Tristan Clarke homered twice and IBL debutant Tristan DesRochers got his first dinger in the Barrie Baycats' (16-10) 8-4 win over the Kitchener Panthers (9-19) Sunday at Jack Couch Park.
The win gives Barrie its third-straight win in as many days, while Kitchener lost its last four in as many days.
Baycats starter Cesar Rosado got his fourth win of the season in a five inning, 115-pitch outing. Panthers starter Owen MacNeil took his second loss, both against Barrie.
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| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 13 | 0 |
 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
The first run of the game came in on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Yosuke Fujie, but Barrie answered back, tying the game with Clarke's first home run of the game.
Mateo Zeppieri hit a two-run shot for the Panthers in the bottom half of the second, giving them a two run lead.
In the fourth, Noah Hull laid down a bunt, but Panthers pitcher Owen MacNeil made a wild throw toward third base. His thrown rolled toward the Panthers bullpen, allowing Willy Garcia and Clarke to score.
In the fifth, both Tristans homered for Barrie. DesRochers with his first in the IBL, and Clarke with his second of the game and eighth of the season.
Desrochers got the silent treatment in the dugout after his home run.
Clarke's eight homers lead the team, and put him two back of Welland's Robert Mullen for the league lead.
DesRochers and Alex Wickett added RBI singles for Barrie, and Zeppieri added another solo homer for Kitchener.
IBL DEBUT
DesRochers was pulled from batting practice from the Baycats' affiliate team's home game Sunday afternoon to join the IBL squad.
He was hitting .429 in 12 games across the 22U schedule with a home run, which also came in Kitchener during a provincial championship qualification tournament.
ALL-STAR MANAGER
With the win, the Baycats end the week before the All-Star Game as the top team in the league with players representing the North team.
Because of that, Matlow will be the North team's manager at Sunday's All-Star Game in Hamilton, a role he served last year in Welland.
ANOTHER EJECTION
Baycats outfielder Clayton Keyes was picked off first base by Panthers catcher Yunior Ibarra to end the top of the third inning.
He aggressively argued he call with first base umpire Jeff Rose, slamming his helmet down. He was ejected from the game, despite video evidence appearing to show he was safe.
Keyes is likely facing a suspension after his second ejection of the season. The first coming June 29 in Hamilton.
Rose is an umpire Keyes has a history with, according to the player. Rose was an umpire in Keyes' home province of Alberta before moving to the Intercounty, where Keyes saw him again when he was with the Cardinals in 2023.
HENRIQUEZ RELEASED
Henriquez was told about his release on the way back to Barrie from Kitchener.
The team brought him in with hopes of controlling his hard-throwing style, which had shown progression with this weekend with five shutout innings and eight strikeouts.
However, another import pitcher, Christopher Torres, is set to join the team soon, according to Matlow.
UP NEXT
Barrie hosts the Guelph Royals (11-16) Thursday.
Kitchener faces the Toronto Maple Leafs (12-15) on the road Wednesday.
