Panthers' defensive struggles emerge in loss to Jackfish
KITCHENER – With the Kitchener Panthers and Welland Jackfish meeting for the second time in three days, blunders on the defensive side of the ball and three separate five-run innings for Welland cost the Panthers.
The defending Dominico Cup champions dropped the Panthers 19-5, in a rare Monday nighter.
“A bullpen game,” as head coach Pete Kiefer mentioned before first pitch. He went with Samuel Quintana, while Welland went with Eric Pettipiece.
A battle of southpaws on the mound, the Panthers rallied in the third inning after conceding the opening run of the game. Yunior Ibarra and Josh Williams pulled through with clutch RBIs - both with the bases loaded - to give Kitchener an early advantage.
It was their only lead of the night, and it didn't last long.
The defence struggled to convert on the infield, and that would define the night.
Five errors from the Panthers did not give the pitching staff much support; neither did 12 stolen bases from the Jackfish. The pitching staff had issues finding the strike zone, issuing 17 walks.
Quintana struggled early on against the right-handed portion of Welland’s lineup, but was dealing against their lefties.
Despite six strikeouts, he was pulled after 3.2 innings, surrendering four hits and three earned runs.
Amidst the noise from the away bats, Mateo Zeppieri hit his fifth homer of the year, a no-doubt moonshot onto Ottawa Street in the fifth inning.
Welland’s bats kept getting hotter. A grand slam in the seventh put the game to bed.
The starters from tonight took the decisions, with Pettipiece picking up the win, Quintana the loss.
The Panthers will return to action on Wednesday afternoon, for a Canada Day clash with the Guelph Royals at 2:05 p.m.
The first 500 fans inside Jack Couch Park will receive a Panthers Canada Day Hawaiian shirt.
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