Kitchener Panthers pitcher Matt Vickers throws a pitch in relief against Welland on Thursday. (Photo by Dan Congdon)

Panthers use extras to beat Welland 

The Kitchener Panthers bounced back from an ugly defeat at the hands of the Welland Jackfish last Sunday to beat the Jackfish in extra innings on Thursday night, 7-6. The game featured a little bit of everything; strong pitching, hit parades, errors, and a wild ninth-inning comeback. 

The Panthers opened the scoring in the top half of the third inning when Liam Wilson doubled to score Tanner Nivins, and Kitchener added to its lead in the fourth as Zarley Cina cashed in Mike Gordner with a single. The score would remain 2-0 for Kitchener until the top of the ninth inning, with both starting pitchers exiting the game after the seventh inning. In the ninth, things got crazy. 

The Panthers scored four times, highlighted by a two-run double by Brian Burton that scored Nivins and Yorbis Borroto, to take a commanding 6-0 lead to the bottom of the ninth. After the Jackfish loaded the bases with nobody out, Matt Vickers issued his third walk of the inning to score Welland’s first run. With the bases still loaded and Mike Schnurr pitching for Vickers, Schnurr’s second pitch hit the batter and brought home another run for Welland. Two batters later, a sacrifice fly made the score 6-3, but accounted for the second out of the inning. Kitchener then committed two errors to load the bases again, and Welland made them pay with two singles that scored a combined three runs to shock the Panthers and tie the game at 6-6. 

The game would not be settled until the top of the 12th inning, where Andy Leader smacked a single into left field that scored Ryley Davenport, who entered the game as a pinch-runner after Keegan Marsden led off the inning reaching on an error. In the bottom half, Welland managed to put the tying run on first base, but he was stranded there as Schnurr pitched his fourth inning of the game to earn the win. 

With the win, Kitchener moves a full game up on Barrie for first place in the Intercounty Baseball League with five games left to play. The Panthers will face the Cardinals in Hamilton tonight before returning home to Jack Couch Park to play the Guelph Royals on Sunday afternoon.