Game two of the Highway 400 rivalry for 2025 in the IBL was fruitful for the Barrie Baycats (4-6), who got 18 hits en route to a 17-7 win at Christie Pits over the Toronto Maple Leafs (6-6).
"Sometimes the ball looks like a beach ball and other times it looks like a grape," said Baycats designated hitter Ryan Rijo postgame. "And it's kind of looking like a beach ball right now."
After Malik Williams extended the frame with a double, Rijo hit his fourth home run of the season in a four-run fourth inning that gave Barrie the lead, which it wouldn't relinquish.
"It's something about the energy here. My whole career, I've liked hitting at the Pits," Rijo said. "Anytime you can be the firecracker that gets the boys going, it's nice."
Rijo went three-for-four with a home run and three RBI, but nearly the entire lineup contributed offensively. All but one player reached base and scored a run for Barrie.
Toronto starter Luis Florentino gave up six unearned runs in his first IBL start. Three Maple Leafs errors contributed to Barrie scoring in the first, second and fourth innings.
Barrie put up another four-spot in the fifth inning with Rijo adding an RBI single after Willy Garcia and Brandon Hernandez drove runners in off Maple Leafs rookie reliever Eugene Lee who was charged with the loss.
Meanwhile, after some early trouble and allowing the Maple Leafs to take an early lead, Baycats starter Cesar Rosado settled in, picking up his second win of the season in a five-inning performance.
"Our pitching is always going to be stellar from our starters," said Baycats outfielder Nolan Machibroda postgame." We know they're going to give us their all out there and these bats are going to start heating up."
Barrie's starters have pitched to a 3.62 ERA through the first ten games of the season, while the club is posting a .784 OPS offensively.
Another crooked number was put up by the Baycats in the seventh, which included a three-run homer by Tristan Clarke, who celebrated with a bat flip and a kiss blown toward the Maple Leafs dugout.
"It was a unique situation, said the often-reserved Clarke postgame. "But I don't always do it."
Two more home runs came in the eighth when Noah Hull and Asafa Jones led off the inning with back-to-back shots off Jeremy Newton, each getting their first IBL home run after coming in for Williams and Rijo respectively.
"They're not bench players, they're just guys who are playing behind good players," said manager Josh Matlow postgame. "It was nice to get them some at-bats, but it was also nice to build that confidence for them."
"When Hully and Asafa hit their first as Baycats, that was awesome to see," said Machibroda. I said to the catcher, 'How do I top that, man? These guys just went back to back.' So, of course, I walked for the fifth time."
Machibroda reached base on all six of his plate appearances, getting a base hit and drawing five walks.
"I'm just seeing the pitches more and being more confident at the plate at the last couple of games," he said. "But they didn't give me much to hit tonight."
It's a welcome sight for Machibroda, who went 0-for-nine in his last two games with five strikeouts.
The offensive production came after a lineup change following former Baycat and leadoff hitter Noel McGarry-Doyle received a professional opportunity with Ottawa of the Frontier League. However, Matlow doesn't feel the changes were drastic.
"Nothing really changed. We just moved everyone up one. We don't have a typical leadoff [hitter]," he said. "They don't care where they're hitting. They just want to hit and I think that's the mentality we wanted tonight."
Adam Khan worked a four-inning save for his first in the IBL, despite allowing four earned runs on five hits.
"That wasn't the original plan, but when we went up I just said 'You've got to take it and save our guys for tomorrow and then keep some fresh for Saturday,'" said Matlow postgame.
KEY MOMENT
Malik Williams' two-RBI double in the fourth inning was the Baycats' first big hit and put them in the lead. He admired the blast thinking it was a home run but just barely didn't have the distance to leave Dominico Field.
STARTING PITCHERS
Barrie: Cesar Rosado (2-1): 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO
Toronto: Luis Florentino (1-0): 4 IP, 4 H, 6 R (0 ER), 6 BB, 4 SO
UP NEXT
Barrie plays Thursday night at home against Brantford (1-10), which will start rookie import Nicholai Arbach (0-0) against Baycats right-hander Juan BenÃtez (0-1), who hasn't pitched since May 31.
Toronto will have a road game in Hamilton on Friday. Starters TBD.
