Leafs win 8-6
The Toronto Maple Leafs celebrated Victoria Day this afternoon with a 16-hit salute and an 8-6 victory over the Brantford Red Sox. The huge Christie Pits crowd went home sun-kissed and delighted by the show.
Jon Waltenbury (above) and Sean Mattson lit the fireworks with a home run each. Wally's 3-run blast in the 4th inning put the Mapes ahead for good.
Will Richards accounted for four of the Leafs' hits on the day and he knocked in two runs.
Johnathan Solazzo went 3-for-5 with a double and hiked his batting average to .529.
The Toronto baseball club has been bringing a potent offence to each game so far this season. The mystique of Christie Pits is that no lead is ever safe, something that has been demonstrated in spectacular fashion over the years, most recently during the 2015 postseason. Today the Leafs fought back from behind twice, exemplifying the kind of steely resolve and never-say-die attitude that made the British Empire great. Yeah, Queen Victoria and all that.
On the mound, Justin Cicatello pitched seven solid innings for the win, giving up four runs on eight hits while striking out eight. A trio of pitchers finished up the last two innings with Adam Garner earning his first save of the season.
Game Recap:
The Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed the Brantford Red Sox to Christie Pits for a Victoria Day weekend contest. On the mound were Justin Cicatello for the home side and Graham Tebbit for the visitors.
Second baseman Benjamin Bostick led off the game by rapping a single to centerfield. He advanced to third when third baseman Tyler Patzalek's sacrifice attempt was played for an error at first base, and he scored the first run of the game on a wild pitch. Patzalek followed him in on a ground out that made it 2-0 after a half inning of play.
In the bottom of the first, right fielder Jon Waltenbury and first baseman Johnathan Solazzo each singled. Catcher Will Richards followed with another single. Waltenbury made the turn at third and scored easily. Richards was gunned down at second before Solazzo could cross the plate, and it was 2-1 Brantford after one inning of play.
The Red Sox blitzed Cicatello for a pair of doubles to start the 2nd inning. Leftfielder Nic Burdett hit the first one, and he was driven home when centerfielder Dennon Koziol hit the second one. That made it 3-1 Brantford midway through two.
The Leafs tied the game in the bottom of the 2nd. Third baseman Sean Mattson led off with a solo home run. Shortstop Ryan White doubled and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Centerfielder Grant Tamane followed with a single that scored White and it was 3-3 after two.
Brantford retook the lead in the top of the 4th on a solo home run by Burdett that made it 4-3.
Toronto seized the game by the throat and took the lead for good in the bottom of the 4th. DH Justin Marra led off with a walk, then moved to third on a double by leftfielder Troy Daring. A sac fly by White plated Marra, and ended Tebbit's afternoon after 3.1 innings. Matt Martinow came on in relief and got into a heap of trouble. He walked Tamane, then gave up a three-run bomb to Waltenbury -- a home run that went so far and so high that it did not seem to land, much to the delight of the large home crowd, the astonishment of the umpires, and the disappointment of the Christie Pits ball chasers. 7-4 Leafs after four.
The Leafs tacked on a run in the bottom of the 6th. Solazzo doubled and scored on a single by Richards. 8-4 Leafs after six.
Cicatello retired the side in the 7th and turned it over to Cameron Gray to start the 8th. Gray, who had spent most of the previous afternoon warming up in anticipation of relieving Dillon Mulholland in Guelph (it never happened), got into a jam quickly. He allowed first baseman Dan Jagdeo to reach first on a throwing error, then gave up a single to catcher Ricky Murray -- a single that turned into a double and allowed Jagdeo to score. Gray then walked Burdett, but got the next two batters to fly out. He then hit rightfielder Casey Howard with a pitch, and walked Bostick with the bases loaded to bring Murray in to score. Matt Fiorini entered the game and got the next batter to fly out to end the threat, but the Red Sox had pulled closer, down 8-6 after eight.
Adam Garner came in to the pitch the ninth for Toronto and he struck out the first two batters he faced. He then gave up singles to Murray and Burdett before striking out Koziol to lock down the win for Cicatello and earn his first save of the season with an 8-6 FINAL for Toronto.
Brantford 6-11-1
Toronto 8-16-3
W - Cicatello (1-0, 4.50)
L - Tebbit (0-1, 13.50)
S - Garner (1)
BOXSCORE
The Maple Leafs are now 3-1 and tied for second place in the IBL standings.
The Leafs hit the road for a pair of games starting this Thursday, May 26 up in Barrie, and on Friday, May 27 down in London. Got fuel to burn, got roads to drive.
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