BAYCATS BEAT MAPLE LEAFS IN WILD OPENING DAY
BARRIE — It took until the final inning but the Barrie Baycats won a wild and exciting game in their home opener by a final score of 11-10.
Today’s Baycats hero was Ryan Rijo who delivered a walk-off single bringing in Starlin Rodriguez for an epic finish. Barrie scored five runs in the last inning as part of their seven-run comeback. Brandon Hillier got the win in relief pitching a scoreless inning.
After the win, the Baycats are now 1-0 on the season and have a lot of momentum heading into Sunday’s game against the Brantford Red Sox.
“It just shows the grit that we have,” said Rijo. “We do have a young group but we also have a lot of fire and a lot of talent and a lot of heart.”
“It happened so fast,” said Baycats Manager and President Josh Matlow. “It just clicked in the ninth,” added Matlow.
Catcher Tyler Plumpton had to leave the game in the bottom of the fourth inning with an undisclosed injury when sliding into home.
As mentioned above, the next game for the Barrie Baycats will be this Sunday afternoon against the Brantford Red Sox at Vintage Throne Stadium. First pitch is at 3:05. Get your tickets here.
Sam Aucoin is the team's game day writer for the 2023 season.