LEAFS DROP SECOND STRAIGHT IN 13-3 LOSS AGAINST BARRIE

Written by: Olivia Byrne

BARRIE, Ont. — It was yet another tough game for the Maple Leafs, as they lost 14-3 against the Barrie Baycats on Thursday night.

Yadian Martinez got the start for the Maple Leafs during Thursday’s game. Unfortunately for Martinez, the Baycats, who currently sit atop the CBL standings, didn’t plan on making his start an easy one.

In the bottom of the 1st, Barrie took an early lead. With the bases loaded, a fielder’s choice resulted in the first run coming in to score. Martinez was solid, getting the next two outs to end the inning in just four pitches.

The Baycats tacked on three more runs in the second inning, making it a 4-0 ballgame. 

Heading into the 3rd, the Maple Leafs knew there was no better time than the present to play catch-up. After Spenser Ross reached first base on a throwing error, Matt Brandt laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Ross to second. From there, Brando Leroux hit a laser down the left field line to plate Ross, making it 3-1.

A balk call advanced Leroux from second to third, and JJ Dutton worked a five-pitch walk to bring up Yasiel Puig. Puig swung on the first pitch he saw, resulting in a sacrifice fly to bring Leroux home, cutting Barrie’s lead in half. Once the half inning ended, Toronto’s bats went quiet for the majority of the night.

Martinez really hit a groove in the 3rd and 4th innings, notably winning an 11-pitch duel against Nolan Machibroda, who would eventually strike out. 

In the bottom of the 5th, Barrie would extend their lead from a two-run shot to left field. The blast ended Martinez’s night, and Frankie Gulko would take over.

Just an inning later, the Baycats would keep their momentum going, scoring a run off of Gulko to make it a 7-2 game. 

After an eight-pitch duel resulted in a walk, Gulko was then swapped for Graham Sim, who almost immediately gave up a double that would bring in another run for Barrie. A wild pitch would plate another Baycat, bringing the score to 9-2. 

The ball was in Barrie’s court, and they were taking full advantage of it. Another three-run inning in the 7th put the Baycats up by 10. Once the inning was over, Sim’s night was done. 

Toronto showed some signs of life in the 8th, when Leroux got things started with a leadoff walk. After Dutton was hit by a pitch, Crix Tavares walked to load the bases and bring up Marcus Knecht. After three pitches, Knecht swung and sent the ball to left field, just deep enough to bring Leroux home and make it a 12-3 ballgame. 

Benjamin Sitarenios came in to pitch in the bottom of the 8th. With the game almost over, Barrie tacked on two more runs from a home run to deep left field, bringing the final score to 14-3. 

Throughout the night, Barrie had almost 10 times as many hits as Toronto. The Baycats had 19, and the Maple Leafs had two. 

UP NEXT: The Maple Leafs head back home to rematch against the Barrie Baycats on Friday, June 19. First pitch is set for 7:30 p.m.