The Vancouver Sun reports in its Wednesday edition Bauer Performance Sports plans to score in baseball after conquering the market for hockey gear. A Bloomberg dispatch to The Sun says Bauer has boosted its share of the global hockey equipment market to 53 per cent from about 30 per cent in 2008. The company has similar growth plans for baseball after it closes a $330-million deal to buy Easton-Bell Sports' baseball and softball unit at the end of April, chief executive officer Kevin Davis said. Bauer, which Nike Inc. sold to an investor group led by Kohlberg & Co. in 2008 for $200-million, has risen about 100 per cent since it went public in 2011 and touched an intraday record of $15.02 on Tuesday. The company has agreed to or completed seven acquisitions in the past six years worth more than $400-million, including Mission-ITech Hockey, lacrosse equipment maker Cascade Helmets Holdings Inc., and jersey apparel maker Inaria International. Easton-Bell, based in Van Nuys, Calif., and owned by Fenway Partners LLC and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, is already the world leader in baseball and softball equipment, including bats, gloves and helmets, with a 28-per-cent market share, according to Mr. Davis.