Jackfish set for Baycats
WELLAND - Manager Brian Essery feels a quick start will be key as the Welland Jackfish take on the Barrie Baycats in search of their second Dominico Cup in three seasons.
The Jackfish host the Baycats Sunday at 4 p.m. in Game 1 of the best-of-seven final. Game 2 goes Tuesday in Barrie.
The Jackfish placed first overall in the regular season with a 31-11 mark while the Baycats were second at 24-18. The Jackfish dominated the regular season series, winning four of five games while outscoring the Baycats 38-17.
“Barrie are still the same team we saw in the regular season, but they’re good,” Essery said. “Their lineup is really good and their starting pitching is good. We’ve been able to exploit their bullpen a little bit during the regular season, and that’s how we had success with them. So I think if we can jump on their starters, we can have success this series. They rely heavy on their starting pitching so if we can get on their starting pitching, I like our chances.”
The Jackfish advanced to the finals after a hard fought semifinal series versus Guelph. Welland took the fifth and deciding game 8-1 in which their bats came alive after some tough going earlier in the series.
Essery said it was a relief to see the team bang out 12 hits in the deciding game.
“The players all knew it. They’re harder on themselves than anybody else, so they all knew it, and the internal pressure that they were feeling inside — I can only imagine how they were feeling — but we just stuck with it,” he said.
Essery had faith the bats would come alive.
“We kept with the same plan. We went with basically the same lineup and kept the same guys in those same positions in the lineup, knowing that at some point they’re gonna come through and guys that have struggled —Matteo Porcellato, Jake Sanford — they came through last night in big spots for us,” he said. “I feel pretty good the way it ended and the way we hit. If we can just maintain this right through the finals I really like our chances. Hitting like this, we’ll get to their starting pitching for sure.”
The Jackfish will use the next two days to get some much needed rest for the starting staff.
“Our starters are a little tired right now so we need a few days to regroup, but our bullpen is pretty healthy,” Essery said.
Essery indicted Ben Abram will start Game 1 Sunday likely followed by Jose Dominguez in Game 2 and either Euclides Leyer or Teo Ortega in Game 3. Whoever doesn’t start Game 3 will go in Game 4.
“We’ve got four number ones really. The four guys we got would be number ones on pretty much every team in the league so it doesn’t matter which guy we put out there, we’re super confident in all four of them,” Essery said.