Panthers advance
Kitchener is headed to the Intercounty Baseball finals
KITCHENER — The Kitchener Panthers are headed to the Intercounty Baseball League final after sweeping the Hamilton Cardinals in four games.
Kitchener will face Barrie for the Jack & Lynne Dominico Cup, after the Baycats swept Welland in its semifinal.
It’s the fourth time in five years the Panthers have met the defending champion Baycats in the final.
Barrie is chasing its sixth consecutive league title, while Kitchener is looking for its first since 2001.
On Saturday night, Tanner Nivins homered and drove in three as the Panthers won 8-1 in Game 4 at Jack Couch Park.
Nivins also singled and doubled and scored three times. Brian Burton went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs, Zarley Cina singled twice and drove in a run, Yorbis Borroto doubled and scored twice, Liam Wilson had three hits, an RBI and a run, and Colin Gordner drove in a run.
Miguel Lahera started and allowed a run on four hits with two strikeouts over six innings.
Luke Tevlin drove in Hamilton’s lone run. Chris Beer doubled and scored.
Chris Lazar took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits with a strikeout in three innings.
The Panthers won Game 3 on Friday, when Yoen Socarras struck out 12 over seven dominant innings to lead Kitchener to a 2-0 win at Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium. Socarras allowed just two hits and walked one in Friday’s win. Brady Schnarr retired the final six batters for his first save of the playoffs. He didn’t allow a hit and walked one.
Kitchener scored both of its runs in that game in the fifth on Tanner Nivins’ sacrifice fly and Liam Wilson’s RBI single.