Deska to the Rescue

Game 27: Guelph Royals at Toronto Maple Leafs - July 10, 2016

Leafs win 11-6

After taking a severe beating in Guelph last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs bounced back with a resounding team effort to beat the Royals 11-6 this afternoon at Christie Pits.

Marek Deska delivered the star performance of the day.  

In the third inning, things looked grim.  Runs, hits and errors all over the place.  The Leafs had fallen behind 5-2 and the slamming of chairs in the owner's box thundered around the Pits like mortar fire.

Deska got the call from the bullpen to relieve starter David Ertl.  The bulldog immediately put a halt to Guelph's offensive ambitions.  He was absolutely lights out over 4.2 innings, striking out 9 out of 17 batters faced.

Adam Marra and Brett van Pelt each pitched a scoreless inning to finish off the game.

At the plate, Justin Marra led the way with a go-ahead, 2-run home run in the fifth.  Marra racked up three RBIs.  Ryan White and Johnathan Solazzo both homered as well, and they each picked up a couple of RBIs.  Jon Waltenbury and Damon Topolie also drove in a run each.

Prior to Justin Marra's homer in the fifth, Dan Marra's sac bunt attempt proved eventful.  It was fielded for an error that allowed two runs to score and tie the game.  After that, the only mortar fire to be heard came from Toronto's bats.  Brother Justin belted the game winner and the Leafs didn't look back. 


Game Recap:


It was a hot one at Christie Pits today.  Hella hot.

The Toronto Maple Leafs hosted the Guelph Royals for the second half of a home-and-home weekend series.  David Ertl made the start for Toronto against Marc-Andre Major.

Like the night before, Guelph jumped out to an early lead as things looked shaky for Toronto.  Batting leadoff, second baseman Kingsley Alarcon reached first safely on an error by third baseman Johnathan Solazzo.  DH Matt Schmidt then reached first safely on an error by first baseman Jon Waltenbury.  A single by rightfielder Chandler McLaren loaded the bases.  Then a single by centerfielder Aaron Loder scored Alarcon.  A sac fly by shortstop Adam Rossit scored Schmidt and the Royals were off to a 2-0 lead.

Toronto centerfielder Connor Lewis led off the bottom of the frame with a solid double.  Up next, leftfielder Grant Tamane was hit by a pitch.  Waltenbury then cashed in Lewis with a single that made it a 2-1 ballgame after the first inning of play.

Ertl hit Guelph catcher Blake Kauer with a pitch to start the second.  A sac bunt moved Kauer to second, and a home run by Schmidt put two more runs on the board.  4-1 Royals midway through the inning.

Shortstop Ryan White hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 2nd that made it 4-2 for the Royals.

Guelph kept at it in the top of the 3rd.  Loder and Rossit both got aboard with walks.  Third baseman Turner Spears then drove in Loder with a one-out single.  That ended the afternoon for Ertl as Marek Deska came in to relieve him.  Deska got out of the inning unscathed, but it was now 5-2 Guelph after three innings.

Deska struck out three in the top of the 4th.

The Leafs got another run back in the bottom of the 4th.  Catcher Justin Marra walked to start things off.  DH Damon Topolie singled and Marra moved to third.  A double by White drove him in to make it 5-3 Guelph through four.

Deska retired the side in the top of the 5th.

Waltenbury led off the bottom of the inning with a single.  He moved to second on a wild pitch, then Solazzo walked.  Adrian Yuen came in to pitch for Major.  The first batter he faced was second baseman Dan Marra, whose attempt at a sac bunt was played for an error by Spears.  That allowed Waltenbury to score, and Solazzo came roaring in after him, sliding hard at home to score the tying run.  Justin Marra was up next, and he blasted a two-run homer to put the Leafs ahead 7-5 through five.

Deska posted another three up, three down inning in the top of the 6th.

Lewis led off the bottom of the inning with a single off of Richard Gill, who had relieved Yuen.  Lewis was out on an attempted steal of second.  Tamane walked next, then Waltenbury flied out.  Solazzo then smashed a no-doubt home run over the right field fence to make it a 9-5 ballgame in favour of the Torontos after 6 innings.

Deska gave up a solo home run to Loder in the top of the 7th to make it 9-6 Leafs after seven innings.

Adam Marra came in to pitch the top of the 8th for Toronto.  He gave up a single and a couple of walks, but stranded all three men aboard.

With two out in the bottom of the 8th, Solazzo singled and Dan Marra reached safely on an error.  Justin Marra then singled to score Solazzo.  Topolie was up next, and he also singled in a run as Dan Marra crossed the plate, giving the Leafs an 11-6 lead through eight.

Brett van Pelt came in to pitch the 9th inning and he pitched a scoreless frame to lock down an 11-6 FINAL for the Leafs.


Guelph 6-8-2
Toronto 11-14-2

W - Deska (1-1, 2.25)
L - Yuen (0-2, 5.50)


BOXSCORE


The Marra Leafs are now 13-13 and remain in 5th place in the IBL standings.  Their next game will be back at Christie Pits this Wednesday night, July 13 when they will welcome the Kitchener Panthers back to town.

The Snowball Effect

Game 26: Toronto Maple Leafs at Guelph Royals - July 9, 2016

Royals win 11-1

An early miss, followed by an avalanche.

In the first inning of last night's game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Guelph Royals, the Leafs squandered a tasty scoring opportunity.  With a runner in scoring position -- thanks to a single and stolen base by Connor Lewis -- they had a chance to get to Guelph starter Alberto Rodriguez.  Instead, Rodriguez set down the next three batters in order, striking out two.

The Royals led off the bottom of the first with a double off of Justin Cicatello, and the inning snowballed from there.  A wild pitch, an RBI single, another single, a hit by pitch, another double... 

By the time the inning was over, the Royals had smacked five hits and scored six runs.  

Back on the mound, Rodriguez ended up throwing a gem: three hits and eight strikeouts over eight innings en route to an 11-1 victory over the V-necks.

Matt Blair-Brown scored the lone Toronto run after reaching base on a hit-by-pitch.  He was driven in on a single by Ryan White.  That sums up the Leafs offence on the night.  They ended up striking out nine times.

The Leafs will seek their revenge later today when this home-and-home series continues at Christie Pits.


Game Recap:


Shortly before last night's game between the Guelph Royals and the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs, the clouds over Hastings Stadium released a light rain.  

The rain was probably welcome from a groundskeeping point of view.  The grass all over the field there is coloured in a psychedelic patchwork of green and brown.  

It continued raining for about half an hour before easing off to a drizzle, and the game started 20 minutes late. 

The rain was over and done with by the end of the first inning, and so too apparently was this game. 

Connor Lewis led off the top of the first with a single off of Guelph starter Alberto Rodriguez.  He stole second, but the Leafs were unable to bring him in as Rodriguez struck out two and got out of the inning.

Justin Cicatello was on the mound for Toronto, and the Royals jumped on him in the bottom of the 1st.  Shortstop Kingsley Alarcon doubled to lead off.  He moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a single by rightfielder Chandler McLaren.  Leftfielder Aaron Loder followed with a single, and then DH Keegan Marsden was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Catcher Patrick Coughlin then doubled home two runs.  Second baseman Trevor Nyp next reached first safely on a fielding error and moved to second as Marsden and Coughlin came in to score.  Nyp moved to third on a groundout, and he scored on a single by centerfielder Santino Silvestri.  When it was all over, the Royals had put six runs on the board for a commanding early lead.

Toronto got right back to work in the top of the 2nd.  DH Damon Topolie singled, then centerfielder Matt Blair-Brown got hit by a pitch.  Topolie was erased on a fielder's choice by rightfielder Brendan Keys, but Blair-Brown came in to score on a single by shortstop Ryan White.  6-1 Royals midway through the second.

First baseman Matt Schmidt was hit by a Cicatello pitch to start the bottom of the 2nd.  McLaren singled next and Loder walked to load the bases.  Marsden then hit into a double play that allowed Schmidt to score.  7-1 Royals after two innings of play.

Both starters then pitched quick, scoreless innings until the 7th.

McLaren led off the bottom of the inning with a single, and Loder walked again.  A single by Coughlin loaded the bases.  Third baseman Turner Spears hit a grounder to second baseman Dan Marra, but Marra's toss to first went past Cicatello, allowing Spears to make it to second while McLaren and Loder scored.  A single by Silvestri then drove in Coughlin and Spears, and ended Cicatello's night.  He was relieved by Nate Morris, who got out of the inning with no further damage, but the Royals now led 11-1.

Rodriguez retired the side in the top of the 8th before turning it over to Adrian Yuen.  He also retired the side in the top of the 9th to secure an 11-1 FINAL for Guelph.


Toronto 1-3-2
Guelph 11-11-2

W - Rodriguez (2-2, 4.44)
L - Cicatello (3-3, 5.60)


BOXSCORE


The Maple Leafs slip to 12-13 with the loss, and maintain their stranglehold on 5th place in the IBL standings.  This home-and-home series continues this afternoon at Christie Pits.

Toronto Takes Barrie Slugfest

Game 25: Toronto Maple Leafs at Barrie Baycats - July 7, 2016

Leafs win 13-8

                                                                                                                                                                                           FILE PHOTO

The only thing missing was a chainsaw.

The Toronto Maple Leafs staged a Texas-style massacre of the Barrie Baycats in the early going last night at Coates Stadium.

A four-run third inning (nine men to the plate) was followed by a six-run fourth (ten men to the plate).  Dan Marra led the way with a three-run homer.  Connor Lewis added a two-run blast.  Johnathan Solazzo drove in three runs, with Jon Waltenbury and Will Richards each driving in a pair.

The Leafs added a few more runs for good measure to hold off the late-charging Baycats 13-8.

It was a rough night on the mound for Barrie pitchers, as they combined to give up 11 walks on the night and Toronto took full advantage of the gift passes.

Dillon Mulholland pitched seven solid innings for the Buds, but things got scary in the eighth.  The Baycats rallied for six runs and it took the combined efforts of Mulholland, Matt Fiorini and Marek Deska to get through the assault.  Deska struck out three in 1.1 innings to finish off the Baycats and seal the win for Toronto.


Game Recap:


The Barrie Baycats hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs at Coates Stadium for the second half of their home-and-home series this week.  Cole White was on the mound for the Baycats against Dillon Mulholland.

After a scoreless 1st, the Baycats got on the board after rightfielder Steve Lewis walked, advanced on a single and a flyout, and scored on a single by catcher Zach Sardellitti.  1-0 Barrie after two innings of play.

The Leafs erupted for four runs in the top of the 3rd.  Leftfielder Troy Daring led off with a single.  Centerfielder Grant Tamane reached first base on an error by White.  First baseman Jon Waltenbury then singled to score Daring.  Third baseman Johnathan Solazzo followed with a double that drove in Tamane and Waltenbury.  A single by rightfielder Will Richards brought Solazzo home and it was 4-1 Toronto after three.

The Leafs exploded for six more in the 4th.  Tamane singled, and shortstop Connor Lewis walked.  Catcher Justin Marra then reached first on a fielding error, allowing Tamane to score.  A walk to Waltenbury loaded the bases and ended White's night after 3.1 innings.  He was relieved by Brandon Catena, who walked Solazzo on four pitches and Lewis crossed home plate.  Richards hit into an out at first, but that allowed Justin to score.  The next man up was second baseman Dan Marra, and he hit his first home run of the season, a three-run blast that made it 10-1 Toronto after four.

Tamane singled to lead off the fifth inning, and Lewis continued the barrage by launching a home run to make it 12-1 Leafs after the 5th.

Barrie scratched out another run in the bottom of the 7th.  Sardellitti singled to lead off against Mulholland.  Left fielder Glenn Jackson hit into a fielder's choice that rubbed out Sardellitti at second.  A single by second baseman Connor Morro moved Jackson to third, and Jackson scored on a wild pitch.  That made it 12-2 Toronto going into the 8th.

It turned out to be an eventful 8th.  Third baseman Kevin Atkinson led off with a first-pitch home run.  Lewis walked next, then Mulholland gave up singles to centerfielder Jeff Cowan and shortstop Branfy Infante to load the bases with none out.  Matt Fiorini relieved Mulholland and got Sardellitti to flyout.  Jackson was up next, and Fiorini walked him to bring in Lewis.  A wild pitch to DH Kyle DeGrace allowed Cowan to score.  DeGrace then singled in Infante and Jackson.  Morro struck out next, but first baseman Jordan Castaldo singled to keep the inning alive.  Atkinson returned to the plate and singled to drive in DeGrace.  That ended Fiorini's night as Marek Deska came in to get the final out, striking out Lewis.  A blowout was suddenly a slugfest as Toronto held on to a 12-8 lead through eight.

The Leafs added another run in the top half of the 9th.  Lewis led off with a walk and stole second.  A double by Waltenbury drove him in to make it 13-8.

Deska returned to the mound in the bottom of the 9th.  He gave up a single to Infante, but struck out two and got Jackson to flyout for the final out of the game and a 13-8 FINAL.


Toronto 13-12-1
Barrie 8-15-3

W - Mulholland (4-2, 5.71)
L - White (3-1, 5.74)


BOXSCORE


At 12-12, the Maple Leafs hold 5th place in the IBL standings.  Their next game of their road trip will be at Hastings Stadium in Guelph to take on the Royals on Saturday night, July 9th.  

'Cats Escape Over the Fence

Game 24: Barrie Baycats at Toronto Maple Leafs - July 6, 2016

Baycats win 6-5

The night was hot.

The Barrie Baycats were in town, and as always it was a hard fought affair.  Home runs were flying out of Christie Pits all night long, including a two-run blast by the Toronto Maple Leafs' Johnathan Solazzo (above).

The 'Cats had jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and enjoyed a 5-2 advantage entering the later innings.  The Mapes battled back with homers by Connor Lewis and Jon Waltenbury, and a game-tying RBI single by Will Richards. 

With fans clinging to the increasingly lunar looking landscapes surrounding the diamond, the game would be decided in the 9th.

Kevin Atkinson pounced on the first pitch of the inning from reliever David Ertl for a solo home run.  His shot helped the 'Cats escape with a 6-5 win, as the Leafs went down 1-2-3 to end the game.


Game Recap:


After a day of 35-plus degrees in the city, a cloudy evening settled over Christie Pits as the Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed the Barrie Baycats.  Brett van Pelt made the start for Toronto against Brett Lawson.

Barrie jumped out to a lead to start the game.  DH Kyle DeGrace singled and stole second.  He was then driven in on a single by third baseman Kevin Atkinson for a 1-0 visitors' lead.

The Baycats added two more in the second.  Second baseman Connor Morro doubled and moved to third on a groundout by leftfielder Glenn Jackson.  A triple by rightfielder Ryan Spataro scored Morro, and a single by DeGrace brought in Spataro.  3-0 Barrie after two.

The Leafs got on the board in the bottom of the 4th, when third baseman Johnathan Solazzo hit a two-run homer off of Lawson.  That made it 3-2 Barrie after four innings of play.

Barrie first baseman Jordan Castaldo reciprocated with his own two-run blast in the top of the 6th, to extend the Baycats' lead to 5-2.

Centerfielder Connor Lewis got one back for the Torontos, when he tagged Lawson for a solo home run.  That ended Lawson's night and Jaspreet Shergill relieved him to get out of the inning without any further damage.  5-3 Barrie after the 7th.

Adam Hawes came in to pitch the bottom of the 8th for Barrie, and he immediately surrendered a solo home run to first baseman Jon Waltenbury.  That was followed by a double by Solazzo, who came in to score on an RBI single by rightfielder Will Richards, and it was a whole new ballgame after eight innings, with the score tied 5-5.

Atkinson faced reliever David Ertl to start the top of the 9th, and he took the first pitch deep for a home run and put Barrie back ahead 6-5.

The Leafs were unable to respond in the bottom of the inning, as reliever Chris Nagorski pitched a 1-2-3 inning and sealed the 6-5 FINAL for the visitors.


Barrie 6-11-2
Toronto 5-7-3

W - Hawes (1-0, 2.70)
L - Ertl (2-1, 3.73)
S - Nagorski (1)


BOXSCORE


The Maple Leafs slip to 11-12 and remain in 5th place in the IBL standings.  This home-and-home series will continue later tonight in Barrie, when the Baycats welcome Toronto to Coates Stadium.