Baycats' late rally falls short in 3-2 home loss to Chatham-Kent

The offensive punch came too little, too late, for the Barrie Baycats (5-2) who lost their first game at home on Saturday afternoon 3-2 to the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers (2-3).

Five of the Baycats' nine hits came in the last third of the game, but they left four runners on base in that span, coming up short on another late-game rally that earned them two wins this week.

"If you told me they had five hits and three runs in our house, the way we've been playing, I would have told you we won by 10," Baycats manager Josh Matlow told Barrie360 postgame. "We need to execute better."

Barrie entered on a four-game win streak, including three one-run games, while Chatham-Kent had lost three in a row.

Barnstormers starter Yuri O'Connor-Yokoyama allowed just three hits over five shutout innings while striking out one, earning his first win of the season.

Offensively, it was Greyson Barrett's RBI single in the eighth inning that provided what proved to be a valuable insurance run before Barrie finally got on the board a half-inning later. The Barnstormer's designated hitter knocked in two of his team's three runs.

Despite the loss, Juan Mejia impressed in his second start for the Baycats, allowing two unearned runs on three hits through seven innings while striking out eight. He also walked one and hit a batter.

"Juan's kept us in every ball game he's pitched in," Matlow said. "He gave up a couple early runs, I his last one or two, and then he settles in. He could have probably gone eight or nine innings if we wanted to push him, but he did everything we asked, and it wasn't on him. Our bats just weren't hot today."

CANADIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE
Chatham-Kent 200 000 010 3 5 1
Barrie       000 000 020 2 9 3

     O'Connor-Yokoyama (W, 1-0), Buckley (6), Akatsuka (7), Kurikka (8, S,1);
Mejia (L,2-0), Moreta (8), Pakkala (9).
HRs: Ckb — None; Bar — Ejoh (3).

Both of the unearned runs came in the first inning, which was extended after Mejia fielded a groundball and threw it away into center field in an attempt to turn an inning-ending double play.

Barrett, the next batter, drove in the first run on a groundout before Mitsuki Fukuda blooped a double down the left field line to make it 2-0.

Mejia's error was one of three the team committed on Saturday.

Defence has been a chronic issue for the Baycats throughout May, despite the winning record. The team has committed 14 errors over its first seven games, although some kind scorekeeping from Thursday's 11-10 loss in Welland prevented that total from being closer to 20.

"We came in early and got some extra work in, infielders, everything," Matlow explained. "It's funny because it happened to be the pitcher who threw it away and caused an error that was the difference in the game. It's a shame because he pitched really well. It was just a matter of a few things like that that end up losing us the game."

Both of Barrie's losses have been due in part to unearned runs following errors. On May 14 in London, all four of the runs the team allowed were unearned and Mejia took the loss in relief.

The Baycats had an opportunity to answer back in the bottom half of the inning, but a baserunning mistake ended the inning.

With Brandon Hernandez on second base, Ryan Rijo hit a high-hopping infield single against the shift. However, as Hernandez got to third, he rounded the bag farther than normal and eventually slipped after committing to home plate. A heads-up play by Barnstormers shortstop Evan Morrison forced the issue, which ended in Hernandez being tagged out to end the inning.

O'Connor-Yokoyama retired 12 of the next 14 batters he faced before ceding the mound to the bullpen.

At the same time, Mejia faced the minimum between the second and fifth innings, only allowing a hit in the sixth before being removed.

Chatham-Kent's insurance run crossed home plate in the eighth after Morrison singled off Oscar Moreta, stole second, and Barrett drove him in with another single two batters later.

Barrie's comeback attempt found steam in the next half-inning when Kristyan Puyol-Genossar led off with a double—his first career CBL hit—and Canice Ejoh hit a two-run home run two batters later.

It's Ejoh's third consecutive game with a homer, and it was part of a 3-for-4 performance.

Konsta Kurikka eventually earned his first CBL save for the Barnstormers, shutting down the middle of the Baycats order over the final four outs of the ballgame. That included strikeouts of Nolan Machibroda and Adam Odd.

"Nine out of 10 times if that scenario happens, we're at least tying the game," Matlow said."

With Francisco Hernandez singling to lead off the ninth and advancing on a wild pitch to put the tying run in scoring position, Matlow says he would've liked to see a better approach from the following three hitters.

"I know every guy wants to, be the hero and hit the walk-off home run, but even a ground ball to the right side would have worked a little bit and got him in, he said. "It wouldn't have been terrible if Machibroda put down a bunt."

EJECTION DRAMA

Clayton Keyes was ejected by umpire Ryan Herron after appearing to exchanging words with first baseman Owen Constantineau after a third-inning groundout.

"It was just petty," Matlow explained. "There was a little bit of jarring going back and forth with their first baseman. They just met at the wrong time, I guess. It was just an early ejection, but we've got to keep our composure too let them rattle us. Finally, Keyes gets in the starting lineup, and I would like to see him play a full game and show out."

Keyes was in the lineup after Noel McGarry Doyle suffered a minor leg injury on Thursday in Welland and was sat for precautionary reasons.

"He's just a little beat up, obviously," Matlow added. "A lot of baseball in a row, and we thought it was a perfect spot to give him and Wandy (Ciprian) a little bit of a break. Wandy's caught the last three, and unfortunately, without those bats in the lineup, we were a little flat."

Two innings later, a close play at first base on a groundout was disputed by Barnstormers center fielder Austin Gurney, who was ejected after reportedly insulting Herron after his call.

UP NEXT

Barrie looks to avenge its loss to the Barnstormers again on Thursday with Juan Benítez (0-0, 3.00 ERA) expected to start for the Baycats.

Chatham-Kent hosts the Brantford Red Sox on Sunday afternoon.