Kitchener Panthers dominate at home, explode with 14-run inning

It was a show of power, contact, speed, pitching, and defence.

The Kitchener Panthers left it all on the field in their dominant 20-5 win over the Brantford Red Sox. The Panthers outshone in front of the home crowd at Jack Couch Park, the second of three back-to-back-to-back home games.

The team got off to an early lead in the contest, sitting 1-0 into the second. The Panthers then blew the game open, scoring 14 runs before the top of the third would come around.

It’s an accomplishment that hasn’t been done across the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) in over a decade.

The contest saw plenty of offensive production, with three home runs from the Panthers, coming off the bats of Cain-Plante, Manduley, and Fujie. President and General Manager of the Kitchener Panthers, Shanif Hirani, said making the most of the team’s power is particularly important at home.

“I think it’s extremely important, especially with our home field being Jack Couch, known as one of the more hitter-friendly parks in the league. We tried to build our roster to take advantage of that,” Hirani said. “If we can hit a lot of home runs, we can score a lot of runs, and that’ll lead to winning a lot of games.”

The win brings the team to an even 3-3 record on the young season. For Hirani, win or lose, home run or strikeout, everything is for the fans.

“They’re what keeps us going. We have a great fan base, a lot of passionate fans,” he said. “I was able to speak to a couple at the game who’ve been coming to games for 30 years, 40 years. We want to make sure that they know we’re doing the best job we can to put on a great show, and they can watch great baseball in their backyard.”

He went on to say that, while wins, home runs, and more can show exactly what makes the team special, the work in developing the overall fan experience is something that will never stop for the staff and players of the Panthers.

“For me, it’s important to be there and hear what the fans have to say,” he said. “If there’s something that we can improve on or if there’s something that we like, then I can take that into account and we can make it better for the next time they’re there.”

The team now gets set for the third straight home game. The Panthers will welcome the visiting Barrie Baycats to Jack Couch Park Sunday.

First pitch is set to be thrown at 2 p.m. and tickets can be purchased right at the gate or directly from the Kitchener Panthers website.