Baycats win 7-2 -- BAYCATS WIN THE SERIES 4-3
When the 2015 IBL postseason got underway, not many people expected the Toronto Maple Leafs to start swaggering from town to town like a gang of cigar-chomping woodpeckers, kicking other clubs' ballparks to pieces, and tapping their ashes out in some poor joe's lunch.
But that's what happened.
The Mapes had staggered to a 6th place finish with one of their worst records in decades (15-21). A late-season losing streak had resulted in a managerial adjustment. A first round matchup with the 7-time champion Brantford Red Sox dulled the spirit, and it looked like the Leafs might be goners, quick.
Instead, the playoffs proved to be a new dawn for the club.
Pitching, hitting and fielding all came together. The Leafs played like the Leafs we waited for all season.
Justin Cicatello, Brett Van Pelt and Justin Lawrence gelled into a formidable rotation, racking up complete game wins like it was no big deal. In six out of 12 games, the starters went the distance. Cicatello led the way with three wins.
At the plate, Johnathan Solazzo and Jon Waltenbury formed a "bash brothers" tandem, smashing four and three home runs respectively, including some memorable bombs at Christie Pits. Tyler Mitchell, who hit one round-tripper all season, made a surprise addition to the postseason demolition crew by hitting three homers as well. Between the three of them, they racked up 42 of the Leafs' 79 RBIs this August.
Waltenbury hit .457 in the postseason and led the team in hits, doubles, RBIs, runs scored, and he also tied Dan Marra for stolen bases with two apiece. Waltenbury also led the team as its undisputed captain, rallying the troops from first pitch to final out.
The team rallied around him, as old reliables Marra and Raul Borjas stepped it up with timely hits and RBIs. Newer faces like Grant Tamane, Brendan Keys, Connor Lewis and Will Richards all cemented their places on the team.
So, instead of going down quietly and letting Brantford get on with bigger things, the Leafs stormed into their quarterfinal matchup and shocked the Red Sox 4-1. It was the first time since 2007 that the Leafs knocked them out.
It was on to the semi-finals and a meeting with the Barrie Baycats. The defending IBL champions had romped to a 28-7 regular season record, and swept the Guelph Royals in four games. The Leafs could not ask to face a more overwhelming favourite, but they rose to the challenge and pushed the 'Cats to the brink. The back-and-forth series went to a seventh game.
Last night in Barrie, the Leafs' playoff run came to an end. The tank ran out of gas, the champs had one more win in them, and the Leafs were eliminated.
Justin Lawrence had a tough luck outing, giving up seven runs (five earned) over 6.1 innings. Behind him, the Leafs' infield made four errors.
At the plate, the Leafs' bats went cold. They knocked nine hits off of starter Adam Rowe, but left eight men on base and struck out nine times. A late rally got Toronto on the board, but they ran out of outs, and Barrie celebrated under the fireworks with a 7-2 final score.
After a new dawn, the sun had set on the 2015 season.
Game Recap:
It was all on the line as the Barrie Baycats hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs in game seven of their semi-final series. Adam Rowe and Justin Lawrence were on the mound to start the elimination game.
It was a hitless, scoreless affair for the first two innings. Toronto got a couple of hits off of Rowe in the third, but nothing came of it.
Barrie got on the board in the bottom of the 4th, when first baseman Jordan Castaldo hit a two-run homer off of Lawrence. Third baseman Kevin Atkinson reached on an error, which was followed by a single by catcher Kyle DeGrace. A single by shortstop Branfy Arias scored Atkinson and the Baycats had a 3-0 lead after four innings.
The Baycats extended their lead in the 5th, as centerfielder Glenn Jackson singled and Castaldo got aboard with a walk. Atkinson then hit a double to bring Jackson home and move Castaldo to third. He too scored, when DeGrace hit into an out at first. 5-0 Baycats through five.
DeGrace put the finishing touch on Barrie's scoring, with a two-run homer off of Lawrence in the bottom of the 7th. Marek Deska came in to finish the inning, and the Baycats led 7-0 through seven.
Toronto rallied late. Rightfielder Grant Tamane singled to lead off. That was followed by singles from second baseman Dan Marra and third baseman Johnathan Solazzo. With the bases loaded, leftfielder Raul Borjas hit into a fielder's choice. Tamane and Marra both scored on the play after a fielding error by Barrie. Christian Botnick pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the frame and it was 7-2 Baycats after eight innings.
It was also a 1-2-3 top of the 9th, as the Leafs went down in order to Chris Nagorski and Barrie won the series with a 7-2 final.
Toronto 2-9-4
Barrie 7-6-2
W - Rowe (3-1, 1.82)
L - Lawrence (1-3, 3.81)
BOXSCORE
The Maple Leafs' 2015 playoff thrill ride is over. Overall, this season has provided a memorable four months, and the club has a solid foundation to build on for 2016.
Late last night, one Barrie player put it best when he declared: "The Leafs are back!"
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