, his side trailing 5-2.
The Cats would turn to the pen four more times before the contest ended.
“It’s one of those things that you just have to erase,” said first-year Thunder Bay manager Danny Benedetti, his team falling back to .500 at 11-11.
“We have to rebuild off that and go another day tomorrow.”
Tyler Hanson was stingy on the mound for Willmar, allowing eight hits and just one walk over seven innings to earn the win to boost his record to a perfect 3-0 on the season.
The loss went to Thiac (0-2).
Troy Dixon led the way offensively for the Stingers, with two hits in four trips to the plate and four RBI. McKown went 3-for-4 with one driven in, scoring on Joe Gellenbeck’s one-out, two-run triple in the eighth.
But with runners on first and third, Tyler Coolbaugh flew out to left and Mike Palladino struck out to end the threat.
Thunder Bay concludes its six-game home-stand on Friday and Saturday night, welcoming the Alexandria Blue Anchors to town.
