Kitchener Panthers second baseman Colin Gordner attempts to turn a double-play. (Photo by Peter Lee)

Panthers lose to Baycats in one-game decider, draw Toronto in playoffs 

The Kitchener Panthers earned the right to play the Barrie Baycats in a one-game playoff last night in Barrie to decide who finished first place in the Intercounty Baseball League. The opportunity was thanks to two road victories over the weekend in which Kitchener bested Brantford on Friday and Guelph on Saturday. 

On Friday night, Kitchener rode a huge seven-run sixth inning to stun Brantford, 12-9. The Panthers trailed the Red Sox 7-3 heading into the sixth, when Kitchener’s bats suddenly woke up. After the Panthers loaded the bases with one out, Andy Leader worked a seven-pitch at-bat into an RBI walk before slugger Yorbis Borroto cleared the bases with a double. He was immediately brought home by Jeff Hunt’s single, and Hunt was then cashed in by a Liam Wilson triple. Brian Burton would tack on one more run in the inning with a double, scoring Wilson, and suddenly Kitchener had a 10-7 lead. 

The teams traded a two-run seventh inning, and Miguel Lahera closed the game out with a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the save. Borroto, Hunt and Wilson all had three RBI in the win. 

On Saturday, Kitchener could pull even with idle Barrie with a win, and the Panthers played a fantastic road game, winning 6-3. 

After falling behind 2-0 in the first, there was no panic in the Kitchener dugout. The Panthers scored in four consecutive innings, including one in the second, one in the third, and two in the fourth and fifth. The highlight offensively was a Ryley Davenport two-run homerun in the fourth that broke the tie for Kitchener. Davenport, Wilson and Zarley Cina accounted for all of Kitchener’s runs-batted-in with two apiece, and Lahera closed out his second game in a row with another clean ninth inning. 

So, the stage was set. Barrie, who Kitchener has faced in the last two IBL finals, is the five-time defending champions. Kitchener has gotten close in three of the last four years, but has fallen to the Baycats in the finals each time. The Baycats beat the Panthers in the season series, so they hosted the one-game playoff. 

Kitchener led off each of the first two innings with singles, but their leadoff man was stranded both times. Barrie then opened the scoring in the bottom of the third, when Jordan Costaldo drew a two-out walk and was quickly brought home by Kevin Atkinson’s triple, putting the Baycats up 1-0. Barrie would triple its lead in the fifth, as Costaldo again drew a walk to put men on first and second base before Ryan Rijo doubled to right field to score two runs. The damage would continue in the eighth inning, as two singles and a wild pitch moved Barrie runners to second and third. A rare error by Kitchener shortstop Borroto allowed another Baycat to cross the plate, and the score was 4-0 Barrie. In the top of the ninth inning, Andy Leader tried to will Kitchener back as he tripled to cash in Brian Burton, then was brought home by Zarley Cina to cut the lead in half, but the comeback fell short and Barrie prevailed, 4-2. 

With the loss, Kitchener will face the IBL’s hottest team in the first round, the Toronto Maple Leafs, who enter the playoffs on a six-game winning streak. The best-of-7 series kicks off on Thursday night in Kitchener, with game two also being played in Kitchener on Saturday night. The Panthers went 4-1 against the Leafs in the regular season.