It’s been an alliterative stretch for Barrie’s semi-professional baseball team in recent weeks, insofar as the Barrie Baycats’ bats are back.
After struggling to find hits during the initial stages of the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) season, the Baycats’ offence has come alive, as the team has totalled 36 runs over their last four games, all of which resulted in wins.
It’s Barrie’s longest winning streak of the year, bringing the team’s record to 6-6. Currently, the Baycats are fifth in the nine-team league, in which the top eight squads qualify for the postseason.
After beating the London Majors 3-1 earlier this month, the Baycats exploded for 17 runs in a high-scoring win over baseball’s Toronto Maple Leafs. More recently, Barrie took down the Brantford Red Sox by a score of 8-6 on a night when the team commemorated its 25th anniversary, before beating the league-leading Welland Jackfish 8-7 in walk-off fashion last weekend.
With the win, Barrie became only the second team to beat the Jackfish this season.
It’s been a particularly strong stretch for infielder Ryan Rijo, a 27-year-old hometown product, who leads the team with a remarkable .448 batting average through eight games. Rijo has also notched a team-leading four home runs and ten runs batted in (RBIs) during that timespan.
Next up, the Baycats will travel to the southeastern part of the province for a three-game series against the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers, who currently sit third in the IBL.
The two teams will square off Friday and Saturday evening at Fergie Jenkins field, before a Sunday matinee matchup.
The Barnstormers’ field is named after the famed Canadian pitcher Ferguson Jenkins, a three-time all star during the 1960s and 1970s for the Chicago Cubs, who was born and raised in Chatham, Ont.. Jenkins, the 1971 National League Cy Young winner, is one of only two Canadians in the baseball hall of fame, along with Larry Walker.
Following the series, the Baycats head north for one game against the Guelph Royals before returning home to host Brantford at Athletic Kulture Stadium on June 28, for which tickets are still available.
The Baycats season will run until mid-August, after which the IBL playoffs begin.
