Panthers return home with 2-0 lead

LONDON — The Kitchener Panthers return home to Jack Couch Park on Thursday night with a 2-0 lead in their best-ofseven Intercounty Baseball League semifinal series against the London Majors.

On Tuesday night, Sean Reilly led them to victory at Labatt Park, going 4-for-5 with a deep home run to left field and two RBIs to carry Kitchener to a 5-2 win.

Reilly, the 2017 Triple Crown winner, also singled twice and doubled while scoring a pair of runs. Mike Gordner had two hits and a run, and Yorbis Borroto and Mike Andrulis each had a hit and scored once. Zarley Cina singled twice.

On Thursday night, the Panthers will hand the ball to righty Matt McGovern, who won two games in the first round. Game 4 in the series goes Saturday night in London.

Pitcher Sean Ratcliffe bounced back from a rough outing in the first round and allowed just two runs on four hits with five walks and seven strikeouts over five innings Tuesday. Mike Schnurr gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth for his first save of the post-season.

For London, Carlos Arteaga had two hits and scored once, Michael Ambrose singled twice and had an RBI, and Cleveland Brownlee drove in the other run.

Losing pitcher Luis Sanchez allowed five runs (two earned) on 10 hits with a walk and three strikeouts over seven innings.

In the IBL’s other semifinal series, the Barrie Baycats defeated the Brantford Red Sox 14-1 to open their best-of-seven battle Tuesday night.

Barrie received a first-round bye after finishing atop the regular season standings and hadn’t played since July 30, but the Baycats scored twice in the second inning and added five more runs in the third to pull away.