Cats coming back

Posted August 12, 2011 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Sports | No comments yet

The boys of summer will return next year. Thunder Bay Border Cats president and general manager Brad Jorgenson told tbnewswatch.com that his team will be back in 2012 and that the organization has already started selling season tickets. Jorgenson said he and manager Mike Steed were not happy with the team’s record, which was a more respectable 16-16 in the second half with three games left in the season. But that doesn’t reflect the team’s efforts throughout 2011. “Neither one of us is happy with it and we feel we have a lot of unfinished business here,” Jorgenson said. “They did the absolute best they can and that’s all you can ask from the players you’ve got.” Off the field, Jorgenson said overall attendance was up 15 per cent this year, which still gives the team the second worst average attendance record in the Northwoods League with 771. A lot of that though may have been because of a cold June. “Certainly there were some nights here where I questioned why anyone was here,” he said with a laugh. “It was cold and it was brutal, yet there were still die-hard fans here.” No amount of promotion will get people in the seats when the weather doesn’t cooperate. “That’s the most frustrating thing about this business is when (the weather is really bad) it doesn’t really matter what you’re promoting,” he said. “You can have some really good promotions that you’ve put a lot of money towards and it’s gone. There’s nothing you can do about that.” But Jorgenson points to Wednesday night’s game where there were more than 1,000 people at the Port Arthur Stadium as a mark for what the city is capable of. When more people show up, that means more money for the team to be put back into enhancing the stadium. The organization is looking at ways to get people out, from “pie in the sky” ideas like a home plate VIP section, to plans already in the works like an approved Toronto Blue Jays program that could see a batting cage near right field that would help Border Cats and be open to the public. All of those ideas would need city approval before going ahead. “We got a lot of things about in the air that we think about doing,” he said. Steed said while he’s disappointed with the team’s record, every player gave it their best all season long. “There wasn’t a game that I can remember all season that they came out and just kind of mailed it in,” Steed said before the Border Cats’ second last home game of the season Thursday. Defensively the team was strong, the hitting was solid but the bullpen blew up mid-way through the season, giving up at least a dozen saves. That was probably the turning point in the season, he said. “Our bullpen kind of fell down a little bit and we lost some games late,” Steed said. “I think that was the difference.” Rounding out the bullpen will be key to a winning season for the Border Cats next year, Steed said. But the manager still hasn’t confirmed whether he will be part of that team. “I haven’t made that decision yet. I’ll have that conversation with Brad Jorgenson,” Steed said. “And make my decision here in the next couple of weeks.” Jorgenson said he wants to see Steed back in the dugout. “I would love to have Mike Steed back again,” Jorgenson said. “As far as an individual I don’t know anyone else I’d rather have.” A highlight for Steed was watching Cullen Mahoney mature into the best hitter in the league. The junior from Arizona’s South Mountain College is finishing up his season with a .337 average. He’s hit 27 RBIs and four home runs for the team. Mahoney, along with pitchers Brad Delatte and John Straka, played in this year’s Northwoods All Star game. “Any time you get multiple guys in an all-star game it says a lot about your club and those kids personally,” Steed said. The Border Cats play their final home game Friday night at Port Arthur Stadium against the Wilmar Stingers. The Cats, already leading 2-0, will be looking to sweep the series. The game time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.     View full post on Tbnewswatch.com – Sports

Cats best Huskies in pitching duel, win 1-0 at home

Posted August 2, 2011 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Sports | No comments yet

The Border Cats won a defensive battle on home turf 1-0 against rival Duluth Huskies Monday. The single run came in the bottom of the ninth inning at Port Arthur Stadium in front of a Holliday crown of more than 650 people. Short-stop Brett Kay led off the ninth with a single and was able to take second base on a wild pitch. Kay then advanced to third on a ground out by Casey Selsor. Kay finally turned his single into a scored run from a sacrifice fly by Kyle Mossbarger. The win leaves the Cats with an 11-13 second-half record. They now trail Duluth four games to two in the Border Battle Series for the Superior Cup. Border Cats pitcher Mitch VandenBerge picked up the win in relief during his debut with the team. Meanwhile Joseph Koon had a solid start for the Cats, giving the team 8.1 shutout innings with six hits, not walks and 10 strikeouts. The Cats and Huskies resume their series at Port Arthur Stadium Tuesday evening. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. View full post on Tbnewswatch.com – Sports

Border Cats get third straight win, sink Lunkers 8-3

Posted July 8, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

The Border Cats offence that had been asleep for much of the season has been awake and active during the team’s last three outings.
The Cats (16-18) defeated the Lunkers Wednesday night 8-3 in Brainerd and gives the Border Cats 20 runs in their last three games. The offensive onslaught came alive early for the Cats, as they struck the scoreboard with three runs in the first and left the second inning with a 7-0 advantage.
Thunder Bay’s Eric Brown (3-1) collected the win after pitching five innings. Brown allowed only two runs on two hits.
Ryan Court, who holds a batting average of .211, led the 15-hit effort for the Cats by going 3-for-4 with a double, triple, scoring two runs and recording three RBIs.
The Cats open the second half of the season at home Friday when they take on the Rochester Honkers. That game is scheduled for a 6:35 p.m. start at Port Arthur Stadium.

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Cats rally again

Posted July 7, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

The comeback kids were at it again on Tuesday night. A night after rallying late to beat the Duluth Huskies 6-5 in the second half of a Port Arthur Stadium doubleheader, the Thunder Bay Border Cats scored four times in the seventh inning, all they’d need to win 6-5 again. Garrett Houts, who twice ended innings earlier in the game with runners in scoring position, drilled a key bases loaded, one-out double that ignited the rally. Two batters later he scored the winning run, coming home on P.K. Kitamura’s single. Houts, a second-year veteran in the Northwoods League, said it was only a matter of time before the Cats  (15-18) strung something together, having gotten the leadoff man aboard for seven straight innings. “The entire game we just needed one key hit. I came up twice with the runners in scoring position and got out, so it was just a matter of time that any of us got a key hit in the right situation,” said Houts, who was 1-for-3 with a walk on the night. The Fort Collins, Col. product  inched his way over the .200 mark with his performance, said he needed a night like that to find his way at the plate. “It felt good. I’ve had a little bit of a slump lately, and it was nice to just come in and do something to help the team,” said Houts, relegated to the No. 9 hole with SS Brett Doe sitting this one out. Border Cats manager Mike Steed, whose team was eliminated from first-half contention when they lost Monday’s opener, said he’s noticed a change in his players at the plate of late, a welcome sign with just two days left in the first half and a clean slate on the horizon as the second half begins on Friday. “Things are turning our way. We’re getting the hits through the left side of the infield. I think (catcher) Will Thorp had three hits that were three-hoppers through the left side of the infield tonight. But they’re all base hits and they kept the inning alive,” Steed said. Steed said the key was getting to Duluth starter Frank De Jiulio early. The Cats sent six men to the plate, and even though they only scored one run when Kenny Battiston drove home Tanner Nivins to give the host Thunder Bay a 2-0 lead, they forced De Jiulio from the game due to a 30-pitch per inning limit. Anders Engberg came on in relief and was in trouble in the fourth with runners on the corners and one out and the fifth when Tyler Wosleger reached third with one out. But Thunder Bay came up empty both times. Meanwhile the Huskies offense found its form. Duluth evened the score when Tyler Erickson smashed a double to the left-centre wall off Cats starter Zach Smith, and went up three in the fifth, the killer blow a two-run shot to right off the bat of Phillip Menou. But the Huskies stuck with Engberg (1-2) an inning too long. Six of the seven batters he faced in the seventh reached, and by the time he was yanked in favour of Jacob Bax, the damage was done. Zak Miller (6-1), who leads the Northwoods League with six wins out of the bullpen, pitched three strong innings of no-hit ball to pick up the win, his sixth. Matt White took over in the ninth, earning his first save, filling in for normal closer Drew Erwin who was forced to sit down by league rules that forbid a pitcher from hitting the mound more than two nights in a row. “(Miller) is our No. 1 guy out of the pen early. He does have six wins, but he’s done his job to come in and get those wins. You can call it what you like about stealing wins, but he threw three pretty solid innings tonight and that’s what we need all year,” Steed said. Claw marks : Mistich was nailed at the plate trying to score on a NIvins single. He also stole a pair of bases to take over the team lead from Houts with six … The crowd was 778 … With two days left in the first half, Rochester and St. Cloud each have 18 wins. But St. Cloud has played three more games, all of them losses. Expansion Willmar is at 18-15, half a game behind St. Cloud … Mistich is sixth in the league with 23 RBI … The Cats have a league-low .220 batting average … Thunder Bay wraps up first half play Wednesday and Thursday in Brainerd.

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Cats swept

Posted July 2, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

Eric Brown suffered a bit of a hiccup on Canada Day. The city’s native son was hit hard in the second inning and surrendered the only three runs the Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers would need to secure a 3-2 win and three-game series sweep over the Thunder Bay Border Cats. The right-handed pitcher, off to Japan on July 21 to take part in the World University Games as part of Team Canada, said it wasn’t his best day on the mound. “It was a struggle today. I struggled early with my mechanics and they put some good swings on some balls. I did what I could after that to keep it where it was and give us a chance to win,” said Brown, whose offense got good wood on the ball, but just couldn’t find the gaps to squeak a timely hit or two more through. “We hit some balls really well today. That last inning it was three well hit balls right at guys in the outfield. Hopefully we’ll eliminate the bad innings and those will start falling,” Brown said. Though his focus is still clearly with the Border Cats (11-16), the thought of Japan is sending shivers up and down his 21-year-old spine. Brown (2-1) said the opportunity came about through the 2009 World Baseball Challenge, where he figures he made an impression on the people putting together the 2010 University Games squad. It turns out Brown’s University of British Columbia coaches were organizing the 2009 club and gave him a spot to prove what he could do on the international stage. “One of my coaches is assisting on the team that’s going to Tokyo for the World University Games. I guess I made the short list and ended up making the cut through my performances at school and whatnot last summer,” Brown said. Not a lot of baseball players get to represent their country, and Brown knows how special the Japanese tournament will be, even though he’ll have to leave his Thunder Bay Border Cats teammates behind. He’s currently tops among starters with a 1.29 ERA and has a team-high 25 strikeouts in six appearances. It’ll be worth it, he thinks. “Yeah, even last summer it was a small tournament in Prince George, but this is going to be an experience of a lifetime, I think,” Brown said. “It’s the best collegiate-age players all around the world. Last summer we played against Team US and Chinese Taipei – so all over the world. It’s exciting to see what you’ve got when you match yourself up against the best,” he said. But for now he has to concentrate on helping the Border Cats right a sinking ship, having suffered four straight defeats, including three in a row by Brainerd. That’s got manager Mike Steed very concerned, as time is running out in the first half and he doesn’t want to start the second half on a sour note. “We’ve got to win games, there’s no doubt about that. I don’t care if it’s St. Mary’s of the Blind. When you start to win, it can snowball, good things happen and breaks start going your way. We’ll punch one across against Alexandria and we’ll start rolling in the second half,” Steed said. Brown started this one on a high note, retiring the first three batters he faced. But the second inning was a different story. Chadd Krist led off with a double, followed by a David Allbrittson walk. Hillsinger stole second and both men scoredon Russ Hopkins’s single. The Cats responded an inning later, starting with Garfett Houts leadoff single to open the third. Sean Miller-Jones blasted a triple to right, but was stranded there when newcomer Ben Scheffer grounded into an inning-ending double play. Brainerd starter Brian Russell left after three innings, having given up three hits and a run. Four reliever held the Cats to no-hit the Cats the rest of the way. Thunder Bay scored its other run in the fifth. Houts walked, followed by another free pass issued to Miller Jones. Houts scored for the second time on a fly ball by  Tanner Nivins, The Cats begin a three-game home series against Alexandia on Friday.

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Cats bats go silent

Posted July 1, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

The Border Cats wanted to get Corey Pappel an inning or so of work before his scheduled Friday start. But with the Mississauga right-hander’s parents among the season-high 1,059 in the crowd at Port Arthur Stadium, the move backfired – although it wasn’t entirely his fault that the visiting Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers chose the sixth inning to break open the game, scoring three times en route to a 4-1 win. Pappel, who took over from starter Zach Smith (0-2) to start the sixth, just set the stage. The 21-year-old loaded the bases with just one out on a hit batsman, single and a walk, before giving way to the usually reliable Matt White, who carried with him a miniscule 0.82 ERA. Unfortunately for the Cats (11-15), White endured a rare shaky outing, starting things off with a two-out wild pitch that scored Matt Hillsinger from third to put the Lunkers (11-16) up 2-0. The next batter, Vince Bruno, who hit a crucial grand slam to beat the Cats on Tuesday, was up to his old tricks again, doubling to deep centre-field which plated Russ Hopkins and Levi Ferguson, the No. 9 hitter in the Brainerd lineup. The Cats managed to get one of them back in the bottom half of the sixth, but squandered a chance to score more when Ryan Court’s scorching line drive was snared by Hopkins, who stepped on the bag and easily doubled off Tanner Nivins on a miscalculated hit-and-run.  “We had a lefty-lefty matchup and Matt White got burned on that,” said Thunder Bay manager Mike Steed, defending his decision to lift Pappel in favour of the southpaw White. P.K. Kitamura scored the lone Thunder Bay run, reaching on a two-base error with one out in the sixth, and coming home on Nivins’s line-drive single up the middle, one of just three hits they had in the game. The Cats were stymied for much of the first half of the contest by the pitching of Washington, D.C. native Ian Horkley, who completely shut down his opponent, save for a pair of hits surrendered in the fourth. Horkley (1-1) retired 11 of the first 12 hitters he faced and was in command all night long. The only obstacle in his way was a strict 60-pitch pitch count, that ensured he faced an early exit no matter what happened on the field. “I guess I just got ahead of hitters. And it’s a lot easier to pitch when you’re ahead in the count,” Horkley said, “then when they know you’re going to throw a fastball.” Steed said his players had no idea what to expect from Horkley, a cagey right-hander from North Carolina’s Davidson College. That never makes it easy to hit, he added. “We just read his line, didn’t really have any report on him. But he threw a helluva game. He had a live fastball that got on our hitters and he just kept (throwing) slider, slider, slider and we couldn’t adjust to it,” Steed said. In the seventh,Thunder Bay’s Evan Mistich reached on a second error by Brainerd SS Stephen Wickens, but was just as quickly disposed of on a miscommunication between him and the third-base coach. Steed said Mistich was told to wait for a breaking ball to steal, but instead went on a first-pitch fastball and was easily tagged out sliding into second. Kyle Teague entered in the eighth and retired the Cats in order, while Ray Black earned his first save, striking out two and walking one in the ninth. On a positive note, Border Cats reliever Jorge Rodriguez managed to get through two innings without surrendering a run and appeared to have regained the control he couldn’t find in his earlier appearances this season. Rodriguez gave up two hits and a walk, but struck out three to keep the Cats in contention. The two teams will play a matinee game on Thursday, a 1:05 p.m. start. Claw marks: Border Cats pitcher and native son Eric Brown will be lost to the team for a couple of weeks in late July and early August when he plays for Canada at the World University Games in Japan. Brown, who will take to the mound for the Cats on Canada Day, is 2-0 this season with a team-leading 0.39 ERA. Also named to the team was Burlington, Ont.’s Luis Castillo , who pitched for the Cats last summer … Mistich, who had a 22-game streak of reaching base safely snapped on Tuesday – although he did reach on an error – started a new streak, reaching twice on a single and a walk … The Cats third straight loss means any combination of four Thunder Bay losses and St. Cloud wins will eliminate them from first half contention in the Northwoods League’s North Division. St. Cloud beat Mankato 7-2 on Wednesday … Brainerd manager Ryan Levendoski was a coach with the Cats in 2007 … Starter Smith gave up six hits and two walks over five innings.

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Cats split in Willmar, fall four back

Posted June 28, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

Tanner Nivins hit a pair of homeruns and drove in three on Sunday to lead the Thunder Bay Border Cats to a 5-2 win over the Willmar Stingers in the opener of a twi-night doubleheader. However the Cats bats would go silent in the second half of the twin-bill as Willmar (13-12) rebounded to earn the split with a 5-1 decision. Zak Miller took over from starter Michael Woytek and reliever Brad Delatte, who entered with two outs in the fifth, earned the win and improved to 4-1. Miller allowed one run on four hits and a walk in two innings. Drew Erwin pitched the seventh – both games were shortened by two innings after rain washed away their Saturday date – to earn the save, his league-leading eighth. In Game 2Evan Mistich gave the Cats (11-13) a 1-0 lead in the first, driving home Nivins, who upped his average to .386 with another two-hit performace. But the lead wouldn’t last long. The Stingers scored twice in the bottom of the first and added three more in the fourth in support of southpaw starter Wally Marciel (2-0). Garrett Yount allowed five runs in six innings, but just two of them wee earned. The Cats made a pair of errors in the loss, one by Yount and one by SS Brandon Doe, his fourth miscue in three games. The Cats get a rare day off on Monday before starting a record nine-game homestand on Tuesday, beginning with the last place Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers (9-16). Thunder Bay is now four games behind first-place Rochester (14-8).

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Cats implode in lopsided loss to River Bats

Posted June 26, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

In the end, the Border Cats did themselves in. Four errors, six wild pitches and three passed balls are a recipe for disaster, and that’s just what the Cats cooked up, dropping a sloppy 9-4 decision to the St. Cloud River Bats Friday night that also ended a season-high three-game winning streak. “I don’t think we had the right focus. I think since we won the last three we might have been a little lackadaisical, certainly at the beginning of the game and we just weren’t ready to play,” said 1B Ryan Court, who was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Luckily, he said, the message was heard loud and clear, that the team can’t afford to take a single inning off and hope to succeed in the Northwoods League’s uber-tight North Division. “I wouldn’t say that that happens all the time. I would say it was rare. I think we’ll learn from this, definitely and be ready to play. We’ve got a long road trip tomorrow against a good team that’s ahead of us.” Cats manager Mike Steed said it’s a pattern the team has repeated all season long, but it’s a habit he thinks they’re starting to put behind them, despite what happened at Port Arthur Stadium on Friday night. “Other than I think one game this year, all of our losses we’ve put it on ourselves. When we lose, we lose big. And what I mean by big is we do make a lot of errors. We just didn’t focus. When I say we came out flat, that hurt us. It put us in a hole,” Steed said. Take the sixth inning as an example. With starter Corey Pappel sent to the showers trailing 4-1 after allowing four runs on five hits through five, Paul Barton took over and promptly walked Kevin Hall to start the sixth. Leadoff hitter John Schultz hit a grounder to short that Brett Doe should have handled, but didn’t. Though initially ruled an error, which would have been his second of the night, the scorers overturned the call and gave him a hit. Tommy Coyle, the NWL’s leading hitter, singled to load the bases. Steve Nyisztor lifted a sacrifice fly to deep left to score Hall. Devon Rodriguez hit what might have been an inning-ending double play to Doe, but another bobble loaded the bases again. Schultz came home on a wild pitch and the Bats took a five-run lead. That was more than enough for starter Andy Berry (2-0), who left after seven, having allowed six hits, one run and striking out seven. Schultz doubled in the seventh to score Armando Gutierrez from second to put St. Cloud up 7-1, but the Cats weren’t ready to file this one in the loss column just yet. Taylor Honeycutt made quick work of reliever Deryk Marks, doubling to lead off the eighth. Doe reached on an error and then Tyler Pryor doubled to plate the Cats second run and put runners at second and third. After P.K. Kitamura grounded to Marks for the first out, Kitchener’s Tanner Nivins knocked a stand-up double to right to empty the bases and draw the Cats within three. But in the top of the ninth the Bats dashed any hope of a comeback, roughing up closer Drew Erwin, who didn’t help his own cause with a walk and three wild pitches that led to a pair of runs. Gutierrez, who was 3-for-5 with an RBI, said it was important that St. Cloud end its four-game losing streak before leaving Thunder Bay. “I guess the previous games we had we weren’t focused. So our coach came out today and told us we had to take at least one and head back to St. Cloud,” he said. “It’s not easy playing in front of these crowds, but it’s fun.” The Cats head to Willmar for a three-game set starting Saturday. Cat tracks : Border Cats pitcher Eric Brown shared a childhood memory with local media after the game. It turns out in 1996 that his father retrieved a homerun ball hit by Darryl Strawberry during the city’s Northern League days that landed in what is now the off-leash dog park beyond right field. At the time it was a baseball field. Brown, seven, was playing t-ball, while Strawberry, who would go on to win a World Series later that year with the New York Yankees, was working his way back as a member of the St. Paul Saints.  “I was actually standing on second and the ball landed somewhere around shortstop. So my dad ran out and picked it up and then after my game we came in and watched the rest of their game and got (Strawberry) to autograph the ball. I still have it at home.”  

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Long-ball powers Cats to pair of wins

Posted June 25, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

Two wins over the top team in the North Division has the Thunder Bay Border Cats thinking they just might be able to salvage the first half of their Northwoods League season. Evan Mistich slammed a two-run, walk-off homer in the second extra inning to give the Cats a 3-1 win over the visiting St. Cloud River Bats, completing a game suspended Wednesday night due to rain. In the nightcap Ken Battiston broke out of  a season-long slump with a homerun and four RBI and hometown favourite Eric Brown went seven strong, leading Thunder Bay to an overpowering 8-3 triumph. The Cats (10-11), pulled to within 2.5 games of Rochester, idled by rain on Thursday, knocking St. Cloud (12-10) out of top spot in the process and handing them a fourth straight defeat. “Anytime you can take a series from any team that’s in first or second place you feel great. We’ve already got the series now, and then we’ll go in and play tomorrow carefree and hopefully get another game on first place,” Battiston said. The best is yet to come from the Cats, he added. “Most of us are trying get used to the wood bats, because we come from (an) aluminum (league). The sweet spot on the wood is a little smaller. But now that we’ve adjusted to that, we’re starting to roll.” Battiston, who was hitting .186 heading into the contest, with one homerun and four RBI, said the Cats have been building toward success for quite some time, and have managed to put everything together this week. As far as his own numbers, he’s just taking it one at bat at a time. “The stats, you really can’t look at (them),” he said. “You’ve just got to keep plugging away and hit the ball and get your work in. As baseball says, they’re going to fall eventually.” And fall they did – not just for Battiston – as they Cats pounded out 11 hits, including four for extra bases. As good as Brown was in the second game, allowing just five hits and one run in seven innings, St. Cloud starter Nick Sutherland was equally shaky, getting in trouble in the first and finding more in the third. Tyler Pryor drew a one-out walk. P.K. Kitamura followed with a single over the second baseman, and after a passed ball, the Cats had runners on the corners. Ryan Court walked to load the bases and Mistich drove home the two lead runners with a loop shot over shortstop to give the home team, playing in front of 702 at Port Arthur Stadium, a 2-0 lead. St. Cloud got one back in the top of the fourth on a routine ground out by Chaz Frank, but 2-1was as close as the River Bats would get. After Brown (2-0) set down the side in the fifth, the Cats gave him some breathing room, scoring three times. Kitamura crossed the plate on a double by Court, who then stole third and came home on a throwing error by catcher Adam Weisenburger. Mistich walked and scored on a Battiston double. A one-out walk and subsequent single by Court and Mistich set the stage for Battiston in the seventh, as the Cats took a commanding 8-1 lead. It’s nice to see some runs being put up on the board, said Brown. “Absolutely, the guys batted really well today and with run support, I’m never going to say no. It’s nice to see and the guys are playing good defence behind me. There were a couple of errors that were really tough, but they were early and we refocused and the guys played well.” Brown, who pitches for the University of British Columbia, said it’s a good feeling pitching in front of his hometown crowd. It also feels good to move up the standings and into sixth place, though only 2.5 games separates them from top spot. “What we’re trying to do is take it one game at a time and get back into this,” Brown said. “Playing the No. 1 team here should give us a chance to take some games and get back into contention.” Are the Cats a contender? “Absolutely,” he said. “We got our first road wins under us, getting back here and getting on a roll is good for us.” Reliever Jorge Rodriguez, put on the mound in a mop-up role, had a fourth straight poor showing, allowing two runs in the eighth on two hits, a walk and a hit by pitch. Brad Delatte shut the Bats down in order in the ninth to preserve the five-run victory. Cat tracks: The Cats have released a trio of players from their roster. Pitcher Nate Kennedy, who was injured, catcher Brooklyn Foster and recently arrived Joel Stubbs, who was 0-for-6 in three appearances, have been let go.  

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Cats lose barn burner

Posted June 19, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

The Border Cats bats finally came alive on Friday night, but despite scoring double digits for the first time this year, the team still wound up on the losing end of yet another Northwoods League contest. This time it was a five-run eighth that did them in, leading to a disappointing 14-10 loss at the hands of the Willmar Stingers. Evan Mistich and Tyler Wosleger homered in a losing cause for the last-place Cats (5-9), who dropped a second straight decision. Starter Eric Brown lasted just two innings, giving up four runs, one earned, on two hits and a walk before departing. Brad Delaette took the loss, taking over from reliever Zak Miller in the seventh. Jordan Smith did the big damage for the Stingers, going 4-for-5 with three runs and three driven in. Reliever Michael Jahns earned the win for Willmar (8-7).

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Bump in the road: Cats on five-game losing streak

Posted June 14, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

The Border Cats fell to the Rochester Honkers in extra innings Sunday, putting the team on a five-game losing streak near the end of what has been a disastrous road trip.
The Cats (4-6) lost 4-3 against the Honkers in the 10th inning, putting in the books another loss that follows a solid Cats starting pitching performance.
This time it was Michael Woytek who gave his team a winning performance for 6.1 innings. The right handed pitcher allowed only one run to score on four hits, struck out four and walked one before leaving the mound.
The Cats were in front 3-1 when the Honkers rallied against relief pitcher Corey Pappel (0-1), who was making his debut for the team in Rochester.
Trying to avoid a Honkers sweep, the Cats will face the Honkers once more Monday night in Rochester at 8:05 p.m.
It is the last of the Cats’ six-game road trip as the team returns to Port Arthur Stadium for a short, two-game homestand.

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Border Cats up 4 runs as rain suspends game

Posted June 9, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

The Border Cats (4-1) were three outs away from having a rain out deliver them a win over the St. Cloud River Bats (3-2) Tuesday. The Cats were up 4-0 on the River Bats as the teams prepared to enter the fifth inning at Port Arthur Stadium. But the rain that provided a sloppy field from the opening pitch forced an end to the game before an important fifth could start. League rules allow the score of a rained out game to be called final if teams play beyond five innings. Not completing those five innings means the Cats could not collect a win Tuesday and will have to complete the game when the River Bats return on June 23. “We started to put some runs together,” said Border Cats manager Mike Steed. “We got up four (runs) and the guys were swinging the bat, but the skies opened up and stymied that.” When the River bats return to Port Arthur Stadium later this month the teams will finish the suspended game starting in the top of the fifth with the Border Cats retaining their 4-0 lead. The Cats scored all four of their runs in the third inning before weather rained on their parade. The offensive onslaught of that inning forced the River Bats to grab a relief pitcher from their bullpen before entering the fourth. Chasing an opponent’s starter out of the game is exactly what Steed had wanted his team to do since the season started. “We did that and I think our guys did a great job,” he said. “I’m sure the rain might have had a little to do with it, but we got to their bullpen like we wanted to. We did it early and we did it on our own accord. No pitch-count rule tonight; I think we chased their starter out.” Defensively, the Border Cats were nearly flawless. The River Bats didn’t see more than three of their batters at the plate each inning, as the Cats were able to retire them in order either at the plate or on base. Cats’ starting pitcher Garrett Yount recorded three strikeouts and allowed two hits. Both successful River Bats hitters were sent back to their dugout after failed stealing attempts. The Border Cats end their seven-game homestand with a 4-1 winning record. Two games, one against the River Bats and an earlier outing against the Duluth Huskies, were rescheduled because of rain. The Cats head on a six-day road trip that will see them face the Mankato Moondogs and Rochester Honkers. The team returns to Port Arthur Stadium Wednesday, June 16.

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Border Cats collect 2-0 win over River Bats, lockup first in division

Posted June 8, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

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Cats collect season’s first homerun, but fall to Honkers 7-3

Posted June 7, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

The Border Cats recorded their season’s first homerun, but was forced to take their first loss as the Rochester Honkers (3-2) spilt the two-game series with a win Sunday evening. The Border Cats (3-1) came into the game as the undefeated division leaders, but conceded the 7-3 loss to the defending league champions in front of an energetic but small 532-person crowd at Port Arthur Stadium. Despite the blemish on what has so far been a solid start to the season, the Border Cats’ outfielder Ken Battiston gave fans something to cheer about with an eight-inning solo homerun. While the Honkers’ defence kept the Cats’ offence in check, Battiston looked comfortable at the plate in every appearance. The left fielder – who came into the game batting .300 with an on-base percentage of .364 – drew a pair of walks and hit a single before his homerun ball bounced off the Port Arthur Stadium scoreboard. “I feel real comfortable right now, and I’m seeing the ball well,” Battiston said after the game. “A lot of (the early success) is from coming in early and getting a lot of work done. And a lot of it has to do with confidence, because if you don’t have confidence at the plate you aren’t going to succeed.” Evan Mistich also found some success at the plate, driving in two runs in the seventh after a Honker’s error put runners at first and second on what could have been a double play to end that inning. The efforts of Mistich and Battiston wasn’t enough to erase the four-run fifth the Honkers put together, which gave starting pitcher Paul Barton (0-1) his first loss in his first appearance of the season. Barton delivered four shutout innings before finding himself in trouble in the fifth. The starter hit a batter, allowed two others to draw walks and gave up three hits before catching Honkers’ outfielder Mitch Caster following a misread that had the runner stuck between second and third. The Border Cats only needed one out to escape trouble, but the fifth inning was a situation that manager Mike Steed said snowballed quickly. “It was just one of those things where he struggled to get the last out,” Steed said. “We didn’t have anyone up in the bullpen. We got somebody up and by that point it was at four runs, which is an acceptable number to come back from, but today they just had our number.” The Border Cats defence struggled once more in the eighth. Three walks and a double allowed Rochester to collect some insurance in the form of another three runs. “We made some bad pitches, we had some guys put in situations that didn’t come through,” Steed said. “I just told the guys ‘do we hate to lose a game? Yes, we do. But are we going to win every game? No.’ If they thought (we could win every game) they would be nuts because that’s just not baseball. “Our bullpen just kind of let us down today, but that’s baseball and it happens.” The Border Cats will try to regroup to collect their fourth win Monday as they face the St. Cloud River Bats. That game kicks off the final two-game series of the home stand and is scheduled to start at 6:35 p.m. at the Port Arthur Stadium.

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Border Cats Friday game rained out

Posted June 4, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

The Border Cats won’t have a chance to sweep rivals Duluth Huskies just yet, as the third game of the series has been rained out.
Border Cats officials announced Friday afternoon that the 6:35 p.m. game would be moved to Monday, July 5 at 5:05 p.m. That game will be part of a double header.
The Cats (2-0) will continue their seven-game home stand on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. when they take on defending league champions the Rochester Honkers.
More information is available on the Border Cats official website.

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Erwin shuts down Huskies in 4-3 Border Cats win

Posted June 4, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

Drew Erwin’s second save for the Border Cats wasn’t as clean as his first, but it was enough to earn his club its second straight victory over rival Duluth Huskies Thursday night. The successful close, his second of two opportunities, allowed the Border Cats (2-0) to walk away from Port Arthur Stadium with a 4-3 come-from-behind win. While Erwin allowed the Huskies to get runners on first and third in the ninth, the closer kept his cool and his team was able to turn a double play to shutdown the potential Duluth rally. “I’m going to stick with him and I have confidence in him. It wasn’t the clean, but it was still a save,” said Border Cats manager Mike Steed. “He’s a returning player and I told him right when he signed with the Border Cats again that he would be our closer.” The Huskies had more offensive success than they did in Wednesday’s outing, which saw the Border Cats snag a 1-0 win. The Minnesota squad drove in three runs before the Cats touched the scoreboard. The Huskies struck first, scoring a run in the second. Border Cats’ starting pitcher John Tatum found a grove after allowing that run and was able to retire eight straight Duluth batters. But a hit from the Huskies’ designated hitter Ben Hughes kick started a Duluth rally in the fifth. Tatum allowed another two runs to score before the Cats went to their bullpen for relief. Unfortunately for the Huskies, they weren’t the only team at the field that made offensive improvements. The Cats found their bats in the fifth and broke ahead of Duluth in the sixth thanks to a two-run single by designated hitter Ken Beaman. “It was just different pitching, we’re getting used to it and during the first game last night everyone was a bit shaky,” Beaman said of his team’s improved offensive performance. “Everyone’s just more comfortable.” While the offense came alive in the sixth, the Cats’ defence remained solid through the entire game. Third baseman AJ Schugel robbed Duluth of a base hit in the second when he snagged a hard hit line drive, while left fielder Ken Balliston made a highlight-reel worthy diving catch that kept his team on top later in the game. “To win a championship this year our defence is going to have to be the strongest part of our game,” Steed said. The Border Cats will eye the series sweep as they take on the Duluth Huskies for the third time Friday night at Port Arthur Stadium. The game is scheduled to start at 6:35 p.m.

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