Frank Garcés outdueled Owen Boon in a matchup of two of the best pitchers in the IBL, helping the Barrie Baycats win 7-1 over the Hamilton Cardinals and take a 2-0 lead in their semifinal series Sunday at Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium.
It was the third all-time matchup between the two veteran arms, and the first win head-to-head for the Dominican left-hander. The first, in 2023, ended in a no-decision for both pitchers when Boon was with London. The second ended with Boon getting the win May 30 in Hamilton despite Garcés' complete game.
Boon allowed four runs (two earned) on nine hits while striking out four over 5.2 innings. Meanwhile, Garcés went seven scoreless innings, allowing seven hits and striking out six. Neither pitcher walked a batter.
"He sets a tone for sure," Baycats manager Josh Matlow said postgame. "It's a long season and he's not 100 per cent, but he's playoff Frank, so he did what we needed him to do."
BARRIE LEADS SERIES 2-0
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 1 |
 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 5 |
RECAP
For the third straight game, Barrie scored in the first inning, due in part to some poor defence by the Cardinals.
Francisco Hernandez then reached on an error by Cardinals second baseman Tommy Reyes-Cruz, who dropped a throw from shortstop Brandon Nicoll attempting to turn a double play.
Nolan Machibroda took advantage and hit a two-run double to right field, scoring Brandon and Francisco Hernandez. The Baycats first baseman knows his performances mean more in these high-stakes contests.
"It's a playoffs, stats don't matter right now," Machibroda said postgame. "I'm just trying to do whatever to win a ball game out there and if I got to get a big hit, I got to get a big hit."
Noah Hull singled in the top of the second, and later scored on the first of two wild pitches by Boon, who neglected to cover the plate on the play.
Garcés was the beneficiary of some highlight-reel defence, with the first such play coming in the second when Brandon Hernandez dove and made a mid-air catch to take a hit away from Jommer Hernandez.
Hamilton's ace then started the third with a throwing error, allowing Machibroda to advance to second after a leadoff bunt single. The error eventually led to Machibroda scoring on an RBI single by Hayden Jaco.
Barrie had baserunners in every inning except the sixth against Boon, unlike his previous outing against Barrie in which he allowed just three hits and one walk in eight innings.
Another incredible defensive play happened in the sixth for Barrie when McGarry Doyle made a diving catch in the right-center field alley to rob a hit from Yolki Peña, and likely save a run.
Despite the high effort on the play, McGarry Doyle gave the credit to left fielder Tristan Clarke, who gave him a micro adjustment in the moment.
"He's able to read other players and read their swings well, and he kind of set me up to kind of in the right-center gap to make the play there," McGarry Doyle said postgame.
McGarry Doyle's offensive performance was just as good: three-for-four with a sacrifice bunt. His .429 postseason average leads the team.
"My family always called me Ignite," he added. "When I can get the ball moving early on in the game, I feel like I really set a tone for not just myself, but for the whole team."
Logan Warkentin relieved Boon in the sixth and allowed another run on an RBI groundout by Francisco Hernandez. He and Machibroda each lead the team in postseason RBI with seven.
Hamilton finally scored in the eighth for the first time in 19 consecutive innings. Niko Kekatos drove in Tyler Duncan off Braedan Pakkala, but Jaco threw out Nicoll at home plate from right field to end the inning. Kekatos finished the game four-for-four with an RBI.
Barrie added two more off Chris Boatto in the ninth. One came in off another error by Reyes-Cruz, followed by a sacrifice fly by Jaco. The extra insurance runs prompted Baycats manager Josh Matlow to divert from using closer Carlos Sano, and let Pakkala pitch through the ninth.
"[Sano] can go more than one inning, he's typically a starter when he plays in Nicaragua," Matlow said. "We didn't want to overuse him if we don't have to. If it's a five run game we still treat it as a three run game... we don't want to play with our food."
Hamilton scored 20 runs in the first two games against Chatham-Kent, but has managed just one run in the first two games against Barrie.
Now, Barrie has a chance to clinch its third straight IBL Finals berth with a win at home Tuesday in game three.
DUNCAN'S STRUGGLES
Cardinals center fielder Tyler Duncan was one-for-four Sunday, with his only hit coming off Pakkala. He struck out three times against Garcés, who has been historically dominant against him.
After Sunday's result, the 2023 IBL MVP is five-for-26 with 13 strikeouts in seven career games against the Baycats' ace.
In the quarterfinals against Chatham-Kent, he went six-for-18 with a home run, but he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Friday against Barrie.
PLAYOFF FRANK
Baycats starter Frank Garcés has pitched so well this season, it seems he becomes the story of every game he starts. But also, sometimes he's so good the defence gets too relaxed, like on one of Kekatos' singles to right field in the fourth.
"I got caught sleeping there in the fourth. Got a ball whiz past me because I thought he was on cruise control," Machibroda said. "I wasn't really paying attention, I was just daydreaming over there."
Garcés has pitched 23 innings over three starts so far in the 2025 playoffs, only allowing four earned runs, 14 hits, and six walks. He's struck out 34 batters in that span, nearing his playoff career high of 46 in 2018. Cardinals pitching coach Angel Castro holds the IBL single-playoff record with 54 in 2022 while pitching for Toronto.
UP NEXT
Game three is Tuesday at Athletic Kulture Stadium. Juan Benítez (0-1, 4.90 ERA) will start for Barrie and Hamilton will start Freisis Adames (0-0, 6.75 ERA).
AROUND THE INTERCOUNTY
SERIES TIED 1-1
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | x | 8 | 11 | 0 |
