The upstart Ottawa Fat Cats are one win away from sweeping the league-leading Barrie Baycats in their Intercounty Baseball League semi-final series.
Recently-named second team all-star Matt McGovern pitched a complete game in Ottawa's 7-3 win Saturday night in Ottawa, striking out 13 and only allowing six hits.
Barrie, sporting a 26-9 record in the regular season, took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first with a bases-loaded walk and a two-run single by second baseman Dave Latour.
That inning was also a harbinger for the rest of the game, as all three Baycat outs were swinging strikeouts.
McGovern had a strikeout in every inning except the sixth and seventh.
Ottawa came storming back in the bottom of the inning, with an Eitan Maoz triple tying the score at three and a sacrifice fly from McGovern putting the Fat Cats ahead.
They padded their lead in the second on another triple (this time from LaDale Hayes) which made it 6-3.
Hayes notched his third RBI of the game in the fourth inning, sending home Chris Latimer on a based-loaded fielder's choice for what was the final run of the game.
McGovern threw 146 pitches, 93 of them for strikes in front of a crowd of 4,108 at Ottawa Stadium.
Barrie's Chris Kemlo pitched into the seventh inning in the loss, allowing nine hits and all seven runs (five earned) while striking out four.
IBL MVP Sean Reilly did not play for Barrie.
Ottawa can finish off the series and advance to the league championship with a win at home in Game 4 Sunday at 3 p.m.
The winner of this series will face the winner of the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Brantford Red Sox series, which the Leafs are leading two games to none.
