Barrie claims fourth extra-innings victory of season in 11-10 thriller over Chatham-Kent

The Baycats sure love exciting finishes, and Thursday may have been the been the best so far.

After being down by as many as five runs, Barrie came back for a thrilling 11-10 win in 10 innings over the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers at Athletic Kulture Stadium.

Adam Odd's broken bat single drove in the winning run in extras after his team tied the game in the ninth inning with a three-run frame. Until that point, Barrie had trailed virtually the entire game.

The single, which came in his sixth at bat of the game, came in the nick of time to extend his season-opening hit streak to six.

CANADIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE
Chatham-Kent 313 021 000 0 10 12 2
Barrie       204 000 103 1 11 17 2

     Mercadier, Akatsuka (4), Kurikka (8), Pettipiece (9, L,0-1);
Benítez, Vasquez (5), Pakkala (7), Sano (10, W,4-0).
HRs: Ckb — Barrett (3), Kucera (1); Bar — McGarry Doyle (1), Rijo (1).

Much like Saturday afternoon, the Barnstormers scored early, this time with a three-run home run by Greyson Barrett, which got a little help from Canice Ejoh. The Baycats center fielder settled under the routine flyball on the warning track, but the ball went in his glove before popping out and over the fence for a homer.

Ejoh scored in the bottom half of the frame on a two-run shot from Noel McGarry Doyle, his first of homer the season in his first at bat after taking the previous game off due to injury.

Chatham-Kent kept adding on, however. Lee Kucera's first hit of the season drove in a run in the second before he lined a three-run homer over the left field fence in the third to make it 7-5.

Another answer for Barrie came in the third with an RBI single from McGarry Doyle before Ryan Rijo blasted a three-run homer to right field, his first of the season and first since a midseason health scare in 2025.

Barnstormers starter Thibault Mercadier's season struggles continues in what was his third start of the season, allowing six earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three in just three innings.

The four-run third was all Barrie could muster for a while. In the meantime, the Barnstormers got an RBI double from Owen Constantineau in the fifth before he scored minutes later on a passed ball by Baycats catcher Wandy Ciprian. Then, Barrett drove in another with a double in the sixth.

It may have been the roughest outing in the IBL/CBL career of Baycats starter Juan Benítez, who allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 11 hits, while striking out four in four innings.

Barrie's comeback attempt began in the seventh inning, down 10-6 when Nolan Machibroda drove one in with his second hit of the game. He scored again in the ninth on an RBI single by Brandon Hernandez before McGarry Doyle drove another in two batters later.

Two errors by Barnstormers shortstop Thomas Green kept Barrie in the game, including a misplay off the bat of Edgar Figueroa which could've been a game-ending double play, but instead allowed Hernandez to score and tie the game at 10.

Baycats reliever Braeden Pakkala was able to keep the visitors at bay in what were three clutch shutout innings between the seventh and ninth innings. He then ceded the mound to Carlos Sano, who in his fourth extra innings appearance of the season, stranded the automatic runner en route to his fourth win of the season.

Odd's bat shattered on his game winning single, sending the ball into a tough area for Chatham-Kent's defence and giving pinch runner Brendon Daley a chance to score the winning run.

In their first eight games of the season, Barrie has played in four extra-innings games and won each of them, three of them coming at home.

UP NEXT

The Baycats face the Brantford Red Sox for the first time this season on Friday night on the road. Frank Garcés (2-0, 3.38 ERA) will start for Barrie, while Brantford will send Jose Arias (0-0, 9.00 ERA) to the mound.

Chatham-Kent hosts the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon.