Noah Hull shines, Baycats Crush Maple Leafs for Third Straight Win

Barrie, ON - The Barrie Baycats trailed 3-0 after one inning of play Wednesday night at Christie Pits Park. They would not trail for the rest of the night, going on to score thirteen unanswered runs, to crush the Toronto Maple Leafs by a final score of 13-3.

Frank Garcés took the ball for Barrie, making his second start of the season, both coming against the Maple Leafs.

Things didn’t start the way the Baycats would've wanted, as after Barrie went three up and three down in the top of the first inning, Toronto immediately jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, scoring three runs on four hits, headlined by a Marcus Knecht solo home run.

Garcés would settle down the rest of the way, though, as that would be the only runs allowed by not only Garcés, but the entire Barrie pitching staff the entire night.

Frank Garcés ended up going six innings, allowing three runs on nine hits, while only walking one and striking out six.

Relievers Oscar Moreta and Brad Grieveson would also contribute a combined three scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and striking out three.

The story of this game for the Baycats was the bats.

Barrie immediately responded to Toronto’s three-spot in the bottom of the first, putting up three runs of their own in the top of the second inning. Francisco Hernandez got the offensive party started with a solo home run to put Barrie on the board, which was then followed up by a Machibroda ten-pitch at bat where he was eventually hit by a pitch.

Catcher Wandy Ciprian responded by lacing a double to the outfield wall, and Noah Hull produced a clutch RBI infield single up the middle, which ended up cashing two runs after a wild throw allowed the second run to score on the play. 

In the top of the 4th inning, the Baycats would display their power. Third baseman Noah Hull and centre-fielder Canice Ejoh launched back-to-back homers, giving Barrie their first lead of the night at 5-3.

Amidst the offensive explosion for Barrie, not to be forgotten in the bottom of the fourth inning was a leaping grab at the wall by Baycats left fielder Noel McGarry Doyle, which looked like it could have left the ballpark. The catch saved a minimum of two, if not three runs for Barrie in a key turning point.

Two innings later in the 6th, Noah Hull was back at it again. After right-fielder Clayton Keyes roped a single to left field, Hull crushed his second homer of the night to the opposite field, to give Barrie some insurance and extend their lead to 7-3.

Little did the Baycats know, there would be PLENTY more insurance to come late.

In the top of the 9th inning, Barrie would continue to crush the baseball. They produced six more baserunners, including four hits, headlined by an absolute moonshot three-run home run for first baseman Nolan Machibroda, connecting for his second long ball of the year. 

Barrie tacked on a total of six runs in the frame, putting the game well out of reach, finishing with a statement on a night they dominated in all facets.

After a subpar defensive performance Tuesday night against Kitchener, the Baycats were also much more sound defensively in this one, making a number of highlight-reel plays, highlighted by the McGarry Doyle Catch.

Overall, Barrie exploded offensively for 13 runs on 12 hits, committing only one error. 

Frank Garcés picked up his second straight quality start, as well as his second win of the young season for Barrie, while Toronto reliever Rolando Hermida was charged with the loss.

The Baycats picked up their first road win of the season and their third consecutive victory overall, improving their record to 4-1 to sit atop the current CBL standings. The Maple Leafs, conversely, dropped their third straight contest, slipping to 1-3.

The Baycats are right back at it Thursday night when they travel to Welland to take on the Jackfish for the second time in a week’s span, after Barrie took the first contest 5-4 in extras. 

Saul Vasquez gets the start in that one for the Baycats, with the first pitch slated for 7:05 p.m. EST. The game can be streamed live on both YouTube and CBL TV.