IBL Semifinals - Game 2 - September 3, 2023
Welland Jackfish at Toronto Maple Leafs
Welland 10
Toronto 3
The series is tied 1-1
 |
| Welland's Steven Moretto broke the tie and opened the floodgates with his eighth inning home run off Chris Nagorski. |
There's no doubt many of you will remember that line from scripture that goes: "One day your bullpen kills, the next day your bullpen gets killed."*
That's the story of this semifinal series after two games.
At Christie Pits yesterday, the Toronto Maple Leafs' bullpen got killed, giving up eight runs over the final two innings. A tight contest ended up a comfortable 10-3 win for the Welland Jackfish.
Most of the game was a repeat of the previous one. Hits aplenty, but runs were scarce.
Daniel Procopio and James Bradwell both brought their warrior game to the Pits. As jets from the Toronto air show buzzed the park, the starting pitchers did battle and worked their way in and out of jams.
The Leafs were first to put a notch on the scoreboard. Garrett Takamatsu, Toronto's popular designated hitter, led off the bottom of the second inning by hitting a grounder to second. It was fielded for an error and Takamatsu was safe at first. Johnathan Solazzo, Toronto's popular third baseman, followed with a single and some clumsy fielding moved him to second while Takamatsu went over to third. Dan Marra, Toronto's popular second baseman, drove Takamatsu home with a single. 1-0 Leafs.
In the top of the fifth, a double by Welland's Carlos Martinez drove in two runs and the Jackfish went ahead 2-1.
Toronto tied the game in the bottom of the sixth. Jose Vinicio, Toronto's popular shortstop, led off with a single. He stole second, moved to third on an error, and scored when Jordan Castaldo, Toronto's popular first baseman, grounded into a double play. The score was 2-2 through six.
Procopio pitched seven strong innings. He gave up two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out seven.
And then, the floodgates opened. It got biblical.
Reliever Chris Nagorski had barely gotten started in the top of the eighth when Welland's Steven Moretto hit a home run to break the tie game. Two singles followed, and manager Rob Butler brought Adam Marra in to pitch. The Jackfish were just getting started. A double and a single cashed in three more runs and the Leafs trailed 6-2 midway through the inning.
In the bottom of the eighth, Toronto got one back thanks to Vinicio again. He reached first on a fielder's choice, stole second, and scored on a double hit by Justin Marra, Toronto's popular catcher. The score was 6-3 through eight.
The onslaught continued in the ninth. Marra gave up another RBI single and Julian Valdez came in to pitch. James Smibert smacked a three-run homer over the fence in right. Zach Sloan came in to finish the inning, but the Jackfish were cruising away with a 10-3 lead.
No lead is safe, and the Leafs loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth. Fans were hoping to see a classic Christie comeback unfold, but Chris Boatto held firm. The Welland pitcher kept any runs from getting through and sealed the decision for his starter. Bradwell pitched eight innings, gave up three runs on six hits, a walk and nine strikeouts for the win. Nagorski took the loss.**
* Maybe it's just me.
** Make no mistake, Toronto's pitchers remain very popular.
Welland 10 16 2
Toronto 3 9 2
W - Bradwell (2-0, 2.40)
L - Nagorski (1-1, 21.60)
L - Nagorski (1-1, 21.60)
The semifinal series is tied at a game apiece. Game 3 will be played this afternoon at Welland Stadium. First pitch is at 4:05 pm.
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