Baycats Soar to Victory with Four Homers, Defeat Panthers 10-5

by Sam Aucoin

KITCHENER – The Barrie Baycats won their third in a row today with a 10-5 victory over the Kitchener Panthers. Juan Benítez was solid again and he got plenty of run support thanks to four Barrie home runs.

It was another low strikeout high-efficiency outing for Benítez as he went seven innings in the game surrendering just two runs (one earned) at a very hitter-friendly Jack Couch Park. The Baycats only used two pitchers in the game, which sets them up nicely for a couple more huge games this week.

Hayden Jaco got the Baycats out to an early lead with an absolute bomb to left field. His fourth home run of the season was a grand slam, making it 4-0 Barrie in the third inning. He had a very brief team lead in home runs with that shot to left.

It was brief because, in the very next inning, Nolan Machibroda came up with a pair of runners on and cranked his fourth big fly. A three-run homer that made it 8-0. 

Benítez handed things over to Braedan Pakkala in the eighth. Pakkala ran into some trouble in his two innings of work but a pair of solo blasts from Ryan Rijo and Brandon Hernandez extended the lead and the Baycats went on to win. That home run for Hernandez was his first as a Baycat, part of a three-hit day for the Barrie shortstop.

Baycats win 10-5.