SIX-RUN INNING POWERS MAPLE LEAFS IN WIN OVER BARRIE
Written by: Olivia Byrne
Riding the high from a win yesterday, the Toronto Maple Leafs kept the good vibes going in a 12-8 victory over the Barrie Baycats this afternoon.
Similar to yesterday’s game, Toronto got the ball rolling once again today, as Brando Leroux singled on the first pitch he saw to get on base. After facing two pitches, Yasiel Puig hit a hard line drive to single, bringing up JJ Dutton.
Dutton swung on the first pitch that crossed the plate, driving the ball hard to center field. As Dutton ran to first base, Leroux hustled from second to home plate to put Toronto on the board early.
Next up was Dennis Dei Baning, who was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out.
Just one batter latter, Spenser Ross was also hit by pitch to bring in a run, extending Toronto’s lead to 2-0.
Things were quiet for the Maple Leafs until the 4th inning, when the bats caught fire.
First up to the plate for the inning was Ross, who worked a five-pitch walk to bring up Matt Brandt. After three foul balls, Brandt reached on a throwing error by Barrie’s second baseman, putting Ross in scoring position.
Kirk Gibson put opposing pitcher Saul Vasquez to work, getting into an eight-pitch battle that would eventually lead to a strikeout.
With two men on, Crix Taveras stepped into the box, hoping to do some damage. After swinging at the second pitch he saw, Taveras worked a walk to load the bases and bring Leroux up to bat.
After a first-pitch foul, Leroux hit a hard line drive into left field, bringing Ross home with ease to make it a 3-0 game.
Then came Puig, looking to continue his momentum after hitting an RBI triple and a home run yesterday. After three pitches, Puig sent the ball flying down the left field line, plating Brandt and adding another run to Toronto’s tally.
The bases were still loaded for Dei Baning, who waited patiently for a pitch he liked. After going down 0-2, he took three consecutive balls before roping it past the Barrie first baseman. As the ball continued to roll into the outfield, both Leroux and Taveras came in to score, making it 6-0 for the Maple Leafs.
After a pitching change, it was Mike Cecchetto’s turn. Wanting to keep the fun going, he jumped on the first pitch he saw, driving it hard into the outfield and plating Puig in the process.
Having gone around the batting order, Ross was due up once again. What should have been an easy groundout resulted in an RBI for Ross, as Dei Baning came home on a throwing error from Barrie’s shortstop.
By the time the inning ended, Toronto had an 8-0 lead.
Wilgenis Alvarado toed the rubber for the Maple Leafs tonight, and had a stellar performance, going 4.2 innings, with five strikeouts and only one earned run.
The lone run for Alvarado came in the bottom of the 5th, when Wandy Ciprian singled to right field to plate Ryan Rijo. After a throwing error from Taveras, Alvarado was replaced by Frankie Gulko, who finished the inning unscathed.
Eager to use the momentum to their advantage, Puig, Dutton and Dei Baning all hit singles to load the bases in the 6th inning, bringing up Cecchetto.
Hoping to do some serious damage, Cecchetto got just under the ball. Fortunately, he sent it far enough into left field where Puig could safely run home, and make it a 9-1 game for Toronto.
After Ross hit a quick popout to shortstop, Brandt stepped into the box, taking two pitches before singling to right field. With the ball in motion, Dutton rounded the bases and hustled home, making it a double digit game.
In the 7th, the Maple Leafs scored two more runs from a fielder’s choice and a hard-hit double, bringing the tally to 12-1.
Not wanting to go down without a fight, the comeback attempt for the Baycats started in the bottom of the 7th, when Rijo hit a two-run shot to make it 12-3.
A few men later, Gulko found himself in a sticky situation. With two men on, Clayton Keyes hit a drive down the right field line, scoring two.
Still down by seven runs, the Baycats had one last chance in the bottom of the 9th. Graham Sim came in to pitch, but couldn’t avoid some late-game drama.
After giving up a single to the first Baycat he saw, Sim struck out the next two. Needing to get the third and final out, Barrie battled back with a single and a walk to load the bases.
The next batter Sim faced was immediately hit by a pitch and brought home a runner.
Two pitches later, the Baycats got two more runs on the board from a hard grounder that rolled into right field. Fortunately for Sim, the final man he faced would fly out to Puig, bringing the nail-biting inning to an end and the final score to 12-8.
UP NEXT: The Maple Leafs head home to take on the Guelph Royals on Wednesday, July 22. First pitch is set for 7:30 p.m.