T-Bones strong start too much for RedHawks

The T-Bones must love the scorching Kansas heat, because they bottled it up and took it with them to Fargo, North Dakota, where they came out on fire beating the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 6-4 Friday night at Newman Outdoor Field.

A hot first inning helped the T-Bones leave the RedHawks in the dust. Dylan Tice got things started out the gate with a single to left field off RedHawks starter Benji Waite.

Nick Torres joined the fun too and got on base with a hit by pitch. Zach Walters got the T-Bones on the board with an RBI single sending Tice home. Cal Towey batted next with a single to left field sending Torres home for the second run of the night.

Adrian Nieto’s RBI brought Walters home, but an error at third base allowed Towey to fly around third base and race home too giving the T-Bones a 4-0 lead. Brennan Metzger came out swinging for Fargo in the bottom of the first, hitting a homerun to cut the T-Bone lead 4-1 off Lucas Irvine.

In the top of the second, Keith Curcio singled to center field and was advanced by the next batter, Dylan Tice. Curcio then came home on an RBI single by Todd Cunningham, adding to Kansas City’s lead and making the score 5-1.

The T-Bones would go on to score another run in the fourth inning. Kansas City’s Adrian Nieto dropped a single out into right center field and hustled to second base after a wild throw. The next batter up, Dexter Kjerstad singled to left center and advanced Nieto home putting the T-Bones on top 6-1.

The RedHawks made things interesting in the bottom of the fourth with three quick runs. First-basemen Nick Torres tossed the ball to Lucas Irvine covering first base on a ground ball to the right side of the infield, but the ball slipped out of Irvine’s glove allowing Keury De La Cruz to reach first base on an error by Irvine.

Leobaldo Pina singled and was followed by Tommy Mendonca’s RBI single sending Cruz home, cutting the T-Bone lead 6-2. Tim Colwell hit a single that sent Pina home and Yhoxian Medina hit a sacrifice fly to center field sending Mendonca home and cutting the T-Bone lead 6-4.

The two clubs then locked into a pitchers dual with Reese Gregory tossing 5.2 scoreless innings for Fargo-Moorhead and Irvine able to get the T-Bones into the seventh with a two run lead. Irvine (2-0) was the winning pitcher for Kansas City, throwing seven innings, giving up eight hits and four runs (three earned) in a quality start.

The T-Bones then turned to lefties Francisco Gracesqui and Carlos Diaz. Gracesqui came in to pitch a scoreless eighth followed by Diaz who worked around a one out hit and a two out walk to pick up his second save.

Losing pitcher for Fargo was RHP Benji Waite (1-2), who went three innings, giving up 10 hits and six runs. Dylan Tice had a three-hit night for Kansas City and Dexter Kjerstad had a pair of hits as well to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. Kansas City is now (15-11) on the year while Fargo-Moorhead drops to (12-14).

The two teams meet again Saturday night for the second game in a three-game series, where Kansas City will be looking to continue its winning streak. The first pitch is 6:05 p.m. and is aired on http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/.

The Frank Mason III charity fundraiser is scheduled today for T-Bones Stadium, for more details, see http://fm3charitysoftballgame.com/.

For T-Bones ticket information, go to the T-Bones Stadium box office between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday-Friday or from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, or visit www.tbonesbaseball.com.
– Story from T-Bones

Saturday events

Democrats to meet for breakfast Saturday
State Reps. Tom Burroughs, D-33rd Dist., and Louis Ruiz, D-31st Dist., are guest speakers at the Wyandotte County Third Saturday Democratic Breakfast meeting on Saturday, June 16. Also speaking briefly will be Democratic candidates for the Wyandotte County District Court judge position. The meeting begins with a buffet at 8:15 a.m. and the program follows at 9 a.m. at Las Islas Marias, 7516 State Ave. The buffet cost is $10 per person, with a $6 charge for students and those on limited incomes. Those interested in attending are asked to make reservations by Friday, June 15, to scottmackey08@yahoo.com. While reservations are encouraged, they are not required. It is not necessary to purchase a breakfast to attend the program. Those who require special needs should mention it in the reservation.

Central Avenue market open June 16
La Placita Central Avenue market will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 16 at Bethany Park, North 12th and Central Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas. The event will include food vendors, music and activities. The market also is scheduled to be open June 30.

Orchestra to perform at library
The KCK Community Orchestra is scheduled to perform from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 16, at the auditorium of the West Wyandotte Library, 1737 N. 82nd St., Kansas City, Kansas. To register for the free concert, visit https://kckpl.librarymarket.com/kckcc-orchestra-performance.

KCK school board to hold listening tour June 16
The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education will hold a listening tour for the community, the district’s staff, parents and students from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 16, at the Central Office and Training Center, board room, 2010 N. 59th St., Kansas City, Kansas. According to a news release from the school district, the purpose of the listening tour is for the staff, parents, students and community to share what is important to them and their families regarding the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools. The school board members will have the chance to hear first-hand from patrons and the community, which will help them set board priorities in the future. Those attending also will have the opportunity to meet the school board.

Forum for Democratic governor candidates to be June 16
A forum for Democratic governor candidates will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 16, at Kansas City Kansas Community College, Jewell Building, upper level, 7250 State Ave. Doors will open at 1:30 p.m. The forum is sponsored by the KCKCC College Democrats and the Wyandotte County Democratic Party.

Frank Mason III’s benefit charity softball game planned Saturday
Former University of Kansas basketball standout Frank Mason III will be the host of a charity softball game to benefit Children’s Mercy Kansas City and the National Youth Foundation. Mason will be joined by KU head basketball coach Bill Self and a number of former Jayhawks and NBA players including Devonte Graham, Josh Jackson, and Sherron Collins as well Kansas City Chiefs Running Back Kareem Hunt. The game will be an interactive experience between players and attendees. Fans will be entertained by in-game promotions and giveaways all seven innings. Mason was the 2016-2017 Consensus National Player of the Year and currently plays for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA. Gates open to the public at 1 p.m. Saturday at T-Bones Stadium, with a home run derby at 2 p.m. and first pitch at 3 p.m. For updates and more information, visit www.tbonesbaseball.com/.

Hip-hop concert planned
A hip-hop concert is planned from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 16, at the South Branch Library, 3104 Strong Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. The concert will feature Milkdrop, Jay Alchemist and B Wize. For other library activities, see www.kckpl.org.

Sporting KC plays Dallas Saturday night in KCK
Two of the top teams in Major League Soccer lock horns Saturday in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 as Sporting Kansas City welcomes FC Dallas to Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kansas. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. and tickets for the match are available at SeatGeek.com. For more information, see https://wyandotteonline.com/sporting-kc-resumes-open-cup-title-defense-saturday-at-home-in-kck-against-dallas/.

If there is inclement weather, contact the sponsoring organization for an update on whether the event will be held.

Opinion: A tragic day in Wyandotte County

We will add our voice to the hundreds or thousands around our community who are very saddened at the death of a Wyandotte County sheriff’s deputy, Patrick Rohrer, and the critical wounding of another today.

We send our condolences to the families of the deputy who lost his life and the deputy who was injured. Words cannot express our sadness upon learning of this shooting. We hope the community will show its support for the deputies’ families now and in the future.

It is a mark of a civilized society to approach their problems in a nonviolent way. Violence is unnecessary, we believe, and more efforts are needed to help individuals find nonviolent solutions to problems. We deplore the glorification of violence by some. We hope there is a renewed effort by parents to teach the youth of our community, at a young age, nonviolent means of settling differences.

We would hope everyone would do a good deed this week in memory of Deputy Rohrer.