While driving down the 403 to Brantford earlier this afternoon, I got it in my head to infuse this entry with violent viking war imagery. The clash today, between the leaders of the Intercounty Baseball League, would be like two hordes of big Norsemen crashing at each other in a battle for supremacy. "Come from the land of the ice and snow" and all that, thank you Zeppelin on the stereo.
Essentially, a win today would mean first place for either team: the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Brantford Red Sox.
In their previous encounter on May 12, the Red Sox emerged victorious from a freezing rainstorm by a score of 11-1. It was a rout that the Leafs looked to avenge today.
But one does not simply walk into Brantford and expect to triumph. These are, after all, the five-time defending league champions, and Arnold Anderson Stadium is their sacred ground. The Leafs would have to throw everything into it, and hope that the hammer of the gods struck in their favour.
And the Leafs struck first, scoring a run off Brandon Huffman - the same Sox starting pitcher they had faced previously. This boded well, but the Red Sox are a resilient horde not easily discouraged. They struck back with two runs in the 1st and it looked like both teams would spend the afternoon wailing away on each other.
But the tide of war turned on one pitch in the 2nd inning. A hard liner back to the mound hit Leafs starter Brett Lawson on the right foot or ankle, and he went down. Not in a heap, but down on a knee. He slammed his glove to the ground. He got up and took a few steps, knelt down again, talked it over with the team trainer, then tried a few practice pitches. Lawson stayed in the game, but the course of the battle had changed irrevocably.
Lawson returned to pitch the third inning, but he was not 100%, favouring his right foot. The Red Sox scored another run in the 3rd. Lawson went back out again in the 4th - legend! - and fought off another scoring threat by the home side. He got out of the 4th without surrendering any more runs. His teammates carried his body off the field of battle, and set it aside in the dugout. After the game, they would place him in an ornately carved longboat, set it ablaze and cast it off into the Grand River. VALHALLA I AM COMING.
Viking-free recap:
With two outs in the 1st inning, Leafs rightfielder Jordan Castaldo walked, advanced to third on a single by leftfielder Raul Borjas, and came home to score on a single by first baseman Will Richards.
In the bottom of the 1st, Leafs starter Brett Lawson fielded a comebacker with his bare hand for the first out. But then he gave up a walk and a couple of singles that put the Red Sox ahead 2-1 after 1.
Red Sox DH John Mariotti led off the 2nd with a hard liner that struck Lawson. Lawson remained in the game and got out of the inning unscathed. But Lawson was not at 100% after that. He loaded the bases in the bottom of the 3rd, and a Brantford run scored on a passed ball by catcher Damon Topoli. 3-1 Red Sox after 3.
The Leafs tightened the game in the top of the 5th. Centerfielder Glenn Jackson doubled and shortstop Cody Mombourquette walked. Raul Borjas would drive home Mombourquette to make the score 3-2, but that was as close as the Leafs would come on this day.
Marek Desma came in to relieve Lawson in the bottom of the 5th. He gave up a couple of runs, and another in the bottom of the 8th. The Red Sox cruised home with a 6-2 win on 12 hits. The Leafs got 10 hits on the day but it wasn't enough. Lawson was tagged for the loss, while Brandon Huffman got his second win against the Leafs this season.
With the win, the Red Sox are atop the league with a 6-2 record. The Maple Leafs slip down to 5th place, 1.5 games back. The Leafs' next game is at home against the Guelph Royals on May 26.
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