Quarterfinal Game 3: Leafs Can't Dial it Up in Bell City

Quarterfinal Round: Toronto Maple Leafs at Brantford Red Sox - August 4, 2015

Red Sox win 4-1

There was a lot of enthusiastic slamming of truck doors in Brantford last night, after the Red Sox defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 in game three of their quarterfinal series.

Justin Lawrence was the third straight starter to go the distance for the Leafs.  He struck out nine Brantford batters through eight innings, but gave up four runs (all earned) in the loss.

For Toronto, they couldn't dial it up when they needed to.  Twice, they struck out with the bases loaded.  In total, they stranded 10 men on base.  Four Red Sox pitchers combined to limit the Leafs to a single run while striking out nine.

In the 7th inning, Brandon Keys drove in Toronto's lone run.  Jon Waltenbury and Tyler Mitchell each hit doubles, but the rest of Toronto's hits were scattered singles.  They got plenty of men on base, but couldn't cash them in when the chances were there.

The V-necks will get a chance to punch back tonight, when they host the Hose at Christie Pits in game four of this series.


Game Recap:

Arthur Anderson Stadium avoided the lashings of rain that whipped much of the surrounding region, and game three of the quarterfinal series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Brantford Red Sox went ahead uninterrupted.

Graham Tebbit and Justin Lawrence were the starters, and they traded scoreless innings until the bottom of the third.

Third baseman Jeff Hunt doubled, advanced to third on a putout, then scored on a single by rightfielder Nate DeSouza.  1-0 Red Sox after three innings.

In the top of the 4th inning, the Leafs loaded the bases but Tebbit got out of the jam when Tyler Mitchell was called out on strikes.

The Red Sox added two more in the bottom of the 6th.  DeSouza walked to lead off the inning, and then shortstop Brandon Dailey hit a 2-run home run that made it 3-0 for the home side.

The Leafs got on the board in the top of the 7th.  With one out, Mitchell doubled off of Tebbit, ending the starter's night.  Stefan Strecker relieved him, but catcher Brandon Keys hit his very first pitch for a blooper to right-center and Mitchell scored.  Strecker gave up another single, to shortstop Connor Lewis, and was relieved by Christian Garcia who got out of the inning.  3-1 Red Sox midway through the seventh.

In the bottom of the inning, centerfielder Terrell Alliman hit a leadoff double, advanced to third on a putout, then scored on a single by Hunt.  4-1 Red Sox after seven innings.

Garcia gave up a single and two walks to load the bases with two outs in the top of the 8th, but got Keys to strikeout swinging to end the threat.

Lawrence finished strong, with three strikeouts in his final two innings of work. 

The Leafs just weren't able to drive in the big runs last night, and Tyler Soucie pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to nail down a save and a 4-1 win for Brantford.


Toronto 1-6-0
Brantford 4-7-1

W - Tebbit (1-0, 1.42)
L - Lawrence (0-1, 4.50)

BOXSCORE


The Maple Leafs now lead the series 2-1, and game four is tonight at Christie Pits.

Quarterfinal Game 2: Leafs "Hammer" the Sox

Quarterfinal Round: Brantford Red Sox at Toronto Maple Leafs - August 2, 2015

Leafs win 7-2

The Toronto Maple Leafs ought to ship a giant-ass gift basket down the QEW to Bernie Arbour Stadium.  It would be a token of thanks to the Hamilton Cardinals for agreeing to trade slugger Johnathan Solazzo and southpaw Brett Van Pelt to Toronto in the off-season. 

The trade was already a big win for the Leafs, but never more so than today at Christie Pits.  Solazzo and Van Pelt led the hammering of the Brantford Red Sox, leading their team to a 7-2 win and a 2-0 lead in this quarterfinal playoff series.

Following the example of Justin Cicatello in game one, Van Pelt spun a complete game win, limiting the visitors to just two runs over nine while striking out four.

Solazzo had a monster day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two singles, a double and a home run, and he drove in four runs.

The Leafs' other RBIs were driven in by Dan Marra, Will Richards and Damon Topolie.

The hits, the throws, the catches, the calls - so many things have been going Toronto's way, and they have capitalized on every opportunity.  Momentum-killing pick offs, sac bunts that go for singles, amazing outfield catches, timely hits and strong defense.  Click, click, click.

For Brantford, Brandon Dailey did all the damage today, hitting a two-run home run in the 3rd inning.  After that, Van Pelt pitched six scoreless innings to shut down the Sox for the second game in a row in this series.

Thank you, Hammer.


Game Recap:

Game two of this quarterfinal series saw Brett Van Pelt square off against Nathan Forer as the Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed the Brantford Red Sox to Christie Pits on a hot, sunny afternoon.

The Leafs wasted no time in the first inning, as first baseman Jon Waltenbury walked and third baseman Johnathan Solazzo hit a single off of Forer.  A single by rightfielder Will Richards drove in Waltenbury and gave the Leafs a 1-0 lead after one.

Brantford took the lead in the third inning.  Second baseman Benjamin Bostick hit a single, and then shortstop Brandon Dailey hit a two-run home run off of Van Pelt.  Midway through the third, it was 2-1 Red Sox.

In the bottom of the 3rd, Solazzo tied the score 2-2 with a solo home run.

Van Pelt and Forer dueled into the bottom of the 5th, when the Leafs broke it open.  Shortstop Connor Lewis, leftfielder Grant Tamane and second baseman Dan Marra each singled.  Marra's hit drove in Lewis and Forer was relieved by Andrew Van't Wout.  The Leafs continued the hit parade as Waltenbury singled to load the bases, and then Solazzo cleared them with a 3-run double.  Richards was hit by a pitch next, and a flyout by centerfielder Tyler Mitchell moved Solazzo to third.  Van't Wout was relieved by Matt Betts.  DH Damon Topolie then drove in Solazzo on a fielder's choice, and it was 7-2 Leafs through five innings.

That was more than enough lead for Van Pelt.  He scattered three hits over the final four innings to nail down the complete game and a 7-2 win for Toronto.


Brantford 2-9-1
Toronto 7-12-2

W - Van Pelt (1-0, 2.00)
L - Forer (0-1, 11.25)

BOXSCORE


The Maple Leafs take a 2-0 lead in this best of seven series.  Game three is at Arnold Anderson Stadium in Brantford on Tuesday night, August 4.

Quarterfinal Game 1: Shock and Awe

Quarterfinal Round: Toronto Maple Leafs at Brantford Red Sox - July 31, 2015

Leafs win 12-2

A free-swinging, bomb-jacking, run-scoring, stingy-pitching, near-perfect Toronto Maple Leafs team kicked off its 2015 playoff campaign with a rip-roaring win in Brantford last night.

We looked on, shocked and awed by the display.  These are the Leafs who looked amazing on paper back in April, but who couldn't always translate that potential into wins as the season unfolded.

If they have clicked, they clicked at the right time.

Feels like we've watched Justin Cicatello (above) pitch about 17 complete games - this year alone.  "Cic" wound up his rubber arm for another gem.  He pitched the full nine, requiring an efficient 94 pitches to shut down the Red Sox.  He gave up two earned runs and struck out five while further cementing his status as a cult hero back at the Pits.

Cicatello was matched up against Bell City ace Jamie Richmond.  The Leafs got to him early and often, hitting him up for seven runs (three earned) and knocking him out of the game after just three innings.

Will Richards struck first for the Leafs with a solo home run in the 2nd inning.

In the 3rd, the Leafs unleashed the patented One Big Inning to blow the game open 7-0 and end the Red Sox's night before it began.  The highlight of the inning was Damon Topolie's bases-clearing 3-RBI double. 

The Leafs got two RBIs each on the night from Richards, Johnathan Solazzo and Tyler Mitchell, and Jon Waltenbury drove in one.

Cicatello kept the home side at bay until the 7th inning when they finally put two runs on the board, but this one was never in doubt.  The V-necks tacked on more runs late en route to a 12-2 final.

The result sets a positive tone for the Leafs as this series gets under way.  That's great and all, but nothing more.  In game one of the 1959 World Series, the Chicago White Sox destroyed the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-0.  The Dodgers went on to win the series in six games.


Game Recap:

A packed house at Arnold Anderson Stadium welcomed the Toronto Maple Leafs for game one of their quarterfinal series against the Brantford Red Sox.  The pitching matchup was ace Jamie Richmond for the home side against Justin Cicatello for the Leafs.

After a scoreless first inning, the Leafs got on the board in the second, courtesy of a solo home run by catcher Will Richards.   1-0 Leafs after two.

The atmosphere at the ballpark was punctured like a balloon in the third inning, when the Leafs went to town on Richmond, sending 10 men to the plate and scoring six runs.  Leftfielder Brendan Keys led off with a single and rightfielder Grant Tamane followed with a single of his own.  Second baseman Dan Marra reached on a fielder's choice that eliminated Keys from the basepaths.  First baseman Jon Waltenbury then singled to score Tamane.  Third baseman Johnathan Solazzo followed with a single to score Marra.  Richards reached safely on an error as Waltenbury scored.  Centerfielder Tyler Mitchell drew a walk to load the bases.  DH Damon Topolie then rocked Richmond for a double to clear the bags and give the Leafs a 7-0 lead after three innings.

Matt Martinow relieved Richmond to start the 4th inning, but the Leafs kept on scoring.  Marra singled, advanced to second on a walk to Waltenbury, then scored on a double by Solazzo.  8-0 Leafs through four innings.  Local fans who had been clucking with anticipation at the start of the game cast their eyes to the darkening sky above.  Menacing black clouds rolled slowly over the park and some raindrops fell for a few minutes, but nowhere near enough to make a rainout possible.

Martinow was relieved in the top of the 7th by Casey Howard.  He retired the first two batters he faced, then walked Richards.  Mitchell was up next, and he blasted a two-run homer to make it 10-0 Leafs midway through the 7th inning. 

Benjamin Bostick led off the bottom of the 7th with a single, and scored on a double by Brandon Dailey.  A single by Nic Burdett drove in Dailey, making it 10-2 Leafs through seven.

Another pitching substitution for Brantford in the top of the 9th, as Riley Barr relieved Howard.  Barr gave up a single to Marra and a double to Waltenbury.  A wild pitch brought Marra in to score, and Waltenbury also came in on a putout by Solazzo.  12-2 Leafs midway through the 9th.  Cicatello pitched a scoreless bottom of the inning to seal the game one win for Toronto.


Toronto 12-12-0
Brantford 2-9-1

W - Cicatello (1-0, 2.00)
L - Richmond (0-1, 9.00)

BOXSCORE


The Maple Leafs take a 1-0 lead in the series.  Game two will be Sunday, August 2 at Christie Pits.