Maple Leafs Beat Baycats for First Shutout of Season
TORONTO -- Wednesday Win Day.
The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Barrie Baycats 4-0 on Wednesday evening to improve to 3-4 on the season.
With the loss, the Baycats fall to 4-3.
Toronto starter Zach Sloan was brilliant in the win, tossing five innings of shutout innings baseball, striking out nine batters on four hits and two walks.
Maple Leafs catcher Justin Marra led the way at the plate, going two-for-four.
Barrie starter Adam Khan took the loss, allowing one earned run on three hits and two walks in three innings of work.
BARRIE - 0-9-2
TORONTO - 4-7-0
BIGGEST PLAY OF THE GAME: Up 4-0 in the top of the ninth, Maple Leafs closer Dustin Richardson struck out Noel McGarry-Doyle with the bases loaded to end the ball game.
DID YOU SEE THAT? In the bottom of the sixth inning, Aidan McAskie hit his first career home run to give the Leafs a 3-0 lead.
BY THE NUMBERS...
0. For the second game in a row, the Leafs made zero errors.
2. Through 18 innings against the Baycats this season, the Leafs have only allowed two runs.
4. The Leafs got four shutout innings from their bullpen on Wednesday, with the team getting two innings from Rhys Montgomery, one inning from Adam Marra, and one inning from Richardson.
INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM...
Leafs manager Damon Topolie on the season Sloan has been having: "The first couple of years he was here he was pitching like this, throwing a lot of strikes, and pitching with a lot of confidence, and that is what he did tonight."
Topolie on the return of Richardson and things getting interesting near the end: "He is just getting his feet wet. I wasn't too worried. He is a veteran and knows how to get out of those situations.
Topolie on the offence getting going: "We are getting there. We are getting comfortable at the plate and really that just comes down to us needing to play. That is the key to this league. It isn't decided in May, so we just need to get the reps in right now so that we can peak at the right time."
LOOKING AHEAD...
The Leaf now travel to London on Friday before returning home on Sunday to host the Guelph Royals.
Photo: Craig Aikin