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Late-inning collapse costs Border Cats again

THUNDER BAY -- Danny Benedetti is at a loss about what to do to find a way to turn the Thunder Bay Border Cats around.
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Thunder Bay's Bobby Honeyman (left) tags out Eau Claire's Daniel Herrera during a rundown in the third inning Friday night at Tbaytel Park. (Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY -- Danny Benedetti is at a loss about what to do to find a way to turn the Thunder Bay Border Cats around.

“I don’t know if we should go and burn all the bats,” he suggested, after his team went down to their seventh straight defeat, a 7-2 loss at Tbaytel Park to the Eau Claire Express to drop the Northwoods League team’s woeful home record to 0-13.

The overall record isn’t much better, at 1-22.

Once again it was a late-inning breakdown that proved to be the Cats downfall, reliever Ben Hoffman giving up five runs in the eighth, immediately after his side had score the tying run in their previous at bat.

Benedetti said they’re just not catching a break.

“It’s just something funny or quirky that happens. I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said, echoning a statement he made a night prior.

“I guess it’s a jinx against us in the eighth inning. It’s just funny at this point. It’s not funny that we’re not winning games, but I’ve never seen anything like this – as a coach, as a player, as anything.”

The eighth is almost a microcosm of the season to date.

After Hoffman struck out the side 1-2-3 in the seventh, things went haywire in the eighth.

Zach Ashford led off with a single and Ripken Reyes bunted. But the throw to get the lead runner at second was high, and both runners were safe.

Cody Bohanek laid down a perfect bunt and beat it out to load the bases.

Kyle Marinconz walked to bring home the go-ahead run, then Hoffman induced a short fly ball to centre for the first out, but Anthony Borcato airmailed his throw to the plate that allowed Ashford to trot home.

Ashford was in full retreat to the bag at the time.

Another walk loaded the bases again and catcher Austin Guzzo cleared them with a double that licked the line in right.

The Cats got two on with two out in the eighth off Express reliever Bryce Hensley, repeated the effort in the ninth, but couldn’t managed to cut into the lead.

“It feels like maybe we fall of or we take it for granted and we can’t throw strikes late in the ballgame,” said No. 9 hitter Gui Gingras, who had three hits in four trips to the plate, driving home Mitch Bigras from second with a two-out single in the second to tie the game 2-2.

“We need to get our strikes and get outs late in the ballgame.”

The starting pitching was sparkling from both teams. Brandon Langon exited after six, giving up two runs on just two hits and three walks while striking out four. Austin Schulfer had an almost identical line, striking out two more batters for the Express.

Attendance was 774.

The Cats welcome the Mankato Moon Dogs on Saturday for the first of two to wrap up their six-game home-stand.



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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