Baycats Walk Off Panthers 4-3 in Extra Innings

Barrie, ON – The Barrie Baycats walked off the Kitchener Panthers 4-3 in ten innings. After tying the game in the bottom of the eighth, the extra-inning runner at second base meant Barrie was a hit away from a win, and they got that hit.

Juan Benítez was once again phenomenal, pitching eight strong innings and giving up three runs (two earned) with six strikeouts. That was Benítez’s fifth straight quality start, lowering his earned run average to 2.42.

Back-to-back third-inning singles from Hayden Jaco and Nolan Machibroda gave the Baycats an early lead. That was basically all the offence for most of the game. Noah Hull had a big game at the plate, going 3-for-4 and scoring a run.

The Panthers tied the game in the seventh and then took the lead in the eighth on a Ryan Burnside solo home run. The Baycats responded with a home run of their own; a solo blast from Ryan Rijo brought the crowd at Vintage Throne Stadium to their feet.

Carlos Sano came in to pitch the ninth and tenth innings. Sano picked up the win, striking out a pair. After Brad McQuinn came in to pinch run for Rijo at second base in the bottom of the tenth, Tyler Plumpton drove him in with a walk-off single to centre field.

Baycats Win 4-3