Christie Pits transformed from a place of quiet anxiety into a roaring madhouse with one swing of Jon Waltenbury's bat last night.
Facing former Barrie Baycats teammate Josh Soffer with no outs in the bottom of the 11th inning, Waltenbury sent a no doubter over the right field fence and the Maple Leafs won a walk-off 10-9 thriller. Everyone in the park went bug-nuts. Children screamed, women threw underwear, old men wept hysterically.
The six-game losing streak that had marked the past couple of weeks for the Leafs fades into the past and their bats have awoken in anger. They have scored a total of 27 runs in the three games since the trade that might go down as a huge turning point in the season.
Last week, the Leafs sent outfielder Jordan Castaldo and pitcher Brett Lawson to Barrie in exchange for former Leaf Waltenbury. All three players were on the field last night, wanting to prove to their former bosses that trading them away was a mistake.
Waltenbury had the biggest night, going 4 for 5 at the plate with 3 RBIs, stealing a base, hitting the walk-off home run and winning the player of the game award. Castaldo was right there with him, going 3 for 5 with an RBI and two stolen bases. Lawson's return to Christie Pits was a rough ride. He gave up 9 hits and 6 runs over 5 innings, but escaped with a no-decision.
Walk-off heroics aside, it was a big team win for the Leafs. They fought back to erase Barrie leads twice. They got men on base and moved them along. They stole five bases. They made some great defensive plays in the later innings. The bench was lively.
But earlier in the night, it felt like an air of anxiety was hanging over the park. A sunny day had turned into dark, overcast skies by game time. Slight drizzle came down briefly in the early going. Dogs were going snakey. The fans were quiet. And a club that had beaten the Leafs with ease in late May was in town to have another go. If the local nine intended to climb back into the top half of the standings, they would have to win games like these.
As the clubs slugged away, exchanging leads and racking up the score, that anxiety continued to grow. The Leafs took a 9-8 lead into the 9th inning with Justin Cicatello on the mound to close it out. But Cicatello - normally the most reliable arm out of the bullpen - blew the lead and sent the game to extras. Anxiety peaked. Something had to give.
Finally, it was Waltenbury's home run that broke the tension, sent his teammates spilling out to greet him at home plate, and sent the local tribespeople into frenzied celebrations.
Strong candidate for my favourite game of the year.
Recap:
The Maple Leafs got off to a shall-we-say-anxious start to this game. In the top of the 1st inning, starter Marek Deska was tagged for a two-run home run by Barrie Baycats centerfielder Jeff Cowan.
Deska gave up two more runs in the top of the third. Baycats rightfielder Ryan Spataro walked, stole second and moved to third on an error by Leafs catcher Damon Topolie. A single by Cowan gave him his third RBI in three innings. Cowan then came home on a double by third baseman Kevin Atkinson and it was 4-0 Barrie halfway through the 3rd.
The Leafs erupted for 6 runs in the bottom of the 3rd. Nine men came up to the plate, starting with right fielder Rob Gillis who opened the proceedings with a solo home run. Then followed a parade of singles, with third baseman Sean Mattson, centerfielder Glenn Jackson and second baseman Dan Marra each hitting safely to load the bases. With right fielder Jon Waltenbury at the plate, Mattson raced home on a wild pitch for the Leafs first run. Waltenbury then singled to score Jackson and Marra. First baseman Will Richards hit the fifth consecutive Leafs single to advance Waltenbury to second. A double steal moved both runners up a base. Waltenbury scored on a ground out by shortstop Cody Mombourquette. Richards came home with the sixth run of the inning on a wild pitch by Baycats starter Brett Lawson. 6-4 Leafs after the 3rd.
The 'Cats clawed their way back into a tie by scoring a run in both the 4th and 5th innings. In the 4th, second baseman Kyle DeGrace hit a double off Deska to drive in a run. In the 5th shortstop Jason Coker hit a high flying home run off reliever Adam Garner that just stayed fair over the left field corner. 6-6 after the 5th.
Barrie continued slugging in the 6th. Spataro doubled and Cowan drove in his fourth run of the game with a single. Cowan then stole second and was driven home on a single by first baseman Jordan Castaldo. 8-6 Baycats after the 6th.
The Leafs battled back to tie the score in the bottom of the 7th. They loaded the bases with another series of singles, this time by Waltenbury, Richards and Mombourquette off reliever Ryan Dillabough. With DH Kevin Hinton at bat, Dillabough uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Waltenbury to score. Richards scored on a ground out by Hinton and it was 8-8 after the 7th.
The Leafs reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the 8th. Jackson doubled to left and moved to third on a passed ball. Marra drove him home with a single up the middle that got past a diving Coker and the Leafs went into the 9th inning with a 9-8 lead.
Justin Cicatello, in his second inning of relief, was unable to keep Barrie from tying the game again. The Baycats' Castaldo singled and stole second base. He moved to third on a single by DH Ryan Asis, and came home with the tying run on a single by catcher Brendan Keys.
Both clubs traded scoreless innings in the 10th, and so the stage was set for Jon Waltenbury to lead off the bottom of the 11th. He took five straight pitches for a full count, then launched Josh Soffer's final pitch over the right field fence to bring this slugfest to a close.
The Leafs are now 6-8 and 7 games behind the league leading Brantford Red Sox. Their next game is in Steeltown on June 14 against the Hamilton Cardinals.
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