Intercounty Basbeall League (ON)

News: Sidearm Stories: A Saturday in Barrie

By Carlos VerdeSometimes, the Intercounty surprises you.So it was that Michael Nellis and I — longtime friends dating back to our teenage days ‘reporting’ on the long-defunct Ottawa FatCats — ended up in Barrie on Saturday afternoon, taking in a game that didn’t hold a ton of promise between the middling Baycats and the struggling…

Published

3 months ago

June 21, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

By Carlos Verde

Sometimes, the Intercounty surprises you.

So it was that Michael Nellis and I — longtime friends dating back to our teenage days ‘reporting’ on the long-defunct Ottawa FatCats — ended up in Barrie on Saturday afternoon, taking in a game that didn’t hold a ton of promise between the middling Baycats and the struggling Brantford Red Sox.

What followed was nothing short of a classic IBL contest, a 12-11 extra-inning affair won by the hosts — featuring two Ryan Rijo home runs and a litany of errors — in front of an energetic crowd.

Vintage Throne Stadium, the Baycats’ home a few clicks northwest of the city, is a classic: Beverages are sold from underneath a tent in right field, wooden bleachers extend down both foul lines and the PA voice crackles over the loudspeaker.

In many ways, it feels like a step back in time. It’s easy to imagine this rural park, flanked by forest on one side and a community baseball complex on the other, playing host to Rookie-level minor league baseball a few decades ago.

The prices, too, are a throwback: $10 tickets, with jerseys available for as little as $39 on the merch rack and drinks — including a dangerously smooth spiked lemonade — are available underneath the tent for $8.

On the field, the jury is somewhat out on the Baycats (8-5, third place).

The bad: Watching aging right-hander Emilis Guerrero fail to make it out of the second inning — surrendering 10 hits to last-place Brantford in the process — felt like a funeral march, the end of a long procession that began in affiliated ball way back in 2006.

The good: Barrie went 3-for-3 last week, Ryan Rijo can still crush the baseball and his football hand-off celebration featuring Barrie’s third base coach is downright hilarious.

Very bad: The Baycats committed eight (8!) errors.

Very good: They still gutted out a bullpen game in which they stretched Adam Khan for five innings and Brad Grieveson for three.

It’s clear that Josh Matlow and the Baycats’ front office care about their in-game experience: There’s a boatload of local sponsors and promotional nights, a robust media team and an energetic in-game host.

Any baseball fan owes it to themselves to make a weekend trip to the ballpark north of Barrie — if for no other reason than a throwback experience surrounded by passionate fans.

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Intercounty Basbeall League (ON)

News: IBL PLAYOFF ROUNDUP: Jackfish wins first IBL championship

BARRIE – The Intercounty Baseball League’s top regular season team was also the IBL’s best in the playoffs, as the Welland Jackfish blew out Barrie 17-1 on Saturday to clinch its first Dominico Cup title. Welland, after dropping the series’ first two games, won the next four in the best-of-seven series. Welland starting pitcher and playoff MVP…

Published

1 week ago

September 16, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

Welland, after dropping the series’ first two games, won the next four in the best-of-seven series.

Welland starting pitcher and playoff MVP James Bradwell allowed an unearned run over 7.2 innings in Game 6. He scattered six hits, walked two and struck out six. Over three playoff rounds, Bradwell went 5-0 with a 1.03 earned-run average.

Offensively, Matteo Porcellato homered twice and drove in five, while Gianfranco Morello went 3-for-6 with a home run, two RBI and three runs. Sam Cawker was 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs, Carlos Martinez doubled and drove in two, Hogan Brown had a pair of RBI and scored twice, and James Smibert drove in a run and scored twice.

For Barrie, the playoff’s third seed, Ryan Rijo drove in Canice Ejoh in the eighth inning. Carson Burns singled twice.

Evan Soules took the loss, allowing six runs on five hits over 2.1 innings. He walked two and didn’t record a strikeout.

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Intercounty Basbeall League (ON)

News: IBL PLAYOFF ROUNDUP: Jackfish one win from IBL title

WELLAND – More late game magic has Welland one win from an IBL championship. The Jackfish, after scoring twice in the ninth inning to win Game 4 Wednesday, broke a 2-2 tie in Game 5 Thursday with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, which was the difference in a 4-2 victory over…

Published

1 week ago

September 14, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

WELLAND – More late game magic has Welland one win from an IBL championship.

The Jackfish, after scoring twice in the ninth inning to win Game 4 Wednesday, broke a 2-2 tie in Game 5 Thursday with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, which was the difference in a 4-2 victory over Barrie.

Welland leads the best-of-seven Dominico Cup final 3-2. Game 6 is Saturday in Barrie.

Gianfranco Morello had the big blow, a one-out solo home run in the seventh to give Welland the lead. Steven Moretto scored on a fielder’s choice three batters later. James Smibert and Sam Cawker each had a pair of hits in the win.

Deivy Mendez earned the win in relief, allowing a run on two hits over three innings. He walked one and fanned four. Alberto Guerrero started and gave up a run on two hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out five.

Royce Ando had an RBI double for the Baycats, who have lost three straight. Hayden Jaco scored on a fielder’s choice in the seventh, which briefly pulled Barrie even. Starlin Rodriguez singled and doubled.

Juan Benitez took the loss, giving up three runs (two earned) on eight hits in 6.1 innings. He struck out three and walked one.

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Intercounty Basbeall League (ON)

News: IBL PLAYOFF ROUNDUP: Jackfish shocks Baycats to even series

BARRIE – Down to their last strike in Game 4 of the Dominico Cup final, the Welland Jackfish scored twice in the top of the ninth to shock Barrie and win 3-2 to even the best-of-seven series at two games apiece. After getting a flyout and groundout to open the ninth, Baycats’ closer Brad Grieveson hit…

Published

2 weeks ago

September 14, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

After getting a flyout and groundout to open the ninth, Baycats’ closer Brad Grieveson hit Matteo Porcellato with the first pitch of the next at bat. Grieveson had Jackfish batter Carlos Martinez in a 1-2 hole before Martinez belted a curveball over the left-field fence at Vintage Throne Stadium to give Welland its first lead of the game.

Welland’s Deivy Mendez struck out Canice Ejoh to finish the comeback.

Brandon Underhill earned the win in one inning of relief. He took over from Welland starter Jake Harford, who allowed two runs on eight hits over seven innings with a pair of walks and eight strikeouts.

Royce Ando went 4-for-4 with an RBI for Barrie, which scored in the second and seventh innings and looked headed for a third win. Carson Burns had two hits and drove in a run, and Adam Odd went 2-for-4 and scored once.

Baycats’ starter Frank Garces struck out 10 over eight innings. He gave up a run on four hits with two walks.

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