Team News
Date: Aug 05, 2009
Border Cats Blast Beetles, Stifle Playoff Hopes
In front of the third largest crowd in team history, Alexandria's slim playoff hopes were all but dashed, as Thunder Bay peppered Matt Fyffe (Eastern Kentucky) in a 9-1 rout of the Beetles. Luis Castillo (Bellevue) benefited from four double plays in the first five innings, en route to his fourth win of the season.
The Border Cats led from start to finish, getting an two-RBI double from A.J. Schugel (Central Arizona CC) in the third inning. A Marcus Semien (Cal-Berkeley) error led to another 'Cats run in the fifth against Fyffe, before Thunder Bay broke the game open with a two-run sixth.
The first four reached in the top of the sixth, including a Curtis Wagner (Santa Clara) double. RBI's by Eli Tupuola (Viterbo) and Sean Claugherty (St. Scholastica) knocked the All-Star right-hander from the game after six innings of work.
In the eighth, with the deficit at 6-0, Alexandria mounted a rally against Castillo, ousting from the game after a pair of walks put runners at the corners.
Andy Omilian (Madonna) entered and gave up an RBI single to Mike O'Neill (USC), before walking Tim Roberson (FGCU) to load the bases. With two out, Omilian locked into a duel with Keith Castillo (USC) and on the eighth pitch of the at-bat, got Castillo to swing through a fastball, ending the inning and the threat.
For good measure, Thunder Bay tacked on three more runs in the ninth without recording a hit. Tom Kordiak (MSU-Mankato) walked the first three batters he faced in his Beetles debut, then hit another to bring in a run. A pair of wild pitches brought in the other two runs.
Alexandria would load the bases in the ninth, but come up empty handed.
