At Jubilee Field in Corner Brook, the Barons rode the strong pitching of A.J. Whiffen and some timely hitting to earn a 5-2 win in the best-of-seven series opener Saturday afternoon.
Whiffen tossed six innings of five-hit ball, giving up one earned run and four walks while striking out five. Adam Lawlor got the final three outs to earn the save in relief of Whiffen, who had an unearned run charged to him in the seventh.
Shortstop Dave Parsons scored once and drove in a pair with a two-run double in a 1-for-2 outing for the Barons. Catcher Steve Hynes also scored a run and came up with a big RBI double in the bottom of the sixth that cashed in Parsons to make it a 4-1 game.
Greg Barry took the loss for the defending provincial champions, giving up five earned runs on just five hits. Barry struck out two and walked a pair.
Leadoff batter and shortstop Trevor Clarke belted a solo home run for the Caps in the top of the fifth. He scored the team’s other run too after walking to lead off the seventh and coming around on an error and a base hit.
Game 2 is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday night and Game 3 is set for Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
The remainder of the series will be played in St. John’s next weekend.
