Kitchener Panthers reliever Mike Schnurr deals during Thursday's playoff opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo by Mark Pare)

Panthers use 8th inning surge to take playoff opener 

The Kitchener Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs opened their Intercounty Baseball League quarter-final series Thursday night, with Kitchener prevailing, 8-4. 

The home side got the scoring started in the bottom of the third inning as Yorbis Borroto crushed a two-run double to right field that scored Zarley Cina and Mike Andrulis. Panthers starter Yoennis Yera was cruising along into through the first four innings, surrendering just two hits, but Toronto finally got to him in the fifth. The Leafs hit back-to-back home runs, the first of which was a two-run shot, and stole the lead from Kitchener, 3-2. Yera’s night was done after a clean sixth inning, giving up three runs on just four hits while striking out nine. 

In the bottom of the seventh, the Panthers jumped on Toronto’s bullpen as they had managed just two hits off Leafs starter Alberto Tirado, but welcomes Jean Carlos Henriquez to the game with three consecutive singles that scored two runs and gave Kitchener back the lead, 4-3. After Toronto tied the game in the top half, the bottom of the eighth proved to be the decider in the game. With two on and one out, Andy Leader chopped a ground ball to short that was booted by the Toronto shortstop which allowed Brian Burton to race home. Borroto watched from the on-deck circle, then proceeded to step up to the plate and bring home two more runs with his second two-run double of the game. Two batters later, Liam Wilson hit Borroto home with an RBI single to make the score 8-4, and Panthers closer Miguel Lahera stymied the Leafs to close out game one. 

Borroto led the Panthers with three hits and four RBI, while relief man Mike Schnurr earned the win after pitching the eighth inning. Game two goes in Kitchener at 7:00 pm on Saturday night at Jack Couch Park. Elsewhere in the IBL playoffs, Barrie, Welland and Hamilton all took early leads in their respective series.