Leafs Back in the Win Column with 5–2 Victory Over Panthers

By Noam Streiffer

The Toronto Maple Leafs returned to the win column on Thursday night with a crucial 5–2 win over the Kitchener Panthers, thanks to dominant pitching and timely hitting.

Josh Berenbaum delivered the Leafs’ best starting performance of the season, tossing six brilliant innings of two-hit ball while striking out eight. His effort set the tone early and gave Toronto the foundation they needed to secure the win.

Kitchener countered with Andy Vargas, who provided a solid outing of his own, pitching seven innings and allowing four runs while striking out seven.

Toronto got on the board in the top of the third, when Ryan Dos Santos launched a three-run homer to right-center field, giving the Leafs a 3–0 lead which they would hold for the rest of the game. 

The Panthers responded in the seventh as Arthur Kowara drove in a run on a fielder’s choice to cut the deficit to 3–1. 

But the Leafs answered quickly in the eighth, tacking on two more runs via an RBI single from Jhon Javier and a sacrifice fly from Justin Marra, increasing the lead to 5–1.

Kitchener added a final run in the bottom of the eighth on a sac fly by Yunior Ibarra, but it wasn’t enough.

Toronto’s bullpen sealed the win with a strong showing. Eugene Lee, Marek Deska, and Dustin Richardson combined for two innings of shutdown relief to close out the game.

Up Next: The Leafs Head to London to face the Majors in yet another crucial matchup on Friday, May 30. First pitch is set for 7:35 PM.