Rosado Fans 13 as Baycats Blank Cardinals in Game 1

Barrie, ON — The Barrie Baycats started their semifinal series with a statement win Friday night, defeating the Hamilton Cardinals 5-0 at Athletic Kulture Stadium. Behind a masterful performance from starter Cesar Rosado and timely hitting from the top of the order, Barrie now holds a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

Rosado (1-0) was nearly untouchable, striking out 13 Hamilton hitters across six innings – a career high – while scattering just three hits and one walk. He worked ahead in the count all night and finished with 99 pitches, 61 of them for strikes. The veteran right-hander retired the side in order three times and struck out the final two batters he faced in the sixth to preserve the shutout.

Ramon Henriquez handled the final three innings and was just as sharp, fanning four while keeping Hamilton hitless to earn the save. Together, the duo combined for 17 strikeouts — one of the most dominant pitching performances of the 2025 Baycats’ season.

At the plate, Barrie struck early and never looked back. In the bottom of the first, Noel McGarry Doyle singled and later scored on a Francisco Hernandez sac fly to open the scoring. Brandon Hernandez later scored on a Tristan Clarke RBI groundout, and the Baycats led 2-0 after one.

The second inning brought more trouble for Hamilton starter Enrique Saldana, who walked three batters and was hurt by defensive miscues behind him. McGarry Doyle drove in another run on an error and Franklin Hernandez followed with a single to make it 4–0.

From there, Barrie’s pitching and defense controlled the game. Brandon Hernandez added an RBI double in the sixth to extend the lead to 5-0, but it was more than enough for Rosado and Henriquez.

McGarry Doyle finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, and an RBI. Brandon Hernandez also went 2-for-3 with a double, RBI, and walk, while Francisco Hernandez drove in a team-high two runs.

Hamilton struggled to find answers offensively, mustering just three singles — one each from Carlos Dominguez, Josh Williams, and Yoki Pena. They left six runners on base and struck out in nearly two-thirds of their outs.

Defensively, Hamilton’s four errors proved costly, with only two of Barrie’s five runs going in the books as earned.

With the win, Barrie moves within two victories of advancing to the league finals. Game 2 will be played Sunday afternoon in Hamilton at 2:05 p.m. before the series returns to Barrie on Tuesday night for Game 3.