Leafs win 11-3
It can come at any moment, it can strike without warning. The One Big Inning.
So many times in the IBL, a game will be decided that way. The innings will be ambling along uneventfully, or maybe one or both pitchers will seem in total command of the day. Then WHAMMO. Five, six, seven runs go on the board. A close game turns into a laugher. Shoulders sag, heads go down and the contest is as good as over.
You don't need to be a stathead to grasp the principle that clubs that can rack up runs in bunches will win a lot of games. The game-winning One Big Inning almost deserves a stat of its own: the OBI-WIN. Ha! There's my contribution to sabermetrics, coined this day in Toronto, 2015.
Earlier this afternoon, the Toronto Maple Leafs exploded for One Big Inning against the Brantford Red Sox. They scored six runs in the bottom of the 2nd and roared off to a 7-1 lead. The visitors threatened a couple of times, but they were unable to recover and the home nine won the day before a festive crowd at Christie Pits.
Between them, Grant Tamane and Jon Waltenbury (above) contributed four of the Leafs' 14 hits. Waltenbury led the way with three hits and a couple of RBIs. Damon Topolie also notched three hits with an RBI, and Dan Marra drove in two runs on two hits. The remaining hits and RBIs were spread up and down the batting order. In short, the whole team contributed to this winning effort.
On the mound, Brett Van Pelt pitched seven solid innings, striking out six and giving up just two runs. He was followed by Oscar Gonzalez and Dan Zlotnick, who each pitched an inning to nail down the win.
This was a hella good weekend for the Leafs. Over two games, they pounded out 29 hits and outscored their opponents 24-7. Keep it going, guys.
Game Recap:
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Brantford Red Sox celebrated Dutch Heritage Day by sending pitchers Brett Van Pelt and Andrew Vant Wout to the mound, respectively.
Brantford got off to a flying start, quite literally. Second baseman Benjamin Bostick led off with a double off Van Pelt, and scored on a single by centerfielder Terrell Alliman. Bostick crossed home plate and blew right past the high five of teammate Dan Jagdeo, who was next man up. Jagdeo singled but Van Pelt got through the inning without any further damage. 1-0 Red Sox after a half inning.
Toronto scored right back in their half. Leftfielder Connor Lewis led off with a single, then stole second and advanced to third on a misplay. Second baseman Dan Marra calmly drove Lewis home with a sac fly to tie the game at one apiece after one.
After Van Pelt pitched a 1-2-3 inning, the Leafs sent 11 men to the plate and put six more runs on the board. First baseman Johnathan Solazzo, DH Damon Topolie, and shortstop Ryan White each singled. Lewis hit a sac fly that scored Solazzo. Marra then hit a flyball to leftfield that was dropped by Chris Stewart, allowing Marra to take first base, the runners to advance, and Topolie to score. Rightfielder Jon Waltenbury was up next, and he stroked a single that scored White and Marra. Third baseman Sean Mattson then doubled to score Waltenbury. After a walk to catcher Brendan Keys, centerfielder Grant Tamane singled to drive in Mattson for the sixth run of the inning and a 7-1 lead for the Leafs after two innings.
Van Pelt gave up a solo home run to third baseman Jeff Hunt to make it 7-2 halfway through the 3rd inning.
Topolie singled off Vant Wout to lead off the bottom of the 3rd, then took second on a passed ball. He moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a single by Marra that made it 8-2 after the 3rd inning.
Van Pelt mowed through the Sox over the next three innings.
The Leafs added two more runs in the bottom of the 6th. Marra and Waltenbury singled to bring an end to Vant Wout's day. He was relieved by Matt Betts. Mattson was the first batter he faced, and he reached first on an error by shortstop Brandon Dailey, with Marra scoring on the play. Keys then advanced to first on a fielder's choice that scored Waltenbury and extended the home lead to 10-2 after the 6th inning.
Long past the point of insurance runs, the Leafs none the less added one more on two pitches in the bottom of the 7th. Solazzo led off with a double, and Topolie drove him home with a single. 11-2 through seven.
Oscar Gonzalez pitched a scoreless 8th, then turned it over to Dan Zlotnick for the 9th. Zlotnick hit leadoff batter Nic Burdett to start the inning, then gave up a pair of singles to load the bases. He struck out the next man up, then induced a fielder's choice for the second out of the inning, conceding one run. He then struck out Jagdeo to end the game and complete the 11-3 final for the Leafs.
Brantford 3-12-4
Toronto 11-14-0
W - Van Pelt (2-1, 3.42)
L - Vant Wout (1-1, 4.35)
BOXSCORE
The Leafs are now 6-5 and tied for 4th place, 3 games behind the Barrie Baycats. Their next game will be in Barrie on Tuesday, June 9th at Steve Coates Stadium.
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