On a breezy Saturday evening, the Kansas City T-Bones were unable to sweep the series against the St. Paul Saints in front of 6,106 fans at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, with a final score of 8-3.
After two scoreless innings, the Saints’ Breland Almadova hit an RBI single scoring Jon Kristofferson off starting T-Bones’ pitcher, Gabe Perez (2-1), giving them a 1-0 lead in the third.
The T-Bones didn’t have an answer in the bottom of the third and the Saints just kept on rolling in the fourth.
Tony Thomas hit a two-run homer, scoring Anthony Gallas, to push the lead 3-0. Maxx Garrett followed up two batters later with a solo home run. Tanner Vavra hit a single to left field, later scoring off of another single to left field from Almadova making the score 5-0.
The T-Bones finally kicked into gear in the home half of the fourth, with a single from designated hitter Kevin Keyes followed by a two-run home run from Zach Walters. Chantz Mack then hit an RBI single to score Joe Jackson, cutting the lead to 5-3.
A double RBI from St. Paul’s Danny Oh scored Vavra in the top of sixth off KC’s Myles Smith (0-2), before scoring himself following an error on T-Bones’ shortstop Eddie Newton. A single from Anthony Gallas scored Almadova, making the final score 8-3.
The T-Bones struggled to overcome the lead after falling behind so early. John Straka (3-2) secured the win for St. Paul, while Gabe Perez recorded his first loss of the season for Kansas City.
“We fell behind. Then we struggled back, scored three, [St. Paul] got five, then when we went to the bullpen we gave up another three. So, we were playing catch up the whole time. We were doing too much, prevented us from getting back in the game,” manager Joe Calfapietra said.
No games are scheduled Sunday for the T-Bones. The T-Bones will travel to Wichita for their second road trip of the season. They will return to CommunityAmerica Ballpark on June 16 for a three-game series against Salina to kick off a 10-game homestand.
Tickets to 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