Panthers steal one back from Royals
Kitchener wins day after extra-innings, walk-off loss
— The Kitchener Panthers and Guelph Royals clashed again on Sunday afternoon, but for the first time this season, there was little suspense at the end of the game.
The Panthers busted out for five runs in the seventh and won, 10-4, on Sunday, splitting the Intercounty Baseball League weekend series.
On Saturday night at David E. Hastings Stadium, it was the Royals who won — in extra innings on a bases-loaded walk by Jon Waltenbury.
The Panthers (16-7) and the Royals (8-16) may be at opposite ends of the standings, but their games have certainly been entertaining whenever they’ve played each other this season.
The first time these two teams met ended in an extra-innings walk-off for the Panthers. Last Tuesday’s game was a tie until the ninth.
It might help that the Royals just have to turn to their own manager for a scouting report on the Panthers’ lineup.
“I may have a bit of an unfair advantage because I’ve seen these hitters for three years,” said Dave teBoekhorst, who was the Panthers’ manager from 2015 to ’17.
“We always know we have to scrap it out whenever we play Kitchener because I’ve been on the inside of that dugout.”
The former Kitchener skipper was welcomed back warmly the first time his Royals came to play his old club. But they’re still a rival like any other team, he said, and the Royals are just focused on beating anyone they face as they head toward the playoffs.
“It’s just another game. We come here to go to work, and we’ve got a lot of work to do to climb the standings,” teBoekhorst said.
“We’re not overly concerned where we finish, but we want to be playing our best baseball heading into August,” he added.
Tanner Nivins, the Panthers’ centre fielder, said it’s been good to have both teams playing competitive games again. For the past few years, that wasn’t always the case.
“I think it’s something this league has missed for a long time,” he said.
“It’s nice to be evened up again, and I think it kind of brings the league back together again.”
Before the Royals folded halfway through last season, there were some pretty lopsided scores.
“It’s not fun for anyone when you win 20-0,” Nivins said. “But when you go to extra innings like that, that just gives you energy. That’s why a lot of us still play.”
On Saturday night, Guelph’s Edwin Javier picked up the win after throwing two hitless innings. Yunior Yambatis started and went 10 innings, giving up two runs on two hits with a walk and eight strikeouts.
Kitchener’s closer Miguel Lahera took the loss. Starting pitcher Noelvis Entenza went seven innings and allowed two runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
On Sunday, Christian Hauck was tagged for four runs and five hits with six strikeouts over six innings but was picked up by his bullpen for three scoreless innings.
Zach Johnson had three RBI for Kitchener while Mike Gordner and Keegan Marsden each knocked in a pair. Mike Glinka also drove in a run.
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