Royals score five in seventh to drop Panthers
6/22/2009

Mat Taube of the Kitchener Panthers is 23. Kevin Hinton of the Guelph Royals is 43. The big difference in these two left-swinging sluggers? Two decades. The big similarity? Both the sophomore and the 20-year Intercounty Baseball League veteran belted homers over the right field fence at Jack Couch Park before 300 last night.


The Royals won 12-8 thanks to a seven-run fifth inning. Hinton, Guelph's manager and designated hitter, has two homers this season. The Cambridge native hit a two-run homer in the second last night.


Taube, Kitchener's first-baseman-in-training, is the nine-team loop's mightiest masher with seven homers at the midpoint of the 36-game season. He's homered in three straight games and four times in the last five starts. Last season, Taube finished with four homers in 31 games.


The Panthers are 8-10 (won-lost). The Royals are 12-8.


Frankie Hare hit a three-run homer in the fifth as Guelph got seven straight hits against Kitchener starter Wes Koch. Matt Mann also homered to chase Koch, who slammed his glove against the dugout wall after getting the hook from manager Brian Bishop.


Lefty Justin Phillips earned the win for Guelph, going five innings. Both Taube and Jeff Pietraszko had four hits for Kitchener. Taube also had three singles. Pietraszko had four singles. Guelph's Sean Reilly clobbered a homer of the left-field trees in the ninth. While the Panthers didn't run their usual concession stand last night -- due to recent break-ins at the park -- makeshift concessions were set up.


The Panthers lost 7-3 in Mississauga on Friday night. Saturday's game at Barrie was rained out. Kitchener visits London tomorrow before hosting Toronto on Thursday.