Baycats Surge Past Jackfish 5-4 with Late-Game Comeback

BARRIE – In big games, your best players have to show up, and that is what happened tonight as the Barrie Baycats defeated the Welland Jackfish 5-4. Strong pitching on both sides led to a late-game back-and-forth battle, and thanks to big hits from Canice Ejoh and Hayden Jaco, the Baycats secured a huge win.

Barrie got off to a quick start as, on the second pitch thrown by Jackfish starter Ben Abram, Ejoh walloped it to right field for a solo home run that made it 1-0. Then, in the fifth, with the game still at 1-0, Adam Odd smacked one off Abram that sneaked over the right-centre field fence to make it 2-0.

Abram, who was up against Frank Garcés, was dominant once again for Welland. Through six innings, he had kept the Baycats to just two runs. Garcés matched him, though. Up until the top of the seventh, Frank had not allowed a run on five hits.

However, in that seventh inning, the Jackfish woke up offensively and scored four runs, capped by a Steven Moretto two-run home run to put Welland on top 4-2. All four runs crossed before Barrie recorded an out.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Baycats answered right back, feeding off the energy of what was an amazing crowd at Vintage Throne Stadium. So much so that they even got the wave going a few times.

With Tyler Plumpton and Brandon Nicholson on base, Ejoh came up again, and after being down 0-2, he fought back to bring the count to 3-2. The tension built as the chants of “Let’s Go Baycats” grew louder. Those chants would be answered as Ejoh smashed one into the right-centre gap, plating both runs and tying the game.

Mike Mueller came in to relieve Ben Abram and retired the first two batters he faced, but to finish an inning, you need three outs. Up came Hayden Jaco, who, before his seventh-inning at-bat, was 0-3. On a 2-1 count, Jaco made up for all of that by ripping one through the right side, bringing in Ejoh for the lead.

Carlos Sano came in for the six-out save.

Baycats win 5-4.