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2022 IBL Semifinals - Game 2

September 4 - Welland Jackfish at Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs win 14-7, lead the series 2-0

Garrett Takamatsu and Justin Marra celebrate one of eight Toronto Maple Leaf home runs at Christie Pits on Sunday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs approached Game 2 of their semifinal series against the Welland Jackfish like a gang going to a fight in the parking lot behind the billiards hall.  

The Leafs came out swinging their sawed-off pool cues.  When the rumble was over, they'd cracked eight skulls home runs and doubled the visitors 14-7.

With the win, the baddest boys in town are a game away from the finals.

The Jackfish put up a fight for sure, knocking five homers of their own in a losing cause.  But the Leafs were simply overwhelming.

Under grey skies with a light mist coming down, Welland tagged starter Dustin Richardson with two solo shots to take an early lead, but it was all downhill from there.

In the bottom of the 1st, the Leafs put two men aboard and right fielder Marcus Knecht calmly swatted a three-run homer.  That brought some warmth to Christie Pits on a cool afternoon.

Bottom of the 2nd: Pow!  Home run by left fielder Gregory Carrington.  4-2 Leafs through two.

Bottom of the 3rd: Pow!  Home run by catcher Justin Marra, ending starter Chris Lazar's day.  And then: Double Pow!  A two-run moonshot by third baseman Johnathan Solazzo. The Leafs added two more in the inning and roared off to a 9-2 lead.

Richardson gave up a two-run homer in the 4th to make it 9-4.

Bottom of the 4th: Pow!  Knecht with his second dinger of the game made it 10-4.

With their season flashing before their eyes, the Jackfish kept swinging.  They bopped two more home runs off Richardson to make the score 10-7.  D-Rich left the game and was relieved by Dylan Jacober, who ended the threat.

Jacober pitched a beauty in relief, shutting down the visitors over the next four innings.  He gave up zero hits, two walks and struck out two.

In the bottom of the 5th, a sac fly by Carrington plated second baseman Dan Marra to make it 11-7.

Bottom of the 6th: Pow!  First baseman Jordan Castaldo with a solo homer.  Knecht then made it a hat trick with his third round trip of the day.  POWWW!  He launched a monster shot that bounced off the clubhouse well beyond the centerfield fence.  13-7 Leafs.

This game was LIT.  In the bottom of the 8th, shortstop Jose Vinicio became the sixth Leaf to go deep.  He slapped a high fly to right that bounced off the top of the fence, then dropped over to make it 14-7.

Chris Nagorski came on in the 9th to put the Fish on ice.  The game ended when the Leafs recorded their fourth double-play of the game, for a 14-7 FINAL.  

Nobody messes with the baddest boys in town.

Welland 7 8 3

Toronto 14 14 0

W - Jacober (2-0, 1.28)

L - Lazar (0-1, 27.00)

BOXSCORE

With the win the Leafs take a severe grasp on this semifinal series, placing the Jackfish on the brink of elimination.  Game 3 goes at Welland Stadium on Tuesday, September 6, with a 7:30 pm gametime.