Majors struggle against Baycats

Written was Dan Haugh / Matt Hiscox photography 

The Barrie Baycats defeated the London Majors by a score of 8-6 on Sunday night at Labatt Park to take a 2-0 lead in their semi-final series.

The Baycats led 6-0 after five innings on the strength of two three-run rallies in the fourth and fifth innings. London put together a couple of late-inning rallies of their own, but it turned out to be too little too late.

Victor Payano, who recorded two wins in London's first round series win over the Hamilton Cardinals, started on the mound and kept Barrie off the scoreboard for three innings. It was in the fourth and fifth innings when the Baycats took the 6-0 lead.

Daniel Gore. Braeden Ferrington, Skylare Janisse and Jonathan Henry pitched one inning each in relief of Payano who took the loss.

Barrie starting pitcher Cesar Rosado notched his second win of the 2024 postseason with a very solid 11 strikeout performance. He allowed three runs on six London hits.

London got one run back in the bottom of the sixth inning when Kaiden Cardoso tripled into the right field corner scoring Gibson Krzeminski who had reached base on a single earlier in the inning.

Two more London runs in the seventh inning made the score 6-3 for Barrie. Kaiden Cardoso who went three-for-five at the plate singled home Brad Verhoeven and Vicrot Plaz. Verhoeven had entered the game as a pinch runner for Cleveland Brownlee who led off the inning with a single. Plaz had gotten aboard when he was hit by a pitch.

Entering the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 8-3 London put up a valiant effort to claw their way back into the game.

 With one out in the ninth Krzeminski and Cardoso had back-to-back singles. They both came home to score when Byron Reichstein ́s fly ball was mishandled by Barrie left fielder Nolan Marchibroda. Reichstein came in to score when Champ Garner reached on an error by the Barrie shortstop Brandon Hernandez. That brought the tying run to the plate, but the Majors were unable to extend the rally, and they fell to the Baycats by an 8-6 score.

Kaiden Cardoso led the London attack with three hits and three RBI. Gibson Krzeminski had two hits and two runs scored. Tristan Osika, Cleveland Brownlee and Starling Joseph had one hit each.

The London Majors will travel to Barrie on Labour Day Monday for a do-or-die game three with the Baycats leading the series 2-0.

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If a fourth game is necessary it will be played Wednesday night at 7:35 at Labatt Park, the home of the best hamburgers and hot dogs in the IBL.