On the Christie Hillside

Monday, September 5, 2022

Go Big or Go Home

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.

Sunday, September 4, 2022

Opportunity and Knocks

2022 IBL Semifinals - Game 1

September 3 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Welland Jackfish

Leafs win 15-10, lead the series 1-0

Jose Vinicio is greeted by his teammates after scoring one of his four runs in an epic come-from-behind series opener for the Leafs.

Fortune, guile and lots of lumber.

That was how the Toronto Maple Leafs overcame an early 9-2 deficit to win the opening game of their semifinal series against the Welland Jackfish. After a marathon battle, they won 15-10.

Both clubs sent their powerhouses to the mound to start the game, but neither Jake Harford nor Angel Castro had a stellar night.

Castro was knocked around for 12 hits and 9 runs (6 earned). His low point came during a sloppy 2nd inning. Welland took advantage of some poor fielding plays and Castro added to his problems by hitting a batter. By the end of the inning, the Jackfish had scored four runs on five hits to enjoy a 5-1 lead.

An agitated Castro stalked off the field, glowering at everyone his eyes fell upon. When he reached the dugout, he went Full Machado on his teammates. His passion to win was voiced in shouts of encouragement for everyone to do better out there. Or he may have been berating everyone in a rage, hard to tell.

Harford looked to be having the better night until fortune turned against Welland.

Top of the 5th, Jackfish leading 9-2, Castro out of the game, replaced by Marek Deska. The Leafs came to bat during those few minutes that come between evening light and nighttime darkness. It is the time of the gloaming. Against a dull grey sky, flyballs can become difficult for fielders to spot.

Shortstop Jose Vinicio led off the 5th with a solo home run. Then with one out, first baseman Jordan Castaldo lifted a flyer to centerfield. Gianfranco Morello waved his arms to indicate he couldn't see the ball, and it landed safely several feet past him. This piece of intel shot through the Leafs dugout in two seconds. Next man up was right fielder Marcus Knecht, and he seized the opportunity to drop a double between two temporarily sightless outfielders. Third baseman Johnathan Solazzo then scorched a single that drove in both Castaldo and Knecht. The Leafs poured it on with three more singles. Six runs went on the board for the visitors, and Harford was knocked out of the game. It was 9-8 Jackfish through five.

Deska calmed the waters at the Pond, going 2.2 innings and giving up just one hit.

In the top of the 7th, the Leafs stunned the ballpark by taking the lead. Second baseman Dan Marra walked and DH Damon Topolie singled. Left fielder Gregory Carrington reached first on a fielder's choice that erased Topolie at second. Vinicio then singled in a run. Catcher Justin Marra followed with a drive that scored two more and the Leafs soared into the lead 11-9.

Sam Greene pitched the bottom of the 7th for Toronto. He gave up a solo homer that made it 11-10 with two tense innings left in the game.

Franklin Hernandez was called upon to get the final six outs. He retired the side and struck out two in the 8th.

The Leafs unleashed a final load of lumber on the Jackfish in the 9th. Justin Marra and Knecht each knocked a two-run homer to give Hernandez some breathing room with a five run lead.

After giving up a walk to start the bottom of the 9th, Toronto's closer retired the next three in a row with a swinging strikeout to end the game. He sealed his team's incredible comeback and a 15-10 FINAL. The Leafs' travelling caravan of supporters was dee-lighted with the result and made themselves heard.

The game went over four hours and the clubs combined for 35 hits and 25 runs. Vinicio recorded five hits and two RBIs while scoring four times. Justin Marra drove in four. It was a game where contributions came from everyone whose name was on the lineup card and one force of nature that was not.

Beware the gloaming!

Toronto 15 21 2

Welland 10 14 1

W - Deska (1-0, 3.17)

L - Boatto (0-1, 3.17)

S - Hernandez (3)

BOXSCORE