Leafs Rally To Beat Cards In the 9th

HAMILTON – Marcus Knecht’s two-out single in the top of the ninth scored Connor Lewis and gave the Toronto Maple Leafs an 8-7 win Friday night in Hamilton.

The Leafs trailed 7-5 entering the eighth inning and pulled to within a run on Ryan Dos Santos’ fielder’s choice. Toronto (3-7) tied it in the ninth when Lewis drove in Jose Vinicio. It was Lewis’ second hit and second RBI of the game, while Vinicio went 3-for-5, stole three bases and scored four times.

Knecht finished with three hits, Dan Marra drove in two, Justin Marra had an RBI and Jordan Castaldo singled twice and doubled atop the lineup.

Chris Nagorski (1-1) struck out one in 1.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win. Dustin Richardson struck out the side in the ninth for his second save.Wilgenis Alvarado started on the mound and went five innings, giving up five runs on nine hits with two strikeouts.

Dennis Dei Baning went 3-for-4 with two RBI for the Cards (6-3). Josh Niles drove in two on a pair of hits, and Cole Iantomasi and Luis Bernardo both had an RBI. Zach Marriott and Brandon Nicholson each singled twice.

Jacob Gajic (0-1) took the loss on the mound, yielding two runs on four hits in an inning while striking out a pair. Hamilton starter Colby Ring went three innings and was charged with four runs on five hits with four walks and three strikeouts.