Royals use fourth-inning surge to hand Baycats 7-2 loss

Barrie, ON – For three innings, the Barrie Baycats and Guelph Royals were locked in a scoreless pitchers' duel Monday night. One inning later, the complexion of the game had completely changed.

The Royals took advantage of a pair of Baycats defensive miscues and launched two home runs in a four-run fourth inning, powering Guelph to a 7-2 victory at Athletic Kulture Stadium.

Barrie starter Juan Mejia was sharp early, retiring six of the first seven batters he faced while striking out four through the opening three innings. Guelph starter Elvin Liriano matched him, working out of a first-inning jam after the Baycats put two runners aboard with one out.

The game's turning point came in the top of the fourth.

After Antony Gilbert reached on a throwing error, Miguel Hiraldo opened the scoring with a two-run home run to left field. Later in the inning, another Baycats error allowed Matthew Ward to reach base before Andy Leader followed with a two-run homer of his own, suddenly giving Guelph a 4-0 lead.

Barrie struggled to generate offense against Liriano, who kept the Baycats off the scoreboard through the first four innings despite allowing baserunners in several frames.

The Baycats finally broke through in the fifth. Brandon Hernandez singled and eventually came around to score on a passed ball, cutting the deficit to 4-1.

Mejia settled in after the rough fourth inning, retiring nine of the next ten batters he faced and keeping Barrie within striking distance. However, the Royals added an important insurance run in the seventh when Ward connected for a solo home run to left field, extending the lead to 5-1.

Barrie responded in the bottom half of the inning. Hernandez led off with a double before Canice Ejoh lined an RBI single to right field, bringing the Baycats back within three runs at 5-2.

That would be as close as Barrie would get.

The Baycats threatened again in the eighth, loading the bases with one out after singles from Adam Odd and Francisco Hernandez and walks to Noah Hull and Clayton Keyes. Guelph reliever Kyle Thomas escaped the jam, getting a popout and a groundout to preserve the three-run advantage.

The Royals put the game away in the ninth. Matthew Ward reached on a throwing error and later scored before Antony Gilbert added an RBI single, stretching the lead to 7-2.

Barrie collected nine hits in the loss, with Hernandez leading the way with two hits, including a double, and a run scored. Adam Odd also reached base three times, while Ejoh drove in one of the Baycats' two runs.

Mejia was charged with the loss, allowing five runs, though only three were earned, over seven innings while striking out six. Defensive miscues proved costly, as Barrie's three errors directly contributed to several Guelph scoring opportunities.

The loss drops the Baycats to 8-3 on the season, snapping their three game winning streak, while the Royals improved to 4-6.

Barrie will look for immediate revenge, when they travel to Guelph on Tuesday night to take on the Royals. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. EST.