KITCHENER PANTHERS
13-TIME IBL CHAMPIONS
Kitchener Panthers
menuPanthers win third straight game
KITCHENER - A tight victory in a competitive ballgame for the Kitchener Panthers.
And while the big boppers got the Panthers a lead, a consistent hitter at the bottom of the lineup came up big in a clutch situation to give Kitchener a 6-5 win over the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers Thursday night at Jack Couch Park.
With the bases loaded and nobody out in the eighth in a tie game, the visitors turned to Kenny Williams on the hill.
This, after Sam McKinlay hit the first three batters he faced in the inning.
He got a pair of outs, and was a strike away from getting out of the jam, but Spenser Ross hit a single into left centre field to give the Panthers the lead they would not relinquish.
Raul Gonzalez and Nick Parsons each had a two-run home run. Parsons' homer came in the fifth and gave Kitchener a 5-2 lead.
Braxton Haggith hit a three-run shot in the seventh to tie the game at five.
Yadian Martinez went six innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and struck out eight but did not get the decision.
Eric Pettipiece also went six for Chatham-Kent. He gave up five runs on six hits while walking two and struck out three.
Ross has hits in nine of his last 10 games, dating back to June 14, and has RBIs in each of his last three games.
Gonzalez has really turned things around. On June 14, he was sitting with a .196 batting average. Now, the IBL MVP runner up from 2023 has boosted that average to .280.
Kitchener has won three straight, and improves to 7-14 on the season. Chatham-Kent drops to 8-14.
NEXT UP
Kitchener will stay home for the next few days and prepare for a doubleheader at home against the London Majors at 5:15 p.m. Sunday.
Both games will run seven innings, and the first game will begin from where things left off on June 6.
That night, the Panthers had a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. The lone run came off a solo shot in the first from Simon Grinberg.
It is also Dog Days at the Park, so GET YOUR TICKETS and #PackTheJack with you and your pups! Spoil the Dog Bakery is helping us out with a giveaway. The first 25 dogs through the gate get a special dog treat, and the dog who performs the best trick will get a gift certificate!