RED SOX HOLD OFF MAPLE LEAFS IN 22-18 SHOOTOUT

Written by: Noam Streiffer

The Maple Leafs and Brantford Red Sox traded blows all night at Dominico Field on Wednesday, but the Red Sox came out on top 22-18 in a four-hour offensive battle.

Brantford jumped out to an early lead against Leafs starter Wilgenis Alvarado, scoring five runs in the first inning. Christian Ortega delivered an RBI double, the Red Sox put early pressure on the Leafs' pitching staff.

Toronto answered with two runs in the bottom of the first before adding two more in the second. Yolki Pena drove in Yasiel Puig and Spenser Ross with a two-run single, cutting the Brantford lead to 8-4.

Brantford responded with four runs in the fourth inning, on a Christian Kuzemka grand slam that extended the Red Sox lead to 12-4.

The Leafs refused to go quietly, exploding for six runs in the bottom of the fifth. Dennis Dei Baning delivered a two-run double, while Yolki Pena and Yordan Manduley added RBI singles to bring Toronto within two at 14-12.

Brantford added a run in the top half of the inning and maintained control of the game. But  Toronto's momentum continued into the sixth when Yasiel Puig launched a solo home run to cut the deficit to 15-13.

The Red Sox then broke the game open in the ninth, scoring seven runs to take a 22-13 lead. Christian Kuzemka hit his third home run of the game, a three-run shot, while AJ Karosas and Andrew Savage also homered for Brantford.

Toronto mounted one final rally in the bottom of the ninth, scoring five runs and bringing the tying run to the plate. Matt Brandt drove in two with a single, while Dennis Dei Baning and Spenser Ross also contributed RBI hits. The comeback ultimately fell short, as Jorge De La Cruz closed out the game for Brantford.

The Red Sox finished with 19 hits and three errors, while the Leafs collected 15 hits and committed two errors. Yasiel Puig led the Toronto power attack with two home runs, while Brantford hit seven home runs as a team.

Up Next: The Leafs travel to Brantford on Friday to face the Red Sox again, with first pitch set for 7:07 p.m.