Short-staffed Grey Jays drop two to Barrie squad

Despite losses, Grey Jays continue to show improvement

Huronia Grey JaysSubmitted photo

NEWS RELEASE
HURONIA GREY JAYS
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After being rained out in Week 7, the undermanned Huronia Grey Jays, who had only 10 players, travelled to Barrie on June 12 to play league-leading Barrie Green.

Green, who have lost only two games this season, is leading the league by three games on a powerful offence that is averaging 16 runs per game, the best in the league.

On a cold, windy day, the Grey Jays turned in their best defensive games of the year. The first game was a very low-scoring affair with Blayne Neilon pitching a slo-pitch masterpiece that kept Barrie Green batters off balance. The Jays’ defence backed up the pitching performance holding, Green to six runs through the first four innings.

The Jays took the lead in the fifth, scoring the maximum five runs for a 7-6 lead. Barrie Green followed with five in the bottom of the inning when a couple of unfortunate errors allowed them to claw back. The teams then shut each other out for the remainder of the game and Green won 11-7.

The second game was a slightly higher-scoring game, partially because the Jays’ roster was reduced to only nine players. But pitcher John Baird kept Green under control for most of the game and the Jays ramped up their offence to keep the pressure on Green. The Jays took the lead in the first, 3-2, and kept the lead until the sixth, when Barrie Green’s power emerged with five runs to take the lead 17-14.

The Jays did not quit and the top of the order responded with three in the seventh and, in the last inning, scored three to tie the score. Barrie Green then scored one in the bottom of the inning to win 18-17. However, the game showed that even with a severely undermanned team the Grey Jays are continually improving and now can compete with the best in our game.