Maple Leafs Fall to Last-Place Red Sox as Final Weekend of Regular Season Opens

The Leafs got upset by the last-place Brantford Red Sox on Friday night. This frustrating loss comes on the heels of an 8–1 win against the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers as the Leafs look to make up as much ground as possible in the standings.

With this loss, the Leafs now sit a half-game up on the 8th place Kitchener Panthers, making Saturday's rematch with the Red Sox a must-win game if Toronto wants to control its destiny and avoid the Welland Jackfish in the first round of the playoffs.

Franklin Hernandez got the start for the Leafs, and his road struggles continued. After a tough outing against the Barrie Baycats a week ago, Hernandez managed just three and a third innings of work, allowing four runs and picking up the loss on the night.

On the Brantford side, it was Connor Irvine who delivered five innings of work, allowing three runs on five hits. His outing, combined with four shutout innings in relief from Nicholai Arbach, would prove enough for the Red Sox.

The Leafs got on the board first on a two-run single from Connor Lewis, bringing Ben Sitarenios and Dan Marra around to score, giving Toronto an early lead.

Brantford answered back with a run in the third on an RBI double from Graham Tebbit before taking the lead in the fourth inning on an RBI single, followed by a balk and a bases-loaded walk that ended the night for Hernandez.

Dennis Dei Baning pulled the Leafs within a run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth inning, but that would be the last offense Toronto could muster.

Brantford sealed the deal in the eighth inning with a pair of RBI singles, along with an error by Ryan Dos Santos, to reach the final score of 7–3.

Up Next: The Leafs head home Saturday night for the final game of the regular season—a rematch with Brantford. Toronto will be hoping for better fortunes this time around. First pitch from Dominico Field is at 7:30.