Elliott shines in Panthers win
CHATHAM-KENT - Evan Elliott struck out seven in six innings of one-run-baseball as the Kitchener Panthers beat the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers 5-1 Friday night at Fergie Jenkins Field.
He gave up six hits and walked two batters to register the win.
The Panthers used the long ball to do most of the damage.
Mateo Zeppieri opened the scoring with a solo blast in the third, his first of the season.
Raffi Gross then went yard for the second time in two games, a two-run shot in the fourth to extend the lead.
Josh Williams hit his first home run as a Panther, a no doubter to lead off the seventh inning.
Petey Kiefer went three-for-five and drove in the lone run where the ball stayed in the ballpark, later in the seventh.
Samuele Bruno was two-for-four in his first start of the year as catcher, as Yunior Ibarra got the night off.
Jake Liberta got a scoreless inning of work, while Bawin Colon shut down the Barnstormers in the final two innings.
Kitchener improves to 4-3 on the season, while Chatham-Kent drops to 1-3.
The Panthers continue a busy four-game stretch Saturday in Guelph. First pitch is 2:05 p.m. from Hastings Stadium.
Kitchener returns home Sunday afternoon for a matchup against the Hamilton Cardinals, also at 2:05 p.m.
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW and #PackTheJack! Wear your Kitchener Rangers jersey to get FREE ADMISSION to the game, and take in some baseball before walking across the parking lot to watch the Rangers in the Memorial Cup final on the big screen at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium!