Leafs win 11-8
Father's Day 2016.
It was the hottest day of the year in Toronto -- feeling like 35 degrees in the cauldron of Christie Pits -- and the hometown Maple Leafs laid an old fashioned beatdown on the visiting Guelph Royals.
Sean Mattson (above) led the way with three hits, including a 2-run home run and a bases-clearing double. Mattson racked up six RBIs on the afternoon. He was certainly Guelph's daddy on this day, as the Leafs won 11-8.
The game was never in doubt -- that is, until the final innings. Toronto had jumped out to an 11-0 lead after five, but the Christie Mystique threatened to turn against them late.
After a fine seven-inning performance by Dillon Mulholland, the Leafs' bullpen withered under the sun and the Royals started driving in runs. Guelph scored seven in the final two innings to make the final result a close one.
All told, Toronto batters clouted 16 hits today. Connor Lewis, Jon Waltenbury, Johnathan Solazzo, Justin Marra and Ryan White each had two hits. One of Solazzo's hits was his third home run of the season. Grant Tamane, Matt Blair-Brown and Damon Topolie each added one hit to the tally.
With this win the Mapes break a three-game losing streak, and now they can cast a laser-like focus on greater glories to come.
Game Recap:
The Toronto Maple Leafs hosted the Guelph Royals on a sweltering Father's Day afternoon at Christie Pits. Dillon Mulholland was on the bump for the local nine, versus Richard Gill.
After Mulholland pitched a perfect top of the 1st, the Leafs went to work on Gill. Left fielder Grant Tamane led off with a single, centerfielder Connor Lewis followed with a single, and rightfielder Jon Waltenbury walked to load the bases. Third baseman Sean Mattson drove them all in with a bases-clearing double. Catcher Justin Marra singled next, and an RBI single by manager-DH Damon Topolie scored Mattson, making it 4-0 Leafs after one inning of play.
The Leafs scored two more in the bottom of the 2nd. Leading off again, Tamane was hit by a pitch from Gill. He moved up two bases on singles by Waltenbury and by first baseman Johnathan Solazzo. A single by Mattson scored Tamane, and a fielder's choice by Justin Marra scored Waltenbury to make it 6-0 after two.
The Leafs struck again in the bottom of the 4th. Solazzo took first when Gill hit him with a pitch. Mattson then knocked a home run to put two more runs on the board. Justin Marra singled right after him and advanced to second on a fielding error. Second baseman Dan Marra drove in brother Justin with a sac fly and it was 9-0 Leafs through four.
As if they sensed the game was not yet out of reach, the Leafs piled it on in the bottom of the 5th. Alexander Gowing relieved Gill to start the inning. After two quick outs, he gave up a single to Waltenbury, followed by a two-run homer by Solazzo. 11-0 Leafs after five innings of play.
The baseball gods flipped a switch at the top of the 6th, and the Royals began putting runs on the board. Mulholland walked first baseman Matt Schmidt to start the inning, then gave up singles to catcher Patrick Coughlin and third baseman Adam Rossit to load the bases. Schmidt scored on the next play, which saw shortstop Trevor Nyp reach first base on an error by Leafs shortstop Ryan White. 11-1 Leafs through six.
David Ertl relieved Mulholland to start the 8th inning. He gave up a single to Rossit and a double to Nyp. Pinch hitter Aaron Loder grounded out but drove in Rossit in the process, making it 11-2 Leafs going into the 9th inning.
And that was when the Leafs almost fell victim to the Christie Mystique themselves. Matt Fiorini came in to pitch. He gave up a leadoff walk to Guelph's leadoff man, shortstop Kingsley Alarcon. Leftfielder Keegan Marsden singled next. Schmidt followed with a flyout. The Royals loaded the bases when rightfielder Chandler McLaren reached safely on an error by Dan Marra. Fiorini then walked in a run as Coughlin advanced to first, scoring Alarcon. A sac fly by Rossit brought Marsden in to score. Nyp followed with a single that scored McLaren. Loder was hit by a pitch to re-load the bases. Facing his ninth batter of the inning, Fiorini uncorked a wild pitch to centerfielder Santino Silvestri, allowing Coughlin to score. Adam Garner came on in relief, and he surrendered a two-RBI single to Alarcon. The Royals had now scored six runs in the 9th inning, but that would be as close as they got on this day. Garner got Marsden to groundout next, ending the game and securing an 11-8 FINAL for Toronto.
Guelph 8-11-1
Toronto 11-16-3
W - Mulholland (2-2, 6.60)
L - Gill (2-1, 6.28)
BOXSCORE
Back to .500, the Maple Leafs are in 5th place in the IBL Standings. Their next game is on Thursday, June 23 when they travel way up north to take on the Barry's Bay Cats.
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