Baseball Leafs tie it up with Majors

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After six seasons in the Intercounty Baseball League, Justin Marra can immediately tell when a fastball that he can turn around is coming his way.

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ catcher found that pitch in the sixth inning and drilled it to left field for a three-run homer to put his side up for good. That shot, along with solid pitching led by starter Marek Deska, gave the Leafs a 6-4 win over the London Majors at Christie Pits on Sunday to tie their IBL Championship series at a game apiece.

Chandler McLaren and Jordan Castaldo were on the bases when Marra took London starter Owen Boon deep, igniting the approximately 500 supporters dotting the hill overlooking the field.

“I just recognized the fastball coming out of his hand,” the veteran Toronto catcher said. “I knew the wind was carrying today. I was just happy to get some runs for the boys.”

The long ball was the order of the day as both teams had three each. Austin Wilkie opened the scoring for London with a two-run shot to score Humberto Ruiz ahead of him. Hayden Jaco added a solo shot for the Majors in the fourth.

The Leafs generated a run in the second on a single by McLaren. In the fifth, Garret Takamatsu’s RBI single brought Toronto to within one, down 3-2. After Marra put them ahead, Jonathan Solazzo added a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh. Byron Reichstein’s eighth-inning solo shot completed London’s scoring in the top of the eighth.

Despite the home runs given up, Marra was pleased with his team’s pitching performance.

“Out pitchers kept them in check,” Marra said. “I know they gave up a few but they their composure. They kept us in the game, and that helped us.”

“It’s a big win for us. Now we go back to London hopefully we win one there and bring it back home. We know we play well at home.”

Despite his team’s 22-8 regular-season record, London manager Roop Chanderdat knows there is very little separating the two teams.

“(Toronto) is a good hitting team, a good pitching team. We never expected it to be a cakewalk.”

Chanderdat said the difference was Toronto being able to get more base runners including the two that scored with Marra’s shot.

“It was a good game, a well-pitched game,” he said. “We had some chances early that we should have capitalized on.”

The teams continue their series in London on Tuesday night before returning to Christie Pits on Thursday. Both teams are trying to end IBL championship droughts with the Majors last win coming in 1975 and the Leafs’ last lifting of the Jack and Lynne Domenico Trophy in 2007.