Game 17: Hammered Early and Often - Maple Leafs @ Hamilton, June 14

Full disclosure: I was born and raised in Hamilton - the Hammer!  I first came to this ballpark some 20 years ago as a precocious youngster.  I spent most of the time chasing foul balls hit into the parking lot rather than watching the action inside Bernie Arbour Stadium.  I still have one of those balls here at home.

My best friend still lives in Hamilton, so I called him up to see if he'd be interested in going to a Cardinals game.  I explained to him this blog thing I'm doing, as I follow the Toronto Maple Leafs and do little write ups with photos after each game.

"Yeah, I'm down for that," my friend said.  "I could do some sketching during the game."

"Seriously?  That's awesome."

"Yeah, I've been doing a lot of it lately.  Sounds like the perfect place for it."

So we met up at the park.  Southpaw Marc-Andre Major was making his season debut for the Maple Leafs against Tim Black.  The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead, extended it to blowout proportions, then hung on to prevent a late Toronto comeback for a 10-6 win.

The stadium on Hamilton's mountain hadn't changed much in 20 years.  The Cardinals have given the place a new coat of paint.  Huge team logos adorn the exterior walls.  Inside, the grandstand seats beam bright red.

It was a fast moving game, interrupted by the occasional outburst of scoring.  I did my usual photo-snapping and note-taking.  My friend gazed at the field impassively.

"Weren't you going to do some sketching?" I asked.

"What?"

"You were excited about sketching at the game."

"Oh, no.  I said STRETCHING," he rose from his seat and began pulling his arms behind his head.

"Can't you do that at home?"

"Nah, there's never sufficient time.  You've got to give it justice."  He began tilting side to side at the waist.  "With all the home reno, and the backyard, and the girls, and the dog, and the basement, I can never get in a minute of free time.  It's great here, there's not much going on."

That was true enough from the Leafs' point of view.  They'd get on base, strand a few, give up a few.  They just weren't clicking.

My friend leaned back and grasped the seat he had been sitting on, making a weird shape with his body. 

"Uh... I'm going to walk around for a bit and take photos from different angles."

"Cool.  I'm going to work the lower body next."

I wandered off to one side of the grandstand then the other, then down along the right field baseline where there was more bench seating.  I glanced back at the grandstand and spotted my friend.  He'd turned his back to the field, bent over and grasped his ankles, ass high in the air.  Jesus God, man.

As for the Leafs, they made a contest of it late, but too late.  They have found their scoring touch again, but on this night they gave up too many runs.


Recap:

The Hamilton Cardinals gave a rude welcome to Toronto Maple Leafs starter Marc-Andre Major, who was making his season debut.  The Cards led off with a pair of singles, then DH Daniel Jagdeo belted a home run to give the home side a 3-0 lead right away. 

Major settled down and pitched four scoreless innings after that.  He was matched for goose eggs by Hamilton starter Tim Black until Black was relieved in the 5th by Tim Krawczyk.

The Leafs got on the board in the top of the 6th.  Centerfielder Glenn Jackson singled and stole second, and was driven home by rightfielder Jon Waltenbury.

But the wheels came off for Toronto in the bottom of the frame.  Reliever Cam Grey gave up six runs on six hits and a walk, and was relieved by Jas Shergill after 2/3 of an inning.  Another bad moment came for the Leafs that inning when Glenn Jackson went down hard chasing a flyball to short center.  He stayed down for a few minutes as his teammates and the team trainer gathered round.  Jackson was helped to his feet and walked off the field favouring his right leg.  9-1 Hamilton after the 6th.

The Leafs started climbing back into it in the top of the 7th.  Krawczyk gave up walks to first baseman Damon Topolie and third baseman Sean Mattson.   Justin Gianfrancesco, who had subbed in for Jackson, hit a double to right field, scoring the two runners ahead of him, and by the time the Cardinals fielders got the ball back in, Gianfrancesco had motored around to third base.  He scored on a ground out by second baseman Dan Marra and it was 9-4 Cardinals going into the bottom of the 7th.

Shergill gave up a leadoff home run to first baseman Zack Ranta that made it 10-4 Cardinals after the 7th.  Time was running out for the Leafs, but they weren't done yet.

In the top of the 8th, first baseman Will Richards hit a hard shot off the right field fence for a double.  He advanced to third on a ground out by shortstop Cody Mombourquette, and raced home on a wild pitch by Krawczyk.

In the top of the 9th, Sean Mattson walked and was driven home on a single by Dan Marra, but Cardinals reliever Nino Fasulo was able to get the final outs and the game ended 10-6 Hamilton.

The Maple Leafs are now 6-9, 8 games behind the league leading Brantford Red Sox.  Their next game is June 15 at the Burlington Bandits.

Game 16: Leafs Win Walk-Off Thriller - Barrie Baycats @ Toronto, June 12

Christie Pits transformed from a place of quiet anxiety into a roaring madhouse with one swing of Jon Waltenbury's bat last night.

Facing former Barrie Baycats teammate Josh Soffer with no outs in the bottom of the 11th inning, Waltenbury sent a no doubter over the right field fence and the Maple Leafs won a walk-off 10-9 thriller.  Everyone in the park went bug-nuts.  Children screamed, women threw underwear, old men wept hysterically.

The six-game losing streak that had marked the past couple of weeks for the Leafs fades into the past and their bats have awoken in anger.  They have scored a total of 27 runs in the three games since the trade that might go down as a huge turning point in the season.

Last week, the Leafs sent outfielder Jordan Castaldo and pitcher Brett Lawson to Barrie in exchange for former Leaf Waltenbury.  All three players were on the field last night, wanting to prove to their former bosses that trading them away was a mistake.

Waltenbury had the biggest night, going 4 for 5 at the plate with 3 RBIs, stealing a base, hitting the walk-off home run and winning the player of the game award.  Castaldo was right there with him, going 3 for 5 with an RBI and two stolen bases.  Lawson's return to Christie Pits was a rough ride.  He gave up 9 hits and 6 runs over 5 innings, but escaped with a no-decision.

Walk-off heroics aside, it was a big team win for the Leafs.  They fought back to erase Barrie leads twice.  They got men on base and moved them along.  They stole five bases.  They made some great defensive plays in the later innings.  The bench was lively.

But earlier in the night, it felt like an air of anxiety was hanging over the park.  A sunny day had turned into dark, overcast skies by game time.  Slight drizzle came down briefly in the early going.  Dogs were going snakey.  The fans were quiet.  And a club that had beaten the Leafs with ease in late May was in town to have another go.  If the local nine intended to climb back into the top half of the standings, they would have to win games like these.

As the clubs slugged away, exchanging leads and racking up the score, that anxiety continued to grow.  The Leafs took a 9-8 lead into the 9th inning with Justin Cicatello on the mound to close it out.  But Cicatello - normally the most reliable arm out of the bullpen - blew the lead and sent the game to extras.  Anxiety peaked.  Something had to give.

Finally, it was Waltenbury's home run that broke the tension, sent his teammates spilling out to greet him at home plate, and sent the local tribespeople into frenzied celebrations.

Strong candidate for my favourite game of the year.


Recap:

The Maple Leafs got off to a shall-we-say-anxious start to this game.  In the top of the 1st inning, starter Marek Deska was tagged for a two-run home run by Barrie Baycats centerfielder Jeff Cowan.  

Deska gave up two more runs in the top of the third.  Baycats rightfielder Ryan Spataro walked, stole second and moved to third on an error by Leafs catcher Damon Topolie.  A single by Cowan gave him his third RBI in three innings.  Cowan then came home on a double by third baseman Kevin Atkinson and it was 4-0 Barrie halfway through the 3rd.

The Leafs erupted for 6 runs in the bottom of the 3rd.  Nine men came up to the plate, starting with right fielder Rob Gillis who opened the proceedings with a solo home run.  Then followed a parade of singles, with third baseman Sean Mattson, centerfielder Glenn Jackson and second baseman Dan Marra each hitting safely to load the bases.  With right fielder Jon Waltenbury at the plate, Mattson raced home on a wild pitch for the Leafs first run.  Waltenbury then singled to score Jackson and Marra.  First baseman Will Richards hit the fifth consecutive Leafs single to advance Waltenbury to second.  A double steal moved both runners up a base.  Waltenbury scored on a ground out by shortstop Cody Mombourquette.  Richards came home with the sixth run of the inning on a wild pitch by Baycats starter Brett Lawson.  6-4 Leafs after the 3rd.

The 'Cats clawed their way back into a tie by scoring a run in both the 4th and 5th innings.  In the 4th, second baseman Kyle DeGrace hit a double off Deska to drive in a run.  In the 5th shortstop Jason Coker hit a high flying home run off reliever Adam Garner that just stayed fair over the left field corner.  6-6 after the 5th.

Barrie continued slugging in the 6th.  Spataro doubled and Cowan drove in his fourth run of the game with a single.  Cowan then stole second and was driven home on a single by first baseman Jordan Castaldo.  8-6 Baycats after the 6th. 

The Leafs battled back to tie the score in the bottom of the 7th.  They loaded the bases with another series of singles, this time by Waltenbury, Richards and Mombourquette off reliever Ryan Dillabough.  With DH Kevin Hinton at bat, Dillabough uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Waltenbury to score.  Richards scored on a ground out by Hinton and it was 8-8 after the 7th.

The Leafs reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the 8th.  Jackson doubled to left and moved to third on a passed ball.  Marra drove him home with a single up the middle that got past a diving Coker and the Leafs went into the 9th inning with a 9-8 lead.

Justin Cicatello, in his second inning of relief, was unable to keep Barrie from tying the game again.  The Baycats' Castaldo singled and stole second base.  He moved to third on a single by DH Ryan Asis, and came home with the tying run on a single by catcher Brendan Keys.

Both clubs traded scoreless innings in the 10th, and so the stage was set for Jon Waltenbury to lead off the bottom of the 11th.  He took five straight pitches for a full count, then launched Josh Soffer's final pitch over the right field fence to bring this slugfest to a close.

The Leafs are now 6-8 and 7 games behind the league leading Brantford Red Sox.  Their next game is in Steeltown on June 14 against the Hamilton Cardinals.

Game 15: Total Destruction, At Last - Hamilton Cardinals @ Toronto, June 9

The Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club broke out of a detestable six-game losing streak by destroying the Hamilton Cardinals 15-2 this afternoon at Christie Pits.  Fifteen hits, fifteen runs scored.  Total destruction, at last.

This is the team we observers have been pining for.  A solid pitching, hard hitting, run scoring win machine.  In the tail end of the first month of the season, the Leafs seemed to forget themselves and their bats fell silent.  They lost their last six games and made life hard for this writer.  You can only write so much fluff while dancing around the reality before you.  But today it all got better.  This show of total destruction was glorious.

The Leafs pounded out 15 hits against a shellshocked Hamilton club that could not respond to the barrage.  Jon Waltenbury knocked in 4 runs and hit his league-leading 7th home run (photo above), validating the trade that brought him to Toronto a couple of days ago.  Joining Waltenbury in the hit parade today were Glenn Jackson (3 hits, 2 RBIs), Damon Topolie (2 hits, 3 RBIs) and Raul Borjas (2 hits, 2 RBIs), with additional RBIs coming from Dan Marra and Rob Gillis.

New kid Rick Brooks got the start for Toronto today, and he pitched five shutout innings, giving up only two hits to a struggling Cardinals team.  Brooks' win was preserved by four different relievers, but today's win came off another rejigged batting order that provided all the necessary firepower.

Jailbreak, slumpbuster, call it what you will.  Rumours of the Maple Leafs' demise have been greatly exaggerated.


Recap:

Leadoff man Glenn Jackson got things going with a single off Cardinals stater Ryan Van Spronsen in the bottom of the 1st.  The Maple Leafs' centerfielder moved to second on a ground out by second baseman Dan Marra, and was driven home by rightfielder Jon Waltenbury to give the Leafs an early 1-0 lead.

The lead was expanded in the 2nd inning.  With one out, consecutive singles by first baseman Damon Topolie and DH Rob Gillis were followed by an error by Hamilton shortstop Michael Gottschalk.  Instead of an inning-ending double play, the error allowed third baseman Sean Mattson to reach first and load the bases.  Jackson came up again and doubled to score both Topolie and Gillis.  Dan Marra followed with a single that scored Mattson.  Jackson came home on a sacrifice fly by Raul Borjas and it was 5-0 Leafs after the 2nd.

The Leafs knocked Van Spronsen out of the game in the bottom of the 4th.  Van Spronsen walked both Marra and Waltenbury, then gave up a single to Borjas that scored Marra and moved Waltenbury to second base.  With the score now 6-0, Van Spronsen got the hook and was relieved by Brett van Pelt.  To me, the next play symbolized the Maple Leafs breaking out of their losing streak.  The next batter was first baseman Will Richards.  Richards grounded to the shortstop in what appeared to be a GIDP.  The runner from first, Borjas, was easily out at second.  But Borjas slid hard and toppled Cardinals second baseman Jon Saporsantos, who threw wide to first.  This allowed Richards to be safe, and hustle over to second safely.  Waltenbury scored.  Inning continued.  Van Pelt then walked shortstop Cody Mombourquette and Topolie, and hit Gillis with a pitch, bringing Richards - who was supposed to have grounded into a double play - home with another run.  8-0 Leafs after 4 innings.

Jackson doubled to lead off the 5th inning and a double by Waltenbury brought him around to score.  Waltenbury scored on an error by Saporsantos that allowed Borjas to reach first safely.  10-0 Leafs after 5 innings.

Maple Leafs starter Rick Brooks pitched 5 scoreless innings and was relieved by Cameron Grey to start the 6th.  Grey pitched a scoreless inning and was relieved by Scott Kelly in the 7th.  Kelly gave up two runs to make the score 10-2 going into the bottom of the 7th.

In the bottom of the 7th, Hamilton reliever Dustin Godden gave up a single to Waltenbury, hit Borjas with a pitch, and walked Richards to load the bases.  Damon Topolie then cleared the bases with a double that scored all three runners ahead of him.  13-2 Leafs after the 7th.

Drew Taylor pitched a scoreless 8th for the Leafs, who scored two more runs in the bottom of the inning.  Leftfielder Justin Gianfranceso doubled, and Waltenbury delivered the coup de grace with his league-leading seventh home run and 20th RBI to make it 15-2 for the Leafs.  The Cardinals, who didn't have much to show all day, went down in the 9th to reliever Justin Cicatello and the losing streak was finally snapped.

The Maple Leafs are now 5-8, 6.5 games behind the league leading Brantford Red Sox.  Their next game is at home on June 12 against the Barrie Baycats.

Game 14: Shake, Shake, Shake - Maple Leafs @ London, June 7

You can tell where a batter's head is at by the height of his socks.  When he's in a groove, seeing the ball and making good contact, he wants to keep that going.  His gameday routine will remain the same, sometimes painstakingly so.  But, if the ball has been hard to pick up, or his bat's been moving too slow, a player will decide it's time to shake things up. 

The socks are usually the first target.  It's an easy change to the routine - hike up the pant bottoms and flash some high hose.  Suddenly it's a whole new feeling, that breeze on the legs, the air of freedom.  Maybe it turns things around.  Maybe brings a bit of luck too - some flickering spark still in the air from a bygone era when everyone wore 'em high.

In their last few games, several of the Maple Leafs have been sporting high socks, so you know what that means.  Trying to shake things up, get something going and bust out of this losing streak.  Shake, shake, shake...

Before game time yesterday, there were bigger shakeups afoot.  News of a trade between the Maple Leafs and Barrie Baycats hit the social media.  The Leafs had sent outfielder Jordan Castaldo and pitcher Brett Lawson to Barrie in exchange for outfielder Jon Waltenbury in a bid to bolster their struggling offence.  Waltenbury played for the Leafs in 2011 and leads the league this year with 6 home runs.  His 16 RBIs are second in the league.  Shake, shake, shake...

The Leafs' batting order was also shuffled around for their game against the London Majors at Labatt Park last night.  Shake your lineup!

However, it was starter Marek Deska who led the team with a stellar performance.  Deska pitched 6 shutout innings, giving up only 3 hits while striking out 7 and walking one.

Deska was matched inning-for-inning by Majors starter Jordan Townshend, who bested his opposite with a complete game, five-hit shutout as the Majors won 2-0.  The game was lost on two errors on one play in the bottom of the 8th.


Recap*:

This one was a pitchers' duel.  London Majors starter Jordan Townshend and Toronto Maple Leafs starter Marek Deska traded scoreless innings through the first six. 

Deska was relieved by Adam Garner, who kept the Majors off the board through seven.

The Leafs meanwhile could not muster any runs, scattering five hits over the game.

The game unraveled for the Leafs in the bottom of the 8th.  Garner walked a man, and the next batter bunted back to the mound as the lead runner ran for second.  Garner fielded it, then threw the ball away from first baseman Will Richards' grasp.  The ball was quickly pounced on as the lead runner broke for third.  The throw to third eluded third baseman Sean Mattson and the run came all the way around to score.  Another run was tacked on to make it 2-0, and the game was over. 

Townshend wrapped it up in the 9th for a complete game shutout, sending the Leafs to their sixth straight defeat.

The Leafs are now 4-8, good for 5th place in the league, and 7 games behind the Brantford Red Sox.  Their next game is against the Hamilton Cardinals at Christie Pits on June 9th.

*Apologies for the quickie recap - the Pointstreak website is acting funny this morning.

Game 13: One-Sided Series Continues - Maple Leafs @ Brantford, June 5

Brantford again!  

The Maple Leafs played their fourth game of the season against the Red Sox last night, despite not having played the Hamilton Cardinals even once yet.  Calls to the IBL offices in Galt seeking explanation for this wonky lopsided schedule were not immediately returned.

Anyway, this one-sided series continued with a 10-5 win for the Red Sox, on a night of blustery breezes and dropping temperatures.

This was my second trip to Brantford's Arnold Anderson Stadium, a cutesy little ballpark with charm.  Tall trees loom over the fence in center and right, dwarfing the outfielders there.  In left, there is a chain-link fence raised double-high to protect the neighbouring backyards on the other side.  It's a family atmosphere throughout, and they play "Sweet Caroline," naturally.

I had wondered what the local fans would be like, since Brantford is home to the five-in-a-row, six-out-of-seven league champions.  This is a big deal for a small city.  Has all the success coloured their attitudes?  Would everyone be smug and arrogant, or calm and relaxed about it? 

It's a bit of a mix.  The previous game on May 25th, I sat on the Brantford side of the bleacher-style benches that wrap around the infield baselines.  Folks were friendly and upbeat, and I bantered with some fans.  Lovely people.

Last night, the other, darker side of Brantford's baseball psychology surfaced.

This time, I was sat on the Toronto side of the infield benches, shivering with a handful of Leafs boosters.  Midway through the game, with the Red Sox comfortably ahead, some oldtimer came shuffling over.  He stood by the fence, quietly watching the game for a few minutes.  Then, not to anyone in particular, but within earshot of those nearby, he suddenly started waxing lyrical about the Brantford Red Sox.  Great club! - Best organization in the league! - They treat their players the best! - etc etc. Here was arrogance on full display.  Was he trying to goad someone into a fight? 

No one moved, but one man among us took umbrage.  He turned to the oldtimer and replied that the local club succeeds by padding its roster.

"Look at their dugout," the critic said.  "They got nine guys on the field and 14 guys on the bench."

Heads turned in unison.  Sure enough, there were about a dozen uniformed Red Sox sitting there.  The Toronto bench had half that many.

"I'd rather play on a losing team every game than play three innings once in a while.  11-1... 23-2... that's bullshit," the critic said, referring to Brantford's tendency to run up softball scores against opposing clubs.

"It's never enough," another critic joined in.

It was a devastating assault.  The old man shuffled away without a word.

Had our man spoken truth to power?  I don't know.  I don't know anything about how this league operates, or what kinds of financial frameworks or roster rules are placed on teams.  It was an interesting exchange, but it could have just been two old guys jawing.  It livened up a quiet night.

It was a very quiet night, actually.  There was plenty of action on the field and the Maple Leafs battled to the end, but the cold temperatures discouraged people from hanging around.  By game's end, most of the park had emptied out. 


Recap:

Maple Leafs centerfielder Glenn Jackson got the game off to a flying start against Red Sox starter Jamie Richmond.  Richmond had come within one out of throwing a no-hitter against the Guelph Royals in his previous start.  Jackson would have none of that, and beat out a grounder for a single.  Rightfielder Jordan Castaldo drove him in for a quick 1-0 lead.

The lead, it was quick.  And gone just as quick.  The Red Sox responded in the bottom of the 1st with three runs on two hits, three walks, and an error.  Red Sox shortstop Lee Delfino drove in the first run with a screaming double off the Chain-Link Monster in left.  Delfino came home on a grounder by third baseman Tyler Patzalek that got past Leafs shortstop Cody Mombourquette.  This left the bases loaded, and Brantford catcher Wayne Forman drew a walk that made the score 3-1 for the hosts after one inning.

The Red Sox scored one more run in each of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings, driving Leafs starter Clay Caulfield out of the game under a 6-1 score.  He was relieved by Jas Shergill, who provided 2 1/3 innings of scoreless pitching and a pre-windup shoulder flinch that captivated everyone in the stands.  Everyone loves a pitcher with a quirky move.

The Leafs had their own spell of one-run innings in the 4th, 5th and 6th.

It was Castaldo who walked and stole second to start the 4th.  He moved to third on a groundball out by leftfielder Raul Borjas, and came home on a groundball out by DH Kevin Hinton.

In the 5th, Jackson tripled and was singled home by Mombourquette, who continues among the league's batting leaders with a .444 average.

Leafs second baseman Rob Gillis drove in another run in the 6th to make it a 6-4 ballgame, but that was as close as the Leafs would get.

Brantford rightfielder Steve Lewis singled to start the bottom of the 7th, stole second and third, then raced home on a wild pitch by Justin Cicatello, who had come in to replace Shergill.  First baseman Scott Thorman then doubled and came home on a single by Delfino.  8-4 Red Sox after 7 innings.

Lewis and leftfielder Josh McCurdy each hit RBI singles off Cicatello in the 8th that raised the score to 10-4.

In the 9th inning, the Leafs got something going, but by then the lead was out of reach.  It was Jackson again who led off with a single - his third hit of the night.  Mombourquette and Castaldo followed with singles to load the bases.  Delfino misplayed a hit by Borjas for an error, and everyone else moved up a base.  Jackson scored the fifth and final run for the visitors, and the game ended 10-5.

The Maple Leafs are now 4-7, 6 games behind the league leading Red Sox.  Their next game is in London on June 7, against the London Majors.

Game 12: Gimme Shelter - Brantford Red Sox @ Toronto, June 2

Two rain delays and an offensive barrage by the Brantford Red Sox made for a downer at Christie Pits this afternoon.

The Red Sox have the Maple Leafs' number so far this season, racking up their third win in as many tries.  In three games, Brantford have outscored Toronto 27-4.

For the second game in a row, an injury to Leafs starter Matt Lawson was a turning point.  When a man stands eight feet tall as Lawson does, he will naturally present a bigger target for a screaming comebacker, and he has taken one off the body twice in eight days now.  Last week in Brantford, it was the foot or ankle.  Today, in the top of the 4th inning, he instinctively barehanded a comebacker, and ended up with a swollen finger.  Out came Lawson earlier than planned, in came new face Rick Brooks to make his season debut for the home side.

But the Red Sox had the taste of blood in their mouths, and it became a feeding frenzy.  After 5 1/3 innings and a short rain delay had sent everyone briefly scrambling for cover, Lawson and Brooks were both done, and the Red Sox led 10-1.  The diminished group of fans who remained in the park saw nothing but doom in the grey clouds overhead. The score remained the same through another, longer rain delay in the 6th, the Leafs went down to defeat, and I went home to some dry towels and wine.

I don't know him personally, but I'm tired of seeing Brandon Huffman.  He has been the Brantford starting pitcher each time the Red Sox have played the Leafs, and he has owned Toronto each time.  Go away man, this domination shit is tiring.

The Leafs need to find some spark too.  During this 4-game losing streak, they have not been driving in runs as well as they did to start the season.  Getting runners on base has not been a problem - getting them home is the challenge that the Leafs have to sort out moving forward.  Hopefully in time for their next game, which is against... Brantford again!


Recap:

Maple Leafs centerfielder Glenn Jackson put on a show in the first couple of innings.  He led off the 1st with a single, then stole second and third base, but was stranded there.  In the top of the 2nd, Jackson recorded two putouts in center, including a great awkward, diving, snaring, did-he-just-kill-himself catch of a flyball by Red Sox DH Steve Lewis.

Jackson lived.

Starting pitchers Brett Lawson and Brandon Huffman traded goose eggs until the top of the 3rd.  With two outs, Brantford second baseman Tyler Burnell singled, then stole second.  He was driven home on a single by third basemen Hyung Cho and the Red Sox took a 1-0 lead.

Brantford first baseman Todd Betts led off the top of the 4th with a home run.  Rightfielder Terrell Alliman followed with a single and centerfielder Joe Colameco doubled.  Alliman scored on a wild pitch, and two more runs would come in to make it 5-0 Red Sox.

In the bottom of the 4th, leftfielder Raul Borjas drew a walk, moved around the bases and eventually scored on a wild pitch.  5-1 for the visitors after 4 innings.

Rick Brooks relieved Lawson to start the 5th inning.  Lewis singled and stole second base, then came home on a double by Colameco.  6-1 Red Sox after 5 innings.

The game was blown open for good in the 6th.  Burnell singled and Cho walked.  Shortstop Lee Delfino then singled to score Burnell and move Cho to second.  Todd Betts then hit a 3-run homer - his second of the day - to notch 4 RBIs on the day and make it a 10-1 rout for the Red Sox.

Justin Cicatello replaced Brooks to finish the 6th and pitch a scoreless 7th.  Scott Kelly and Adam Garner each pitched a scoreless inning to finish off the game for the home side.  Apart from the one run they were able to score early in the game, the Leafs' bats were silenced by Huffman over 5 innings and Nathan Forer for the final 4 innings of the game.

The Maple Leafs are now 4-6 and 5 games behind the Red Sox juggernaut.  For their next game, they travel back to Brantford to take on the league leaders on Wednesday, June 5.