Maple Leafs drop season finale to Barnstormers

By Rob Vona

The Toronto Maple Leafs wrapped up their 2024 regular season on Sunday afternoon with a 6-5 loss to the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers, finishing the year with a 17-25 record and clinching seventh place in the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL). 

Sam Greene took to the mound for the Maple Leafs and put up four innings of shutout baseball, surrendering only five hits and recording four strikeouts. 

The Maple Leafs broke the ice in the third inning when right-fielder Marcus Knecht cashed in a run with a single. 

The top of the sixth inning saw Max Lanoue enter the game for Toronto, he quickly found himself in danger after the first two batters of the inning reached base. 

The visiting team capitalized on a throwing error from catcher Justin Marra and a fielder’s choice which scored the go-ahead run. 

Two batters later, it was the designated hitter Josh Williams who blasted his first home run of his IBL career, a two-run moonshot to centre-field to make it a 4-1 game for the Barnstormers. 

Chatham-Kent continued to utilize the long ball in the seventh inning, centre-fielder Spencer Marcus blasted a solo shot to make it a 5-1 game, two batters later it was none other than Seth Strong, who lined his league-leading 16th home run of the year over the left-field fence, making it a 6-1 game. 

Toronto was quick to respond in the bottom half of the inning however, a pair of singles off the bats of Marra and Knecht each cashed in a run, while a bouncing double over the first-baseman's head from left-fielder Ryan Dos Santos also plated a run. 

After seven innings, the Maple Leafs found themselves trailing 6-4. 

First baseman Jordan Castaldo lined a double into the gap which cut the lead to 6-5, however Toronto was unable to complete the comeback and fell short after a hard fought battle. 

The Maple Leafs are locked into seventh place and await their opponent in the first round of the 2024 Playoffs, with the possibilities being the Barrie Baycats, London Majors or Guelph Royals. 

Their first home game of the 2024 Playoffs will be this Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m..