Month: May 2016

T-Bones power past Texas for second win

Kansas City trailed for only a half-inning as the T-Bones collected six extra-base hits, including three home runs, in an 8-3 win Friday night over Texas at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas City, Kan.

The ball flew around the park all night long for Kansas City.

Holding a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third, the T-Bones got the first of their three homers as Cole Leonida hit his first in a T-Bones uniform, scoring Brandon Tierney and giving the T-Bones a 5-2 lead.

Then, in the sixth, Kansas City broke the game open with back-to-back home runs. Jake Blackwood hit the first one, a two-run shot that scored Vladimir Frias.

The next batter, Anthony Gallas, hit his second in as many games, giving Kansas City an 8-3 lead. AirHogs starter Griffin Russell (0-1) went only 4 innings after giving up eight hits and five runs.

T-Bones starter Sean Furney (1-0) went 6 innings, giving up eight hits and three runs. Furney would not walk anyone while striking out five. Kansas City’s bullpen came in and shut down the AirHogs pitching the remaining three innings.

Josh Tols and Mark Haynes made their debut appearances and struck out a combined three. Haynes pitched the ninth inning and allowed the bases loaded before Burt Reynolds grounded into a game-ending 5-4-3 double play.

In addition to the three home runs, the T-Bones got doubles by Frias, Gallas and Leonida.

The T-Bones (2-0) and AirHogs (0-2) are scheduled to continue their four-game series at 7:05 Saturday night. Tickets are available by calling the Providence Medical Center Box Office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 913-328-5618.

Box score: http://www.pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscoretext.html?gameid=317603

– Story by Matt Fulks, T-Bones

Saturday events

Kids’ fishing derby to be Saturday
Urban American Outdoors TV (UAOTV) and the Kansas City Kansas Community College will be the hosts for the 11th Annual Urban Kids Fishing Derby KCK. The free Saturday fishing excursion will be held on May 21 at Kansas City Kansas Community College Pond at 7250 State Ave. in Kansas City, Kan. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the derby ends at noon This will be an “Every Kid in a Park” event.

Democrats to meet May 21
The Wyandotte County Third Saturday Democratic Breakfast will meet this Saturday, May 21, at The Dotte Spot Bar and Grill, 8123 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan. The speakers will be State Rep. Valdenia Winn, D-32nd Dist., and State Rep. Stan Frownfelter, D-37th Dist. Rep. Winn also is a member of the Kansas City, Kan., Board of Education. The breakfast buffet will be available at 8:15 a.m. and the program begins at 9:15 a.m. All Democrats are invited to attend. The cost of the breakfast is $10, or $6 for students and those on limited incomes. Persons who attend are not required to purchase breakfast.

Legislative coffee scheduled May 21
A legislative coffee is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 21, at the Bonner Springs City Library, 201 N. Nettleton Ave., Bonner Springs. It is sponsored by the library, League of Women Voters and NAACP.

Motorcyclists to raise funds for injured officer
Motorcyclists will ride into Kansas City, Kan., on Saturday to raise funds for an injured police officer in a center here. Karen Jenkins, a Kansas City, Mo., motorcycle officer, is recovering at The Healthcare Resort of Kansas City, 8900 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan., from a Feb. 26 accident on her police-issued motorcycle. Activities director for The Healthcare Resort of Kansas City, Jenkins’ motorcycle club will start a run at Blue Springs Harley-Davidson and end at The Healthcare Resort of Kansas City. Some police officers are expected to participate. The public is invited to stop by the center around 1 p.m. Saturday to see the motorcycles and to contribute to the fundraiser.

Edwardsville cleanup scheduled May 21
Edwardsville has scheduled a city-wide cleanup on Saturday, May 21. The event will be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until all available containers have been filled. It will take place in the City Hall parking lot, 690 S. 4th St., Edwardsville. Those who participate in this cleanup must be residents of the city of Edwardsville and will be required to bring proof of residency, such as a utility bill or driver’s license, in order to unload their materials, a spokesman said. There will be nine 40-yard Deffenbaugh dumpsters available as well as a 40-yard container for scrap metal provided by Advantage Metals. City staff will be on hand to help participants unload items. Acceptable materials include: large applies such as refrigerators; scrap metal; electronic waste such as monitors and computers; bulky garbage such as mattresses; garbage normally accepted during trash pickup. Items that are not acceptable include paint, batteries, oil, flammable materials, explosive materials, tires, concrete, stone, dirt and asphalt shingles. Brush and yard waste may be taken to Deffenbaugh’s composting facility at 17955 Holliday Drive, Shawnee, Kan. Also, the Unified Government’s yard waste drop off site is open from now until November. Operating hours are Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. It is closed and holidays and weekends with holidays.

Real Salt Lake visits Sporting KC tonight
Sporting KC (5-6-2, 17 points) returns to Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan., again this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. to take on Real Salt Lake (5-3-2, 17 points) as part of MLS Rivalry Week. For ticket information, see Ticketmaster.com or by call 888-4KC-GOAL.

T-Bones to play AirHogs tonight in KCK
The T-Bones (2-0) and AirHogs (0-2) are scheduled to continue their four-game series at 7:05 Saturday night. Tickets are available by calling the Providence Medical Center Box Office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 913-328-5618.

Real Salt Lake visits Sporting KC Saturday

Sporting KC (5-6-2, 17 points) returns to Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan., again this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. to take on Real Salt Lake (5-3-2, 17 points) as part of MLS Rivalry Week.

The match will air on 38 The Spot and SKCTV with three hours of television coverage beginning at 7 p.m. Listeners can also follow the action on the radio in English or Spanish, with broadcasts on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.

Saturday’s contest is the second of three consecutive home games for Sporting KC, and a limited number of tickets for the rivalry matchup are still available on Ticketmaster.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL. The first 10,000 fans through the gates of Children’s Mercy Park will receive free cell phone wallets.

Both teams have spent the past few weeks hovering around the red line of the Western Conference standings and currently find themselves neck-and-neck with 17 points.

Sporting KC sits just below the line at seventh place, one spot below sixth place Real Salt Lake by virtue of goal difference. The teams aren’t only neck-in-neck in the standings, either. The all-time regular season series between the two clubs is tied at 8-8-5 with 26 goals scored apiece.

Saturday marks the second time Sporting KC and Real Salt Lake have gone head-to-head at Children’s Mercy Park this season.

The teams previously met on April 2 when Salt Lake ended Kansas City’s season-opening three-game win streak with a 2-1 result, RSL’s first win on KC soil since 2009. The match saw goals from Real Salt Lake’s Justen Glad and Luke Mulholland, putting manager Peter Vermes’ men down 2-0. A 94th-minute conversion on a penalty kick from Benny Feilhaber reduced the deficit, but ultimately Sporting KC was unable to equalize.

The rivalry reached a boiling point last season when the clubs met four times across all competitions. RSL had the upper hand during the regular season, winning twice at home and securing a 0-0 draw in Kansas City.

Sporting KC, however, won a dramatic U.S. Open Cup semifinal at Children’s Mercy Park, erasing an early deficit to win 3-1 before lifting the title a month later. The teams have also met in heated battles like the 2013 MLS Cup, when Sporting KC won the Cup on home soil after a thrilling 10-round penalty kick shootout.

Sporting KC remains without injured defender Kevin Ellis (groin), while fullback Seth Sinovic is questionable with a groin strain. Meanwhile, Real Salt Lake lists four players as questionable ahead of Saturday’s fixture: defenders Aaron Maund (hamstring), Phanuel Kavita (knee) and Boyd Okwuonu (concussion) and forward Emery Welshman (hip).

– Story from Sporting KC