Panthers’ start hampered by rain
KITCHENER — With three rainouts in their first six games, the toughest opponent for the Kitchener Panthers so far this season has been Mother Nature herself.
“It’s tough for guys to get into a groove,” admitted manager Dave teBoekhorst, before his team boarded the bus for Friday’s game in Brantford. “But it is what it is, it’s not like we can do anything about it. We’re in the same boat as everybody else.”
Soon enough, the Panthers will be playing as often as five nights a week to make up for some of those cancelled games. As the team heads into that busy stretch, they’ll be counting on a key reinforcement — third baseman Mike Gordner.
Starting next week, the Kitchener native will be a regular addition to the lineup. He’s expected to contribute another impactful bat, after hitting .305 this season for Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego.
“He’ll kind of be the final puzzle piece,” teBoekhorst said. “He’s had another year of school, and he’ll be really, really good.”
Despite all the rain, one of the Panthers’ Cuban imports is off to a hot start. Shortstop Yorbis Borroto, brought in to replace Mike Glinka, has seven hits in just three games, giving him a league-leading .538 batting average.
“From day one when I saw him, I knew he could play,” teBoekhorst said. “He’s got great actions, he’s pretty cerebral with the game. You can tell he really thinks. He’s got a great swing, and he’s really locked in right now.”
With only three games under their belt, the manager hasn’t had much of a chance to access his team yet. But he’s been impressed with the early performance by new pitchers Sean Ratcliffe and Jasvir Rakkar, who pitched five scoreless innings against Guelph Monday, with seven strikeouts.
Thursday’s cancelled home game against London has been rescheduled to June 13 at 7:30 pm at Jack Couch Park. The rainout from May 21 against Brantford has been rescheduled to June 6 at 7:30 pm at Jack Couch Park.
Cuban pitcher Noelvis Entenza, who won nine games for the Panthers last year, is expected to start Sunday’s home game against Guelph. First pitch goes at 2 p.m. at Jack Couch Park.