Greg Mercer, Record staff

KITCHENER - On paper, the Barrie Baycats look every bit a dynasty that will leave a mark on the Intercounty Baseball League history books.

With a core of veteran players that have remained unchanged throughout their remarkable run, they’ve managed nine trips to the finals in the past decade — and won four consecutive league championships.

But Tanner Nivins, the Kitchener Panthers centrefielder, said his team needs to forget all that dynasty talk and act like they belong here, too.

“In the past few years against these guys, we’ve tried to amp ourselves up too much. We know they’re amazing, and they’re the champs for a reason,” he said.

That approach has not worked out so well in recent memory. The Baycats swept the Panthers in the 2017 finals and the 2016 semifinals.

“If we feel we have to play bigger than our scope, that’s when we get in trouble. We just have to play the way we’ve been playing all year, and trust that good things will happen,” Nivins said.

The IBL has seen its share of dynasties before. In the 1920s, the Galt Terriers won five straight titles. Between 1959 and 1963, Brantford won every year. The Red Sox assembled an unbeatable team again a decade ago, winning six consecutive league championships.

But the thing with dynasties is, they eventually all come to an end. The Panthers are hoping this is the year Barrie finally stumbles.

On Thursday night, the Panthers were tied with Barrie until one bad inning from their bullpen. The Baycats tacked on three runs in the seventh inning, and hung on for the 6-4 win.

That tied the best-of-seven championship series 1-1, two nights after the Panthers pulled off a dramatic, extra-innings victory on the road.

Winning Game 1 was huge, Nivins agreed. But his teammates knew they couldn’t get too worked up. Not in a series like this.

“It’s super exciting, and after a big exciting game like that, the adrenalin was pumping. But we have to keep it under control,” he said.

“If we get too amped up, that’s where we’ll see ourselves fall.”

Game 3 in the championships series will be played Saturday night in Barrie. Game 4 will be Sunday at 7 p.m. in Kitchener.

Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday night in Barrie; Game 6 will be Sept. 6 in Kitchener. Game 7 would be Saturday, Sept. 8 in Barrie.