Month: July 2017
T-Bones outlast Sioux City, 8-5
The Kansas City T-Bones outlasted the Sioux City Explorers 10-8 Friday night at Mercy Field at Lewis and Clark Park in Sioux City, Iowa.
The T-Bones raced to a 5-0 lead early, scoring two in the second inning on a two-run home run from Leo Rojas off X’s starter Kurt Heyer and by scoring three more runs in the third.
Omar Garcia singled, Marcus Lemon walked, and they both moved up on a double steal. Kevin Keyes then drove in Garcia with a ground ball to first for the first out of the inning to give Kansas City a 3-0 lead.
Joe Jackson and Kyle Petty were each hit by pitches to load the bases. Chantz Mack then drove in the fourth run with an RBI single, scoring Lemon from third. Jordan Edgerton then hit a sacrifice fly to right to make it 5-0 Kansas City.
Sioux City came right back and scored four off T-Bones starter Chris Perry in the bottom of the third. With one out
Tony Campana singled and Nate Samson drew a walk to put runners at first and second. Jayce Ray flied out to right for the second out in the inning. With Joe Benni at the plate, the two runners pulled off a double steal. T-Bones catcher Leo Rojas made a low throw to third that allowed Campana to score as the throw went down the left field line. Perry then dealt a wild pitch home to score Samson, making the score 5-2.
Sioux City then loaded the bases for Dylan Kelly, who drove in two more to cut the lead to 5-4.
The T-Bones extended their lead in each of the next three innings. Joe Jackson delivered an RBI single in the fourth off Bubby Rossman and Omar Garcia added another run with an RBI single in the fifth to make it 7-4 Kansas City.
Kansas City then made it 9-4 with a balk from Ryan Flores of Sioux City and a throwing error by catcher Johnathan Gonzalez. Sioux City then followed to cut the lead again with a three-run home run from Jayce Ray, and the game was 9-7 into the seventh.
The T-Bones turned to Luis Paula in the seventh. He tossed a 1-2-3 scoreless inning, and then Rich Mascheri followed with a scoreless eighth for Kansas City.
The T-Bones got an insurance run in the top of the ninth. After loading the bases, Sioux City catcher Johnathan Gonzalez made an errant throw back to the pitcher following a pitch to allow a run to score to give the T-Bones a 10-7 advantage.
The X’s scored one off Cody Winiarski in the bottom of the ninth, but it was not enough, and the righty-hander was able to notch his eighth save in eight tries.
The two teams play game two of a three game series Saturday night at Lewis and Clark Park in Iowa. Right-hander Scott Carroll will take the ball for Kansas City, while Alex White, a fellow right hander, will get the start for Sioux City.
Game time is 7:05 p.m. and the game can be heard online at tbonesbaseball.com or on the T-Bones MixLR channel.
The T-Bones return home Monday, July 3, to face Sioux Falls in the first game of a three-game series and a seven-game homestand.
Tickets are available online, by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting in person the Providence Medical Center Box Office.
– Story from the T-Bones
Sporting KC plays Portland tonight in KCK
Sporting Kansas City (8-4-6, 1st place) kick off a three-game homestand on Saturday when the club plays host to the Portland Timber (7-7-4, 3rd place) at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM. A limited number of tickets for the marquee Western Conference clash are available on SeatGeek.com.
Sporting KC enters the match on the back of a six-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, going 4-0-2 in June.
Portland has suffered three losses in its last four games, including a 2-1 defeat against rival Seattle Sounders FC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup fourth round.
Last Saturday, Sporting KC snapped its six-game road winless skid at LA Galaxy to take all three points, with first-half goals from Roger Espinoza and Ike Opara enough to earn a 2-1 victory at StubHub Center.
Peter Vermes’ men stayed hot in Houston on Wednesday in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16, securing a 2-0 victory over the Dynamo thanks to goals from Opara and Gerso.
Sporting KC is 6-0-2 at home this season, although its six-game winning streak at Children’s Mercy Park was snapped in a 1-1 draw against the Montreal Impact on June 10. Sporting KC is still unbeaten in 17 straight regular season home games since June 2016, a club record.
Goalkeeper Tim Melia leads the league with nine clean sheets, while midfielder Ilie is the most prolific passer in MLS. Opara, a center back, has also been dangerous in attack with four goals in the past six games. Gerso has a team-best six MLS goals, all at home.
Under the guidance of head coach Caleb Porter, the Timbers occupy third place heading into week 18 of the MLS season. Portland played twice last week, falling to a 3-2 road defeat against Minnesota United FC on June 21 before battling Seattle to a 2-2 tie in the Cascadian rivalry match at Providence Park in Portland.
The Timbers owe their good position to positive results at home (5-1-3), but the team has experienced difficulties on the road (2-6-1). Midfielder Diego Valeri and striker Fanendo Adi have both scored nine goals this season and will be highly monitored by the Sporting KC defense.
Sporting KC are 6-2-3 all-time against the Timbers, including a 1-0 win this season at Providence Park that saw Dom Dwyer enter the scoresheet. Vermes’ men have posted shutouts in six of their last seven regular season meetings with Portland, including two straight clean sheets at Children’s Mercy Park.
Sporting KC will be forced to cope with numerous absences on Saturday. Striker Dom Dwyer and defenders Graham Zusi and Matt Besler will be playing with the U.S. Men’s National Team in preparation for the CONCACAF Gold cup.
Midfielder Benny Feilhaber remains the only name on Sporting Kansas City’s injury report as of Friday. He is questionable with a lower leg injury, sustained in a reckless challenge from LA Galaxy’s Nathan Smith in last Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Californians.
Portland will be without multiple players, as well. Costa Rican David Guzman and Jamaican duo Darren Mattocks and Alvas Powell have joined their national teams for the Gold Cup, while Jack Barmby (calf), Liam Ridgewell (quad), Amobi Okugo (knee) and Diego Chara (hamstring) are out injured. U.S. international midfielder Darlington Nagbe is questionable with a hamstring strain.
– Story from Sporting KC