Cardinals Take Game 1 of Semi-Finals with 7-5 Win over Baycats

HAMILTON – The Hamilton Cardinals drew first blood in their best-of-seven semi-final, knocking off the Barrie Baycats 7-5 Friday night at Bernie Arbour Stadium to take a 1-0 series lead. Tyler Duncan was the story at the plate. The Cardinals centre fielder went 3-for-3 with a triple, three runs scored, an RBI and a walk, reaching base in all four plate appearances and setting the table all night. Jaden Brown drove in three runs, Hector Yan earned the win with five innings of two-run ball, striking out six, and Freisis Adames slammed the door with a perfect ninth for the save. Barrie opened the scoring in the first on some aggressive baserunning. Back-to-back steals by Francisco Hernandez put him at third, and when Nolan Machibroda took off for second, Hernandez broke for home on the double steal to make it 1-0. Hamilton answered in the second when Duncan singled and came around on Brown's double to left. The Cardinals broke it open in the fourth. A throwing error charged to Baycats third baseman Francisco Hernandez put Darlin German aboard, and a wild pitch brought him home. Duncan, who had singled, scored on a Dario Borrero sacrifice fly, and Reyny Reyes capped the three-run frame with an RBI single to centre that plated Brown for a 4-2 lead. Brown added a fielder's-choice RBI in the fifth, and the Cards tacked on two more in the seventh — Duncan ripped an RBI triple to centre to score Brandon Nicoll, then Brown lifted a sacrifice fly to right to make it 7-2. Barrie made it interesting in the eighth. Ryan Rijo singled home Francisco Hernandez for his second RBI of the night, and Adam Odd took Caleb Seroski deep for a two-run shot to right that trimmed the gap to 7-5. But Adames fanned two in a spotless ninth to ice it. Yan scattered four hits over five innings to earn the win, while Barrie starter Juan Benitez took the loss after giving up five runs, four earned, over 4.2 innings. Seroski was charged with the three eighth-inning runs but was credited with a hold. Rijo paced Barrie's offence, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Francisco Hernandez doubled, walked, stole three bases and scored twice. Hamilton now leads the series 1-0, needing three more wins to punch their ticket to the CBL championship series. There's no rest between games. The Cardinals bus to Barrie on Saturday afternoon for Game 2 at Athletic Kulture Stadium, a 4:08 p.m. first pitch, before the series swings right back to Bernie Arbour on Sunday for Game 3 at 4:05 p.m. After a two-day breather, the clubs reconvene in Barrie on Wednesday night for Game 4 at 7:38 p.m. From there, Hamilton would get four of the final five potential games at home — Game 5 back at Bernie Arbour on Friday at 7:35 p.m., and if it goes the distance, a winner-take-all Game 7 under the Sunday afternoon lights at 4:05 p.m. Game 6, if needed, is Saturday in Barrie at 4:08 p.m.