Baycats dominate Twins
Sports
Posted By STEPHEN SWEET, SPECIAL TO THE EXAMINER
Posted 1 month ago
BARRIE ONTARIO; JULY 22, 2010: Ryan Spataro of the Barrie Baycats steals second base Thursday during a game against the Mississauga Twins.Photo by BENJAMIN RICETTO
BENJAMIN RICETTO |
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Sometimes, all it takes is one big inning to change a game.
For the Barrie Baycats, lucky inning number seven saw Thursday's Intercounty Baseball League playoff-opener go from a pitchers' duel to a surefire victory and an early series lead.
A 6-0 win over the Mississauga Twins gives the Baycats momentum heading into Game 2 on Sunday night.
"That's the way to play baseball," said catcher Matt Proctor. "We played strong defence, pitched well, capitalized on our chances, and that's how you win in the playoffs."
The Baycats didn't seize their opportunities early, when they managed to get runners into scoring position during five of the first six innings, but stranded them all.
Meanwhile, Paul Spoljaric was perfect through four innings but ran into some trouble in the fifth.
A pair of singles gave Mississauga their first runners of the game, but the veteran lefty was saved by Ryan Spataro's diving grab in right-centre field.
Beyond that, Spoljaric was outstanding, pitching a complete game, three-hit shutout, striking out 10 and going just four over the minimum number of hitters faced.
"He was on his game tonight," Proctor said. "He was hitting his spots, throwing all four pitches for strikes, and just making our lives a lot easier."
It's what the team has come to expect from their ace.
"Spolly's the best pitcher to ever pitch in this league, and that's not even a question," said manager Angus Roy. "Having him on our side means that no one was worried about giving up runs."
The offence would reward Spoljaric's strong outing by giving him plenty of run support, scored exclusively in the seventh.
Glenn Jackson and Spataro started things off when they chopped hits up the middle of the diamond to give the Baycats a pair of runners on with none out.
Stevie Lewis followed by working Mississauga pitcher Adam Kudryk to a full count before placing an infield single just out of Twins reach to load the bases for Dave Latour.
It was an opportunity he wouldn't pass up.
The local product ripped a pitch up the middle to bring home a pair of runs, giving the Baycats a 2-0 lead and knocking the Mississauga starter from the game.
"Latour stepped up after a couple of rough at-bats and came through," Lewis said. "It was good to see him turn it around."
With the first two at-bats notwithstanding, Latour looked increasingly comfortable at the plate and in the field in his first game back from injury.
"Dave's a professional player," Roy said. "He understands what he's capable of and knows what to look for. He's been around this league for a long time."
After a pair of walks added to Barrie's lead, Jonathan Baksh's sacrifice fly brought the total to 4-0.
Sean Mattson kept the merry-go-round turning with a two-run double to deep centre field.
And when all was said and done, a scoreless tie turned into a 6-0 Baycats advantage with just two innings to go.
It was a disappointing end for Kudryk, who had given up just three hits and had seven strikeouts before the rough inning.
"That kid threw real well tonight, and kept us off balance," Roy said. "But we knew that if we saw the guy enough times, we'd get some hits off of him."
The Baycats stole five bases in the game, as the small-ball strategy paid off in their big inning.
"Coming into the game, we wanted to put a lot of pressure on the opposing team," said Lewis, who nabbed three of the stolen bases. "We felt early in the game that we should start running a bit more."
Game 2 of the series goes Sunday night at Barrie Metals Park at 7 p.m.
sports@thebarrieexaminer.com
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