Nolan Machibroda capped a drama-filled game for the Barrie Baycats (19-10) with a walk-off single in the tenth inning to clinch a 6-5 win over the Kitchener Panthers (12-20) Saturday at Athletic Kulture Stadium.
It's Barrie's sixth straight win and second time this season with a winning streak of such length. The win also ends Kitchener's win streak which had reached three games
Baycats lefty Braeden Pakkala (1-0, 1.98 ERA) got his first IBL win with an emotionally-charged outing, and Panthers reliever Dakota Parsons (0-1, 7.62 ERA) took the loss.
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| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 2 |
 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 2 |
The grounds crew’s delay in preparing the field pushed the original 4:05 p.m. first pitch back by 16 minutes.
Kitchener had the bases loaded in the top of the third but Barrie got on the board first on an RBI triple by Adam Odd.
The Panthers had a quick answer in the fourth thanks to some poor defense by Baycats catcher Andrew Johnston. Yunior Ibarra stole second and Johnston's throw bounced into center field, allowing Ibarra to advance to third. Johnston had two throwing errors in the game and two pass balls.
In the fifth, Yosvani Penalver had an RBI single before scoring from second on a groundout by Charlie Towers on which Odd made an incredible diving snag and spinning throw from the seat of his pants to Rosado covering first.
Another Kitchener run came across in the sixth after an RBI single by Yosuke Fujie to make it 4-1. However, Francisco Hernandez and Machibroda drove in runs in the bottom half of the frame to bring the game back within one. Machibroda's hit was on his league-leading 13th double of the season.
Barrie tied in the seventh off a sacrifice bunt by Tyler Plumpton, who entered defensively for Johnston in the top half of the inning.
Noah Hull, who led off the inning with a walk, spotted an uncovered third base and advanced when Panthers pitcher Owen MacNeil tagged out Plumpton. He never broke stride, and a desperate throw from MacNeil sailed into left field, allowing Hull to score.
After Panthers designated hitter Trent Lawson drew a walk in the eighth, Jamie Cabral came in to pinch run.
A perfectly executed hit-and-run play allowed Cabral to reach third on a single by A.J. Karosas before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Yordan Manduley.
Kitchener held a 5-4 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, but Odd tripled again, leading to a game-tying sacrifice fly by Noel McGarry Doyle.
In the tenth, Baycats reliever Braeden Pakkala came on. With Fujie on second, Pakkala retired the side in order making his way back to the dugout with firey emotion so emphatic he incidentally hit Machibroda in the face while celebrating.
"I didn't have my best outing yesterday," Pakkala said postgame. "It was kind of like a sigh of relief that I'm still the pitcher I want to be."
Pakkala started for the Baycats affiliate team Friday in Kitchener, and took the loss in the game.
"Pak's on fire," Matlow said postgame. "He's living up to the big moments and he's excited about when he gets out there... he did exactly what we needed."
"I love the big moment," Pakkala added. "I want to be in those situations, I want to succeed in those situations and step up to whatever I'm needed for this team."
In the bottom of the tenth, Machibroda ended the game with a deep drive that landed out of the reach of centerfielder Runta Osawa.
Surprisingly, Machibroda nearly bunted in that situation.
"After [Dakota Parsons] blew the first fastball by me, it was going through my head, Machibroda said postgame. "I told Matlow 'if 'Cisco walks there, maybe I should put a bunt down.'"
"I just laughed at him," Matlow said.
Barrie's extra innings record is now 5-1, and the team is 6-3 in one-run games.
"This offense knows we're never out of a ball game with our bats," Machibroda said. "Our lineup's really tough to go through, one through nine."
Across Barrie's four walk-off wins, a different player has driven the winning run each time.
EJECTIONS
Controversy erupted in the top of the fifth inning after a pitch from Rosado hit Mateo Zeppieri.
Although it didn’t appear intentional, home plate umpire David Phillips issued warnings to both dugouts, prompting both managers to question the decision.
"It might have been a little premature," Matlow said. "It was pretty obvious it wasn't on purpose."
After Towers' 4-1 groundout, Ibarra was hit on the first pitch of his at-bat. Kitchener’s dugout called for Rosado to be ejected, but instead, Phillips ejected Towers and one of the Panthers’ coaches.
Kitchener reportedly saw indication that Rosado hit Ibarra intentionally and Phillips had threatened to eject two from Barrie's dugout.
Later in the game, Phillips ejected Carlos Sano from the Baycats dugout for an unspecified reason.
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM
MacNeil started the game for Kitchener, the third time in such a role in as many team games against Barrie this season.
After struggling in each of the first two outings, which accounted for both of his losses so far in his IBL career, he cruised this time around.
His seven innings match a career high and pitched efficiently aside from allowing three walks in the seventh.
COULD IT BE?
As frustration was mounting late in the game, Ryan Rijo frustratingly left the dugout and donned his full uniform and came back to the dugout with his bats.
He hasn’t played since June 14 after being diagnosed with myocarditis. However, neither he nor Matlow has ruled out a pinch-hit appearance.
KEY MOMENT
In the eighth inning with Karosas on first, Zeppieri singled to the right field corner and tried to stretch it into a double.
As Karosas was rounding third, Baycats right fielder Willy Garcia made a perfect throw to shortstop Brandon Hernandez to nail Zeppieri and end the inning.
The tag came just a few strides before Karosas reached home plate, preventing the run.
KEY STAT
A Barrie win or a Brantford loss will officially clinch the Baycats a playoff spot.
UP NEXT
The league's top names will gather for the 2025 IBL All-Star Showdown in Hamilton Sunday. Machibroda will be one of six Baycats players appearing in the game. He will also compete in the Home Run Derby.
Following the all-star festivities, the Baycats are on the road to face the Guelph Royals (12-18) Tuesday at David E. Hastings Stadium. Chris Torres (0-0, 13.50 ERA) will likely start against Jacob Kush (2-3, 2.81 ERA).
Kitchener faces the London Majors (18-11) on the road Friday. Yadian Martinez (5-6, 4.94 ERA) is the probable starter for Kitchener against London's Travis Keys (3-1, 2.18 ERA)
