Leafs win 11-8
The Toronto Maple Leafs have done something no other team in the IBL can boast about -- they beat the Barrie Baycats this season.
Barrie's record-breaking 26-game winning streak came to an end last night at Christie Pits and the Leafs were the spoilers.
After falling behind 3-1, the Leafs exploded for a combined eight runs in the fifth and sixth innings, then held off a late rally by the visitors to take an 11-8 victory on a warm night at the Pits.
Pedro De Los Santos made his first start of the season on the mound for Toronto, and he held the Baycats to four runs over eight innings while striking out four. For Barrie, Adam Rowe also made his first start of 2017, but he got the hook after a four-run fifth gave the Leafs the lead for good.
Rookie Zac Orchard continued his hot streak. The rightfielder led off the second with a single, moved to second on a putout by first baseman Damon Topolie, then scored on an RBI single by second baseman Dan Marra.
Barrie took the lead in the third. Ryan Spataro singled and then came all the way around to score on a single by Jordan Castaldo, who was then driven in on a double by Branfy Infante. That made it 2-1 Barrie through three innings.
A single and a walk off De Los Santos put two Baycats aboard in the top of the fifth, and Brandon Dhue hit an RBI single to give his side a 3-1 lead.
The Mapes reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fifth. It started with a one-out double by centerfielder Greg Carrington. Leftfielder Grant Tamane followed with a walk. DH Jon Waltenbury then slapped a single to score Carrington. Catcher Justin Marra doubled to drive in Tamane and move Wally to third. Third baseman Johnathan Solazzo kept it going with an RBI single, and Orchard did the very same thing. All told, ten men came to the plate and the rally produced four runs off six hits to give the Leafs a 5-3 lead after five.
Barrie got a run back in the top of the sixth, but Toronto rallied for four more in the bottom of the inning.
Brandon Catena replaced Rowe on the mound, and Carrington got things going again with a leadoff walk. Tamane singled and Waltenbury walked to load the bases. Solazzo and Orchard repeated their feat from the previous inning by hitting a pair of RBI singles. Catena was done after recording just one out, relieved by Chris Nagorski. Barrie finally got out of the inning, but not before two more runs went on the board on a sac fly by shortstop Ryan White, and a putout by pinch hitter Tyler Hardie. 9-4 Leafs through six.
A giddy crowd around the hillsides showed their appreciation for the score, but veteran fans were aware that even a five-run lead was not safe at Toronto's legendary ballpark. Making his rounds selling tickets for the coffee pot draw, Alan Ross wisely noted that the Baycats would only be defeated after three outs in the ninth. And so they would prove.
The idea of needing insurance runs with a five-run lead sounds absurd, but Barrie hadn't gone over two-thirds of a season undefeated without some impressive comebacks. One of those came at the hands of the Leafs, who blew a three-run lead in the bottom of the ninth in Barrie on July 6th.
So when Justin Marra belted a two-run homer in the eighth to give his side an 11-4 lead, it finally started to look like the Baycats' run would end with a thud.
They came to bat in the ninth inning, hacking at everything like lumberjacks. De Los Santos had turned the ball over to Adam Odd, who got the first out but gave up three runs. Andrew Simonetti came in with two men aboard. He gave up a single that scored Barrie's fourth run of the inning, but then got Castaldo to ground into a perfect 6-4-3 double play to slam the door shut on an 11-8 final for Toronto.
Justin Marra led the Leafs with three RBIs on the night, as well as his "insurance" home run. Solazzo, Orchard and White each had a pair of ribbies; Waltenbury and Dan Marra each got one. De Los Santos earned his second win of the season, and Simonetti notched his first save.
Barrie 8-13-0
Toronto 11-14-3
W - De Los Santos (2-1, 4.11)
L - Rowe (0-1, 6.48)
S - Simonetti (1)
BOXSCORE
The Leafs return to the .500 mark with a 14-14 record and they hold steady at 4th place in the IBL standings. They next hit the road for a pair of games, starting with a tilt at the Kitchener Panthers this Thursday night, July 20.
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