Panthers snap skid and squish the Fish

KITCHENER - A key win over the IBL's top team.

Pedro De Los Santos got into the ninth inning for the Kitchener Panthers, and got plenty of run support in an 8-5 victory over the Welland Jackfish Sunday afternoon.

De Los Santos went eight innings plus a batter, giving up five runs on 11 hits. He walked two and struck out four.

Tyler Dupuis' second home run of the game for Welland spelled the end for the Dominican Republic hurler, but Brady Schnarr stepped in and closed things out for the save.

The Jackfish took a 2-0 lead in the first, and it stayed that way until the Panthers bats woke up in the third.

Jorden Carthy led off with a home run. Then with one out, Raul Gonzalez, Nick Parsons and Eric Martin hit back-to-back-to-back jacks to take the 5-2 lead.

Blake Jacklin would also homer to help Kitchener's cause. 

Gonzalez was one-for-five with three RBI, putting him an RBI shy of Welland's Robert Mullen for first in the league. Notably, Mullen had to exit the game late after being hit with a ball behind the plate.

All nine Panthers starters reached base at least once, with eight of them registering a hit.

Jett Jarvis, Yunior Ibarra and Eric Martin all had two hits.

Danny Howat was tagged with the loss. He gave up five runs on six hits and struck out two in 2.1 innings.

Kitchener improves to 11-23, while Welland falls to 26-10.

Combined with Brantford and Toronto's losses to Hamilton and Guelph respectively Sunday, Kitchener now finds themselves a game and a half up on the Sox for the final playoff spot. 

The Panthers are also a game behind the Leafs for seventh.

Kitchener hits the road for a trio of games, beginning in Guelph Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. 

The Panthers will then travel to Welland and Brantford Thursday and Saturday, before returning home on Sunday, Aug. 11 against Barrie at 2 p.m.

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