Ciprian Walks It Off as Baycats Win Regular-Season Home Finale

Barrie, ON - The Barrie Baycats gave their home crowd one final regular-season celebration on Saturday afternoon, scoring twice in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers 4-3 in walk-off fashion.

Wandy Ciprian delivered the biggest moments of the afternoon for Barrie, driving in all four Baycats runs while finishing 2-for-4 with a home run. His two-run single with Barrie down to its final strike completed the comeback and sent the Baycats home crowd into celebration.

Barrie opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning. With Nolan Machibroda aboard, Ciprian launched a two-run home run to left field, giving the Baycats an early 2-0 advantage.

Chatham-Kent began to cut into the lead in the fourth when Yushin Ohta scored on a wild pitch, making it 2-1. The Barnstormers then moved in front an inning later as Ohta lined a two-run single to right field, scoring Julien Monks and Owen Constantineau to give Chatham-Kent a 3-2 lead.

From there, both pitching staffs kept the game scoreless through the eighth. Barnstormers starter Mizuki Akatsuka turned in a strong performance, allowing just two runs on four hits across eight innings while striking out 11 and issuing no walks.

The Baycats bullpen was equally effective in keeping Barrie within one. Oscar Moreta struck out three over a scoreless seventh before Boris Vecerka worked a hitless eighth. Carlos Sano then retired Chatham-Kent without allowing a hit in the ninth, giving the Baycats an opportunity to win it in their final trip to the plate.

Barrie took advantage.

Francisco Hernandez and Clayton Keyes reached base in the bottom of the ninth before Ryan Rijo was intentionally walked, setting the stage for Ciprian with the Baycats trailing 3-2. After falling behind 0-2 against Shane Gustafson, Ciprian battled and lined a hard ground-ball single into left field. Hernandez scored the tying run before Keyes came home with the winning run, completing the 4-3 walk-off victory.

Sano earned the win after his scoreless ninth inning, while Gustafson took the loss for Chatham-Kent. Barrie's pitching staff combined to allow six hits while striking out 10, with Moreta, Vecerka and Sano combining for three scoreless innings to close the game.

Ciprian finished with four RBI to lead the Baycats offence, accounting for every Barrie run with his second-inning homer and ninth-inning walk-off single.

The victory provided a memorable finish to the Baycats' final home game of the 2026 regular season, with Barrie sending its home crowd out with one more dramatic win before turning its attention toward the postseason.