Panthers win 11-5, record 9th victory

The Kitchener Panthers returned home to Jack Couch Park on Thursday evening for the first time in 2 weeks and treated the home crowd to a well played 11-5 victory over the London Majors.

Yamichel Perez got the nod for the start on the mound and delivered a strong 7 inning performance, allowing only 5 hits and 3 earned runs while striking out 5.

The Panthers jumped out to an early lead as they recorded 4 runs in the bottom of the first inning. With two outs and bases loaded, Eric Martin ripped a double into the right field corner to clear the bases.

The Majors scored a pair of runs in the 3rd and 5th innings to bring the game back to even before the Panthers put up 4 runs in the bottom of the 6th followed by 2 in the 7th and 1 in the 8th for good measure.

After Stephen Whalen doubled and Marcelle Lacasse and Blake Jacklin drew walks, Andy Leader drew a two out bases loaded walk to give the Panthers a 5-4 lead. Raul Gonzalez drew a bases loaded walk of his own to extend the lead to 2 before Liam Wilson knocked a singe to left field, scoring 2 runs and breaking the game open to 8-4.

In the 7th, Elliot Curtis ripped a two strike double into the corner before Nick Parsons picked up an RBI single. This was followed by a Blake Jacklin RBI triple which pushed the lead to 10-4.

In the 8th, Liam Wilson picked up a 2 strike single to lead things off before Stephen Whalen picked up an RBI with his second double of the game.

To close things out in the top of the 9th, Jordan Bahnuk looked dominant on the mound as he made quick work of the Majors’ bats, striking out the side in order. Through the early stages of his rookie IBL season, Bahnuk has shown the ability to strikeout batters at a very impressive rate.

Overall, home cooking was just what the Panthers needed as they turned in a strong team performance and improved to 9 and 7 on the season.

Looking Ahead

The Panthers are scheduled to play their next 2 games at home as the Guelph Royals will visit Jack Couch Park on Sunday the 25th for a 5:15 PM game and the Barrie Baycats will visit us on Monday the 26th for a 7:30 PM game which is the makeup of a previously rained out contest.

This Sunday’s game is our “Bark in the Park” game in partnership with the KW Humane Society! We encourage all fans to bring along their dogs for a fun day at the park!

Monday’s game is a “Minor Sports Appreciation Game” where all children wearing either a jersey or piece of clothing displaying their minor sport organizations logo will receive free admittance to the game! All sports are welcome.

Tickets can be purchased at kitchenerpanthers.com.