BAYCATS STUN LEAFS IN BLOWOUT LOSS

Written by: Noam Streiffer

The Maple Leafs dropped a tough game to the Barrie Baycats on Wednesday night at Dominico Field by a final score of 13-3. Toronto came out swinging early and built a 3-0 lead in the opening inning, but Barrie responded with 13 unanswered runs to take control of the game.

Nick Veselinovic got the start for the Leafs and ran into trouble in the 2nd inning after Francisco Hernandez launched a solo home run before Noah Hull tied the game with a two-run single later in the frame. Toronto turned to multiple arms throughout the night as Barrie continued to apply pressure offensively.

The Leafs exploded offensively in the bottom of the 1st inning. Marcus Knecht opened the scoring with a solo home run to center field before Yasiel Puig doubled and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Vasili Kaloudis. Yordan Manduley added an RBI single later in the inning to give Toronto an early three-run cushion.

On the Barrie side, Frank Garces settled in after the rough first inning and helped quiet the Leafs bats through the middle innings. Ryan Capuano eventually picked up the win, while Oscar Moreta and Brad Grieveson combined to close out the game.

Barrie’s offense was powered by the long ball all night long. Noah Hull homered twice, while Francisco Hernandez, Canice Ejoh, and Nolan Machibroda, all added home runs of their own. The Baycats broke the game open in the 9th inning with six runs, highlighted by Machibroda’s three-run blast to right field.

Toronto collected 10 hits in the loss, including doubles from Yasiel Puig, Yordan Manduley, and Benjamin Sterritt. Dennis Dei Baning also had a strong night offensively with a hit, a stolen base, and a run scored. 

Coming up: The Maple Leafs head to London on Friday night to take on the Majors. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.