Leafs Drop Season Opener in Back-and-Forth Battle with Panthers

The Maple Leafs came up just short on Opening Day, falling 6–5 to the Kitchener Panthers in a back-and-forth nail-biter at Dominico Field.

However, it wasn’t all bad news for the Leafs, as Sunday marked the IBL debut of Ayami Sato—the first woman to compete in a men’s professional baseball league. Sato was outstanding, pitching two perfect innings and devastating hitters with her sharp curveball.

On the Panthers' side, Andy Vargas got the start. He pitched three innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out five. Vargas ran into control issues late in his outing, which ultimately led to the Leafs’ first runs of the game.

Toronto capitalized in the third inning. Rando Moreno led off with a base hit and later scored on a wild pitch, taking advantage of Vargas’s lack of command. Mike Cecchetto then delivered an RBI single to give the Leafs a 2–0 lead.

The Panthers responded in the top of the fifth with an RBI single from Trent Lawson. A throwing error by Leafs catcher Justin Marra allowed the tying run to score, evening things at 2–2.

In the bottom half, Dennis Dei Baning connected on the first pitch he saw, sending it over the opposite-field wall for his first home run as a Toronto Maple Leaf, putting the Leafs back in front, 4–2.

“Just trust my work and everything I put into it,” Baning said postgame. “I just took a hack at the first pitch, and you know what happens,” showing plenty of confidence from the hometown player.

Unfortunately for the Leafs, Kitchener answered right back. The Panthers scored on an RBI single from Yunior Ibarra, followed by another Toronto error and a sacrifice fly, taking a 5–4 lead.

Toronto tied the game once again in the bottom half, with Marcus Knecht driving in a run on an RBI single. That would be the final run of the day for the Leafs.

The Panthers sealed the win in the top of the eighth, as Arthur Kowara launched a go-ahead solo home run off Leafs reliever Jeremy Newton.

Yankiel Mauris closed things out in the ninth, striking out two and earning his first save of the season to lock down the 6–5 victory for Kitchener.

Up next, the Leafs travel to Barrie, Ont. to face the Baycats. First pitch is set for Thursday, May 15 at 7:35 p.m.