Leafs win 7-5
The regular season hurtles towards its end.
A flurry of games this weekend will shape the playoff matchups that lie ahead for the Toronto Maple Leafs. First round home field advantage is still in play.
The Leafs have been showing form of late. Time for a late season test against one of the top clubs to see where things stand. Toronto's travelling caravan cruises into K-W on the final Friday of July, quiet and expectant, buys the ticket and takes the ride.
It took all of the Leafs' nine lives as they staged a ninth-inning, come-from-behind win over the Kitchener Panthers, 7-5.
For a long time it looked as if Tyler Hardie's titanic home run (above) might be the only run for Toronto on the night. That bomb came off of Panthers starter Sean Ratcliffe, but the black cats still enjoyed an early lead. They had scored four runs off of Leafs starter Trevor Caughey -- a suddenly ubiquitous figure on the mound. It feels as if he's somehow made 15 starts in the last five games. Anyway, Caughey got kicked around for four runs, Hardie hit a solo bomb and it was 4-1 Panthers through four.
Things remained that way into the ninth. By then, Zach Sloan had pitched four shutout innings in relief of Caughey. The Panthers had pulled back some of their starters, and the Leafs entered the final inning still trailing by three.
Cue the comeback. Matt Vickers started the inning, the fifth Panthers hurler to take the mound. He promptly gave up a double to rightfielder Daniel Szpik, a single to catcher Chris Procopio, and an RBI single to DH Damon Topolie. Shortstop Adam Odd followed with an RBI single that scored Procopio. That brought the Leafs to within one run and still nobody out. Pinch hitter Grant Tamane rocked up to the plate and reached safely on a sac bunt attempt. Bases loaded, still nobody out, and the Panthers' bullpen scrambled into action again. Centerfielder Connor Lewis was next man up and he kept the line going with an RBI single that scored Topolie, tied the game and sent a lot of senior citizens to the exit gate (it was a chilly night to be fair). Third baseman Johnathan Solazzo drew a walk to bring home Odd and give the Leafs their first lead of the night. It continued. An RBI single by Hardie scored Tamane, and Szpik returned to the plate to drive in another run with a single. All told, the Leafs put six runs on the board off seven hits. They enjoyed a 7-4 lead and it was the Panthers suddenly down to their final three outs.
After a quick warmup behind the visitors-side stands, Solazzo went out to the mound to attempt to save the game for Sloan. The Panthers managed to score one run but no more than that. Solazzo slammed the door on a 7-5 win for the Leafs and more good vibes as the final weekend of the regular season kicks into gear.
Toronto 7-12-2
Kitchener 5-12-0
W - Sloan (2-3, 6.38)
L - Vickers (1-1, 8.35)
S - Solazzo (1)
BOXSCORE
With the win, the 17-17 Leafs clinch 4th place in the IBL standings and home field advantage for the first round of the postseason. Their opponent will be the Brantford Red Sox, and the full schedule of games is TBA.
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