Leafs win 4-2 (win series 4-3)
Fifteen days, seven games, 10 innings.
One team of survivors.
The Toronto Maple Leafs advanced to the next round of the 2016 IBL postseason following a 4-2 win last night in Game 7 of their quarterfinal versus the Brantford Red Sox.
My hands have stopped shaking, but it was nerve-wracking stuff. Totally befitting a close-fought series between two evenly matched clubs that fought to the final over seven games.
Despite a pre-game rain delay that left the place drenched, the atmosphere at Arnold Anderson Stadium was one of classic playoff intensity. Brantford boosters were in full voice from the first pitch to the final out. Toronto's travelling caravan of family, friends, and amazing sports journalists* showed up in their largest numbers yet.
Once the game got underway, it became a microcosm of the Leafs' 2016 season. The Leafs may not be the loudest club in the league, spurning show-offyness** for quiet grindertude**, and these attributes were on display again.
Marek Deska -- the bulldog of the Leafs rotation -- took the ball, stomped out to the mound, and owned it for the first four innings.
When a misplay put Brantford speedster Benjamin Bostick on second base in the 5th, Grant Tamane went all-out with a Superman dive in left-center to record an out, save a sure run and preserve a scoreless draw.
When Brantford scored two runs in the bottom of the 6th, the Leafs did not go to pieces and let the season go down with it. Instead, they slammed a huge stop sign between third base and home and shut down Brantford's offence for the rest of the night.
Justin Marra -- the Leafs' regular season home run leader -- did just what he was paid millions of imaginary dollars to do, and smashed a two-run home run to put Toronto right back in it.
Quite simply, there was no quit in the six last night. So much of the good stuff they showed all season was back for this game.
They marched into extra innings, seized the contest and took the series. Naturally, two of the Leafs' biggest bats got the job done. First Jon Waltenbury with a rampaging double, and then the silent assassin Sean Mattson with the game-winning RBI.
Pitchers Justin Cicatello and Mike Wagner teamed up over the final six innings to seal the win and send Toronto storming into the semifinals.
Massive props are due to the Brantford Red Sox for engaging in a great seven-game battle. A pitch here, a hit there, and the series could have gone the other way. Credit also to one of the feistiest fan bases in the IBL. The Brantford folks travel large and loud, adding an extra element to this series.
After a series that seemed destined to go on into September, the boys in triple blue emerged triumphant. They march on to the semifinals where the next challenge awaits.
* Amazingly deluded?
** These may not be actual words.
Game Recap:
Quarterfinal Game 7 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Brantford Red Sox got under way at Arnold Anderson Stadium following a 34-minute rain delay. On the mound were Nate Forer for the home side and Marek Deska for the visitors.
Forer retired the side in the top of the 1st.
Deska hit leadoff batter second baseman Benjamin Bostick with a pitch to open the bottom of the 1st. Bostick was then caught stealing second. Deska then walked centerfielder Chris Dennis and catcher Ricky Murray before getting two strikeouts to end the inning 0-0 after one.
Forer and Deska cruised through the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings. Forer giving up just hit during that stretch while Deska gave up two.
Forer retired the side in order again in the top of the 5th.
Deska's night was over as Justin Cicatello took to the mound for the bottom of the 5th. He walked a batter before recording three outs to finish the inning. The game remained scoreless after five innings of play.
The Leafs stranded two batters in the top of the 6th.
Brantford broke the ice in the bottom of the 6th. Cicatello gave up a one-out single to third baseman Tyler Patzalek, and then a double to first baseman Nic Burdett that scored Patzalek. Leftfielder Josh McCurdy followed with another double that scored Burdett and Arnold Anderson Stadium came alive with a 2-0 Red Sox lead after six innings of play.
The seventh inning saw more bullpen moves as Tanner Guindon relieved Forer and Mike Wagner relieved Cicatello. There was no scoring and the Red Sox held on to a 2-0 lead heading into the 8th.
With two outs in the top of the 8th, Guindon walked first baseman Jon Waltenbury. That ended his evening as Trevor Bayless came in to pitch. The first batter he faced was catcher Justin Marra, who tied the game with one swing of the bat and a two-run home run. It was the Leafs' bench and fans turn to erupt with noise.
Wagner retired the side in the bottom of the 8th and this tight contest headed to the 9th inning tied 2-2.
The Leafs were put away with ease by Bayless in the top of the 9th as he struck out two.
Wagner gave up a walk in the bottom of the 9th, but no further damage. The tension rose ever-higher as the game went into extra innings.
Jonathan Joseph relieved Bayless in the top of the 10th and recorded two quick outs. Waltenbury returned to the plate and battled Joseph to a full count. On the sixth pitch of the at bat, Wally smacked a double to right center. Brantford wisely elected to intentionally walk Justin Marra, bringing DH Sean Mattson to the plate. Mattson wasted no time. On the first pitch from Joseph, he hit a single to left that scored Waltenbury and moved Marra to third. Up next was third baseman Johnathan Solazzo, who took two balls and a called strike before Joseph's next pitch got past Murray and Marra raced home to make it a 4-2 Leafs lead with Brantford now down to their final three outs.
DH Dan Jagdeo grounded out to Wagner to start the bottom of the 10th. Patzalek then grounded out to shortstop Ryan White for the second out. Burdett coaxed a walk from Wagner, and then McCurdy hit a grounder that eluded White. Two men on, two out, and shortstop Brandon Dailey came up to the plate representing the winning run. On his first pitch from Wagner, Dailey hit a flyball to centerfield, where Connor Lewis calmly caught it for the final out, the 4-2 FINAL and the 4-3 quarterfinal series victory for Toronto.
Toronto 4-6-0
Brantford 2-7-1
W - Wagner (2-0, 2.25)
L - Joseph (1-1, 10.50)
BOXSCORE
The Maple Leafs will get less than 48 hours to enjoy this series win. They will face the London Majors -- the 2016 IBL pennant winners -- in a semifinal series starting on Friday night, August 19 at Labatt Memorial Park.
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