Baycats Walk Off Leafs in Game 5 Thriller to Advance to Semifinals

Barrie, ON — The Barrie Baycats survived and advanced. In front of a raucous crowd at Athletic Kulture Stadium, the Baycats edged the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 on Wednesday night in a winner-take-all Game 5, clinching the opening-round series and booking their place in the IBL semifinals.

Barrie got on the board quickly in the bottom of the first when Noel McGarry Doyle singled and later came around to score. Tristan Clarke drove in another run with another  single, making it 2-0 early.

Toronto struggled to get much going against Barrie starter Juan Benitez until the sixth inning. Luca Boscarino drove in a run with a groundout, another scored on a throwing error, and Dennis Dei Baning added a sacrifice fly, putting the Leafs up 3-2 

The Baycats, however, wasted no time answering. In the bottom half of the sixth, Adam Odd crushed a two-run homer over the right-field fence to flip the score back in Barrie’s favour, 4-3.

The Leafs clawed back once again in the seventh. Jordan Castaldo ripped an RBI single tying the game 4-4. Reliever Ramon Henriquez limited the damage, and both bullpens locked in from there, setting the stage for a dramatic ninth inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, Barrie loaded the bases against Toronto’s Greg Carrington, who had entered in relief. With one out, cleanup hitter Nolan Machibroda delivered a deep fly ball to centre field, scoring the winning run from third and sending the Baycats into the semifinals with a 5-4 walk-off win.

Clarke finished the night 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, a double, and an RBI, while McGarry Doyle reached base three times, scoring twice and swiping a bag. 

On the mound, Benitez gave Barrie six steady innings, allowing just two earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts. Henriquez and Braedan Pakkala bridged the gap before Carlos Sano shut the door in the ninth, earning the win.

For Toronto, Castaldo led the way with two hits and an RBI, while starter Franklin Hernandez was dominant for stretches, striking out 11 Baycats hitters over 6.1 innings before the bullpen faltered.

The Baycats now advance to face the Hamilton Cardinals in the best-of-five semifinals. Game 1 is set for Friday, August 29, at Athletic Kulture Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 7:35 p.m.