The mosquitos were the only happy residents of Barrie last night, after the Toronto Maple Leafs prevailed in a see-saw, extra innings battle with the hometown Baycats.
The Leafs dug deep to stop a couple of Barrie rallies late in the game, while pounding out 15 hits for a 9-8 victory in 10 innings.
Great swings of momentum featured throughout. The Leafs got off to a huge start, taking a 5-0 lead after two innings, but the Baycats roared back with seven unanswered runs. The Leafs jumped back ahead, only to see Barrie tie the game. The late innings were tense and scoreless, before the Leafs went ahead for good in the 10th and slammed the door.
While this was going on, I was slamming mosquitos left and right. You know you've entered the near North when these relentless monsters appear. Dwarfing any garden-variety skeeter you'll find in Toronto, these things were like something out of H.P. Lovecraft - huge, fearless, terrifying. Listen to the poor delicate city boy!
Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating the extent of the horror, but they got on my nerves. There was a nervy feel to the night. Barrie's fans kept riding the home plate umpire over close calls. Barrie starter Adam Rowe had a go at him too at one point. The Torontonians, featuring human megaphone Glenn Jackson, were pumped and loud, to the annoyance of some. "Not enough mustard for that hot dog," one old-timer grumbled. All this edginess was stoked by the closeness of the contest, and the constant menace of the mosquitos.
Ultimately, it was a team victory for the Leafs. Every batter got at least one hit, RBI or run scored. Borjas and Waltenbury each had four hits. Mombourquette tripled. Arias made a game-saving throw to home. Five different batters drove in runs, including Reilly with the game-winner. Major and Garner kept the score close enough for Pace and Cicatello to slam the door.
And so Toronto's up-and-down season returned to the winning side of things. If they can pull together and deliver like this again, they will win many more games and break many more hearts in the second half of the season.
Recap:
The Barrie Baycats took to the field wearing camo jerseys that blended into the coniferous greenery that surrounds Schmidt and Shaw Stadium.
Toronto Maple Leafs leftfielder Raul Borjas led off with a single off Barrie starter Adam Rowe. Borjas was out on a fielder's choice by the next man up, second baseman Dan Marra. Rightfielder Jon Waltenbury made his return to Barrie and was greeted with applause before rapping a double that moved Marra to third. A groundout by first baseman Sean Reilly brought Marra home and it was 1-0 Leafs after the 1st inning.
The Leafs built up a head of steam in the 2nd inning, scoring four more runs on three hits and a couple of errors. Third baseman Sean Mattson walked and catcher Damon Topolie singled. A wild throw to first base allowed Mattson to cruise into third. DH Glenn Jackson grounded into a fielder's choice that held Mattson at third, got Topolie out at second, and allowed him to reach first. Centerfielder Branfy Arias then drove Mattson home and was safe on a fielder's choice. Borjas then hit one to right field that was played for an error by Ryan Spataro. This allowed Borjas to reach second, Arias to reach third, and Jackson to score. A sac fly by Marra brought Arias home. Waltenbury came up to bat for the second time in the game. He paused and threw his bat back, then deked over to the Barrie bench and picked one out from there, to everyone's amusement. Waltenbury used his new-old lumber to stroke a double that scored Borjas and make it 5-0 Leafs midway through the 2nd.
The baseball gods giveth, and they taketh away. Baycats second baseman Jason Coker walked and stole second, then scored on a flyball by leftfielder Brandon Dhue that Waltenbury dropped for an error. 5-1 Leafs after the 2nd.
The 'Cats clawed back another run in the next inning. Catcher Kyle DeGrace was hit by a pitch from starter Marc-Andre Major. DeGrace stole second and tagged up for third on a long flyball by first baseman Jordan Castaldo. A groundout by shortstop Kyle Gilligan brought DeGrace home. 5-2 Leafs after the 3rd.
Baycats DH Jonathan Fernandez led off the bottom of the 4th inning. This is where I'm obligated to mention that Fernandez is the son of a former Major League player who is well-known to baseball fans in Ontario. The Maple Leafs got their first look at Fernandez in this game - in fact, they'd see him at the plate twice in this inning as the Baycats batted around and scored five runs.
Fernandez started the 4th with a walk, then made a blur of himself on the basepaths, stealing second and third. A single by Dhue scored him. I snuck over to the snack bar for a cheeseburger, and moved to another part of the park in time to see a mound conference going on. It seemed something was up with Major's arm. He had walked another batter, his fifth of the game, and he was relieved by Adam Garner. The Baycats took advantage of the sudden change, scoring four more runs on four singles off Garner. By the time Fernandez came up again and ended the inning with a groundout, it was 7-5 for the home side.
Now was the moment of reckoning for the Maple Leafs. Would they fold or would they fight back?
The answer came in the 6th inning, when they fought back to retake the lead and drive Rowe from the game. Topolie and Jackson both singled, then an error by Gilligan allowed Arias to reach first and load em up. Topolie came home on a sac fly by Borjas. Jackson then scored on a single by Marra that tied the game and brought hoots of derision from the Barrie fans. They jeered manager Angus Roy for leaving Rowe on the mound too long for their liking. Reliever Josh Soffer was unable to keep the score tied, giving up an RBI single to Waltenbury. Arias crossed home plate and the Leafs were back ahead, 8-7.
In the bottom of the 6th, one mammoth swing by Kyle DeGrace sent a Garner pitch high over the left field fence, possibly even over the high hedges beyond. And just like that, the game was tied again. Franco Pace relieved Garner and walked his first batter to load the bases, but he was able to get Dhue to pop out and end the threat.
Now both sides hunkered down as night set in and swarms of mosquitos descended upon the park.
The Leafs were held scoreless through the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. Justin Cicatello, who had come in to start the 8th, got into trouble by walking Dhue to lead off the 9th. A daring two-strike sacrifice bunt by centerfielder Garrett Ferguson moved Dhue to second. Ryan Spataro was intentionally walked to set up the double play, but the next man up - DeGrace - hit a pop fly to Marra for the second out. For Toronto, the next at bat delivered what was likely the play of the game. Former Maple Leaf Jordan Castaldo hit a long single to centerfield and the race to the plate was on. Dhue broke from second and rounded third, steaming for home. The fans roared in anticipation. But Branfy Arias fielded the ball cleanly and launched a throw straight to Topolie. Topolie made the catch and Dhue was gunned down at the plate. The fans went silent as the Toronto bench erupted.
The Baycats returned to the field and it was another former Maple Leaf - Brett Lawson - now on the mound. With one out, Lawson gave up singles to Borjas and Marra, then walked Waltenbury intentionally to load the bases. Sean Reilly stepped up to the plate and delivered a calm, relaxed sac fly to bring Borjas home. It was now 9-8 Leafs going into the bottom of the 10th.
The home side did not go quietly in the 10th. Gilligan made it to first on a grounder to Mombourquette. He then stole second, but was stuck there on a fly out by third baseman Kevin Atkinson, which was caught by defensive replacement Rob Gillis. Gilligan raced to third on a wild pitch by Cicatello, who made up for it by striking out the next batter. He then got Fernandez to ground out to Mombourquette for the final out of the game, and it was a heartbreaker for Barrie.
The Maple Leafs are now 9-12 and tied for fifth place with the Hamilton Cardinals. Both teams are 10.5 games behind the Brantford Red Sox. Toronto's next game is back home at Christie Pits against the Kitchener Panthers on June 30.
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