IBL Quarterfinals - Game 4 - August 29-30, 2023
Toronto Maple Leafs at Guelph Royals
Toronto 10
Guelph 4
Toronto wins the series 3-1
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| Dan Marra was one of seven Leafs to cross home plate during the second inning of Game 4, a rally that decided the game and the series. |
It took four games spread across five days for the Toronto Maple Leafs to defeat the Guelph Royals and advance to the next round of the 2023 IBL postseason.
Last night at Hastings Stadium, the marvelous Mapes completed a 10-4 victory and took a 3-1 quarterfinal series win over the Royals.
Game 4 began on Tuesday night and the Leafs built up an 8-4 lead before the game was suspended by rain.
Wilgenis Alvarado started on the mound against Claudio Custodio, a talismanic figure in the Royals organization.
After spending most of the season toiling near the bottom of the standings, the Royals came to life when the 2022 MVP rejoined the club in late July. "The season starts now!" was the vibe at Hastings, as the club climbed up to fifth place and a quarterfinals date with the Leafs.
Unfortunately for the Royals, they asked too much of Custodio. Having pitched five innings just 48 hours before, the Dominican import was tapped to start the game. He played an epic first inning, retiring the Leafs 1-2-3 before going to bat as DH. A shaky start by Alvarado saw him hit a batter and walk another. Custodio then drove them both in with a single and the Royals went ahead 2-0 after the first inning.
In the top of the second, Custodio ran out of gas and the Royals season unraveled.
DH Garrett Takamatsu was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Second baseman Dan Marra walked. Left fielder Jesse Hodges hit a single to score Takamatsu. Custodio then walked right fielder Ryan Santos to load the bases. With two outs, he walked shortstop Jose Vinicio to bring home a run, then walked catcher Justin Marra to put the Leafs ahead. That ended Custodio's night on the mound. Yuki Narita relieved him and the Leafs blew the game open. First baseman Jordan Castaldo hit a two-run single and Takamatsu followed with a two-run double. The Leafs roared out to a 7-2 lead through two innings.
In the bottom of the third, Custodio made his presence felt again. He singled in his third run of the night to make it 7-3.
Top of the fourth, Jared Kennedy took over on the mound for Guelph. A sac fly by third baseman Johnathan Solazzo made it an 8-3 game.
Bottom of the fourth, the Royals' Chris Robinson hit a solo home run through the drizzle and made it 8-4.
Then, the drizzle became a steady rain. Earlier in the game, a 30-second rain delay briefly halted proceedings. Both clubs slogged through a soggy fifth inning before the game was suspended.
Play resumed the following night. The final four innings were a formality. Guelph was unable to do any damage to relievers Julian Valdez, Adam Marra and Marek Deska. They combined to pitch four scoreless.
The Leafs added a couple of late runs and wrapped up a 10-4 win. Throughout the series they benefitted from a lot of runs gifted them by Guelph, but a high-scoring performance in Game 4 provided a nice exclamation point and momentum for the next series.
Toronto 10 7 0
Guelph 4 7 0
W - Alvarado (1-1, 5.40)
L - Custodio (1-1, 5.06)
Up next... we don't know yet. The Leafs join the Welland Jackfish and Barrie Baycats in advancing to the semifinals. The fourth club will be either the Kitchener Panthers or London Majors, and their series wraps up tonight. The semifinals schedule will be released shortly after.
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