Baycats improve to 3-0 vs. Welland, 8-2 overall

Barrie, ON – If anyone thought the Barrie Baycats and Welland Jackfish would play a quiet Sunday afternoon baseball game, they were quickly proven wrong.

The two rivals combined for 25 runs and 31 hits in a wild back-and-forth affair at Welland Stadium, with the Baycats ultimately outlasting the Jackfish 14-11.

Barrie appeared to have the game firmly under control on multiple occasions, but Welland refused to go away, setting up a tense finish before the Baycats finally secured the victory.

The Baycats struck first in the third inning when Canice Ejoh launched a two-run home run to left field, scoring Wandy Ciprian and giving Barrie a 2-0 lead.

Welland answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning, but Barrie quickly regained momentum in the fourth. Clayton Keyes drove home Francisco Hernandez with an RBI single before a Welland error allowed another run to score. Noel McGarry Doyle later added an RBI single as Barrie pushed its advantage to 6-1.

The Jackfish chipped away in the fifth inning. A fielder’s choice by Daiki Abe, a groundout from Jonah Weisner, and an RBI double by Justin Gideon cut the deficit to 6-4.

Barrie responded immediately.

The Baycats scored once in the sixth on an RBI single from Ejoh before erupting for four more runs in the seventh. Hayden Jaco delivered an RBI double, and Brandon Hernandez followed with a two-run single as Barrie built what looked like a comfortable 10-4 lead.

An eighth-inning sacrifice fly by Francisco Hernandez extended the advantage to 11-4, but the game was far from over.

Welland exploded for six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Ethan Mann highlighted the rally with a two-run double, James Smibert added an RBI single, and Gideon delivered another clutch hit with a two-run double that suddenly made it an 11-10 game.

With momentum completely shifted, Barrie needed an answer and found one in the ninth.

Clayton Keyes, Wandy Ciprian, and Brandon Hernandez opened the inning with consecutive hits before Noel McGarry Doyle ripped a two-run double into left field. Moments later, a wild pitch brought home Canice Ejoh, extending the lead to 14-10 and providing crucial insurance runs.

Those extra runs proved necessary.

Brendan Luther led off the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run, but Carlos Sano settled in from there, retiring the next three hitters to secure the victory.

Barrie’s offense produced 14 runs on 18 hits in the win. Hernandez finished with three hits and three RBIs, Ejoh drove in three runs including his third-inning homer, while Doyle collected three hits and three RBIs. Ciprian reached base four times and scored three runs, while Keyes added three hits and two RBIs.

On the mound, Saul Vasquez earned the win after allowing four runs over five innings while striking out four. Breidy Encarnacion and Oscar Moreta bridged the middle innings before Sano recorded the final four outs for the save.

The victory improves Barrie’s record 3-0 vs the Jackfish this season, and 8-2 overall as they continue to sit atop the CBL standings.