Maple Leafs Crush Red Sox to Climb Back Over .500

By Noam Streiffer

The Toronto Maple Leafs won their second game in a row and pushed themselves back over the .500 mark with a dominant showing over the Brantford Red Sox.

Wilgenis Alvarado took the mound for the Leafs and pitched well, going five innings while allowing just one run and striking out five Red Sox in the win.

Brantford sent out the funky-throwing right-hander Nicholai Arbach, who struggled on the night. Arbach allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings pitched.

The Leafs struck first in the top of the second inning. Marcus Knecht came around to score on a Justin Marra RBI single. Kalayo Shaw followed with an RBI single of his own to bring home Marra, giving the Leafs an early 2-0 lead.

Brantford responded with one run in the bottom of the fourth, as Ethan Paulos scored on a Christian Ortega sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Toronto kept the pressure on in the top of the fifth, scoring four more runs. Kalayo Shaw came in to score on a wild pitch, and Rando Moreno followed with a three-run home run to extend the Leafs' lead to 6-1.

In the top of the sixth, Jackson Smith came on to pitch for the Red Sox but was only able to record one out as the Leafs erupted for seven more runs.

Smith issued a bases-loaded walk to Ryan Dos Santos, allowing Spenser Ross to score. That was followed by back-to-back RBI singles from Jordan Castaldo and Marcus Knecht. Ross added an RBI single of his own, and then Spencer MacInnis and Benjamin Sitarenios capitalized on poor pitching and defense—scoring two more runs on another bases-loaded walk and a wild pitch. The Leafs' massive seven-run inning gave them a 13-1 lead.

Toronto added two more runs in the top of the seventh. Dennis Dei Baning reached on a fielder’s choice that brought in a run, and Rando Moreno reached on a throwing error by the pitcher, scoring the Leafs' 15th and final run.

Ayami Sato came on to close the game in the bottom of the ninth. She allowed one run on two hits before shutting the door to secure the win for the Leafs.

Big credit goes to the Leafs’ pitching staff, who held Brantford to just two runs on six hits in a crucial game.

Up Next: The Leafs take on the Welland Jackfish at Welland Stadium on Saturday, June 21. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 PM.