Kitchener Panthers designated hitter Zach Johnson swings at a pitch on Sunday against the Hamilton Cardinals. (Photo by Dan Congdon)

Panthers out-slugged by Hamilton in rare home loss

The Kitchener Panthers have been virtually automatic at Jack Couch Park this season, but the Hamilton Cardinals proved to be too much for the home side on Sunday, beating the Panthers 10-8 in Intercounty Baseball League action.

The high-scoring affair got started early, as the teams traded solo home runs in the first and second innings, before the Cardinals' bats broke out in the top of the fourth. Hamilton played small ball to perfection, turning three singles and an error into six runs, to lead Kitchener 7-1. In the bottom of the fifth, the Panthers were able to cut into the lead. Liam Wilson started the rally with an RBI-single, then Zach Johnson emptied the bases with a three-run double, although he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. 

That was as close as the Panthers would get, as Hamilton added runs in the eighth and ninth innings to cruise to victory. Christian Hauck took the loss on the mound for Kitchener, while Ben Braun earned the win for Hamilton. The Panthers will play Toronto and London this week on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, with both games being played at Jack Couch Park. The Panthers are half a game behind Barrie for first place in the IBL.

Wild on brink of advancing past Fergus in second round

The Wilmot Wild are one win away from advancing to the third round of the Ontario Junior C Lacrosse League playoffs after taking games one and two over the weekend.

In Game One in Wilmot, the Wild put the game away early with a four-goal first period, including two from Blake Wideman, and used another four-goal period in the third to seal the win, 11-7. Wideman finished with four assists to go with his pair of goals, and Wilmot boasted four other two-goal scorers in the game. Reyd Fitton was strong in goal for the Wild, stopping critical shots with the game still close in the third period.

In Game Two in Fergus, Wilmot again came out strong scoring four times in the first period. A five-goal second opened up the gap, and the Wild sealed the victory with strong defence in the third period. Kent Radbourne and Matt Wyman both had hat-tricks for Wilmot, which outshot Fergus 55-46 in the game. Game 3 goes Thursday night in Wilmot, where the Wild can sweep the series and advance to play either Brantford or Barrie in the OJCLL divisional finals.