The Kansas City T-Bones set an early season high in runs scored, home runs and extra base hits as they doubled up the St. Paul Saints Friday night at CHS Field in St. Paul, 10-5.
Kevin Keyes was the headline act as he drove in six runs with a pair of long balls for Kansas City. Keyes launched his first in the top of the first to give the T-Bones a lead off Saints starter John Straka (1-1).
St. Paul answered with two runs of their own off T-Bones starter Gabe Perez (1-0), including a Danny Oh solo home run, but Perez settled down and went 5 â…“ innings, scattering eight hits and adding eight strikeouts to get the win.
The T-Bones added to their lead in the fourth to make it 4-3 on an RBI from Joe Jackson, but it was another pair of three-run innings that provided the knockout punch to the Saints. Newly acquired T-Bones second baseman Zach Walters led off the top of the fifth with a solo blast, hitting the right field foul pole off Straka. Eddie Newton and Leo Rojas added an RBI each on a sacrifice fly by Newton and a single for Rojas to make the score 7-3.
St. Paul added a single run in the sixth, seventh and eighth, but the T-Bones were not done. Keyes hit his second homer of the game in the top of the eighth—another three-run effort off Corey Williams, and the final score was 10-5 for Kansas City, ending a five-game losing streak.
The series continues at 7:05 p.m. Saturday night in St. Paul with game two of the three game series and game two of the current 10 game road trip. Right-hander Chris Perry goes for Kansas City against fellow right-hander Jason Creasy for St. Paul. The game can be heard on the T-Bones Broadcast Network online at tbonesbaseball.com.
Tickets to future home games are available online, by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting in person the Providence Medical Center Box Office.
– Story from T-Bones