Hernandez bros. combine for homer, game-saving catch in Baycats' 3-2 win over Hamilton

CANADIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE
Hamilton 000 200 000— 2 7 0
Barrie   000 003 00x— 3 9 1

     Ramirez, Warkentin (BS, L,0-1) (6), Adames (7) and Magill;
Garcés (W,5-2), Večerka (8), Sano (S,2) (9) and Ciprian.
HRs: Ham — Dominguez (8); Bar — Ciprian (5), F. Hernandez (6).

One brother gave the Barrie Baycats the lead. The other made sure they kept it.

Francisco Hernandez's two-run home run in the sixth inning gave the team the lead before Brandon Hernandez's leaping catch preserved it in the eighth, carrying Barrie (20-11) to a 3-2 win over the Hamilton Cardinals (18-12) on Thursday at Athletic Kulture Stadium.

The two teams entered Thursday separated by half a game between third and fourth in the CBL standings.

Trailing 2-0 entering the sixth, Barrie got on the board with Wandy Ciprian's solo homer before Francisco Hernandez drove Logan Warkentin's (0-1) fastball over the wall in left-centre to take the lead.

"I've been kind of struggling the last few weeks," Francisco Hernandez stated postgame. "I just tried to keep it simple — just thinking line drive up the middle — and good things happen when I keep it simple."

Hamilton's best chance to answer didn't come until the eighth inning. With two out and two runners in scoring position, a line drive hit by Carlos Dominguez seemed poised to land in left field and give Hamilton the lead once again.

However, Brandon Hernandez timed his leap perfectly, reaching above his head to steal what looked like a go-ahead hit.

"Huge game changer," his brother said of the catch. "If that defensive play did not happen, then we probably wouldn't have won this game."

Dominguez was frozen in disbelief as the crowd roared in favour of Barrie. The Baycats shortstop took that opportunity to soak it all in.

"I was just kinda embracing the moment," Brandon Hernandez said postgame. "I felt like I was floating for a bit, so when I got down I looked around, saw everybody going crazy. It felt really good."

The Cardinals also brought the tying run within 90 feet of scoring in the ninth against Carlos Sano, who shut down the threat to convert his second save of the season.

Baycats manager Josh Matlow said after taking issue with the team's effort during a 6-2 loss in Guelph on Wednesday, Brandon Hernandez's grab turned things around.

"Once that kind of happened, the energy was back up and the boys were into it," he said postgame. "That's all I asked from them."

Dominguez had the two-run home run that gave Hamilton the lead in the fourth. He, Brandon Nicoll, and Jaden Brown also doubled.

Frank Garces (5-2) bounced back from Friday's loss, going seven innings and allowing just two earned runs on five hits while striking out six.

Hamilton starter Luis Ramirez went 5+ innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out six. One of those hits he allowed was Ciprian's homer to lead off the sixth, but Matlow said it got everything in motion.

"Wandy got us on the board with that one and then all of a sudden it became a game again and woke everybody up," he said.

Matlow said he'd still prefer to see the Baycats manufacture runs rather than rely on the longball, even though the two homers moved Barrie into a tie for the CBL lead.

"I'd like to get back to the small ball and moving guys... but sometimes that's what it takes and that's what it took tonight."

UP NEXT

The two teams rematch on Friday in Hamilton for the second game of a home-and-home set. The CBL's top two strikeout pitchers will start; Saul Vasquez (4-1, 4.83 ERA) for Barrie and Hector Yan (3-1, 2.58) for Hamilton.

"We expect another good game," Matlow said. "[Hamilton is] a really good team... and we expect it to be a dog fight in their park."