The Barrie Baycats' game at home against the Kitchener Panthers on Saturday afternoon was postponed due to poor field conditions and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader in Kitchener on Sunday.
Heavy rains had forced the cancellation of both teams' pregame batting practice session, and after some areas of the field were mended, first pitch was set to take place on time at 4:08 p.m. But as the skies darkened just before 4 p.m., the game was subsequently delayed by half an hour just minutes before first pitch.
The tarp was then placed on the field moments later, right before another torrential downpour. As the rain ceased and sun shone on the field, first pitched was once again delayed to 6:08.
However, around 45 minutes before the new start time, the City of Barrie-employed grounds crew refused to continue repairing the field, putting an end to hopes for the game to be played at Athletic Kulture Stadium.
Saturday's scheduled starters — Barrie's Saul Vasquez (4-1, 4.55 ERA) and Kitchener's Dionys Rodriguez (1-2, 5.48) — will start Sunday in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader. The two teams will rematch later in the day with Barrie sending Hayden Jaco (1-0, 0.00) to the mound against Kitchener's Trey Cruz (0-1, 13.50), making his second CBL start.
Barrie has lost each of its last three after falling to the Jackfish on the road on Thursday 7-3. It will be the home team for one of the two games Sunday at Jack Couch Park.
Since firing second-year manager Pete Kiefer this week, the Panthers are 2-0 under interim skipper Shanif Hirani, also the team's general manager.
The Baycats sat fourth in the CBL entering Sunday, 4.5 games back of first-place London. Meanwhile, the Panthers are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, 8.5 games back of fifth-place Guelph.
For the Baycats, this is the eighth game postponed this season due to unplayable conditions as a result of weather or poor air quality.
