In front of a rowdy Thursday crowd, the Kansas City T-Bones fought hard but fell just short of the Lincoln SaltDogs, 8-5.
A controversial call at the plate and some high-wire act defense provided plenty of late-inning drama as the T-Bones failed to complete the series sweep, falling to 8-1 against Lincoln on the season.
With two outs in the first inning, the T-Bones rallied to score the first run of the game, taking an early 1-0 lead. Todd Cunningham sliced a double for the first hit of the game to put a runner in scoring position for Kansas City. Cunningham advanced to third on a wild pitch to Colin Walsh and later scored off of a RBI double by Noah Perio Jr.
In the top of the third, the SaltDogs’ Angel Reyes launched a home run that tied the game at one a piece. Lincoln, the league leader in home runs, showed their power in the fourth inning when Brandon Jacobs and Dan Johnson hit back-to-back home runs to give the SaltDogs a 3-1 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, Kansas City surged back into the game. It started with a walk by Walsh to put a runner at first base. Alay Lago followed Walsh with a single to put runners on first and second with one out.
With Dexter Kjerstad up to bat, the T-Bones took a risk and pulled off a double steal to put two runners in scoring position. After a strike out by Kjerstad, Keith Curcio ripped a single that scored Walsh and Lago to tie the game at three.
A wild top of the eighth inning allowed the SaltDogs to regain the lead after scoring one run. After a walk by Christian Ibarra, Jacobs hit a ball to the shortstop, but it was mishandled, allowing both runners to advance to second and third. Johnson hit a RBI single that scored Ibarra from third for an unearned run to give Lincoln a 4-3 lead heading to the bottom of the eighth.
Mason Davis hit his fourth home run of the season, tying the game at four heading into the ninth inning.
A gut-wrenching mistake haunted the T-Bones in the 11th inning, when the Randolph Oduber reached first on a dropped third strike. Oduber would later score off a stand-up double from Dashenko Richardo. The SaltDogs took a 5-4 lead heading into the bottom of the 11th.
When the T-Bones looked to be finished, they just kept the line moving. Walsh started the inning with a double to start the scoring threat. Perio Jr. followed with a single to score Walsh, tying the game at five.
With one out, the T-Bones found themselves with the bases loaded and in prime position for a walk-off win. Tucker Pennell hit a dribbler to the center fielder who was playing up as an extra infielder on the left side, resulting in a 8-2-3 inning-ending double play. Kansas City tied the game at 5 after 11 innings.
In the top of the 12th, a controversial call at the plate put the SaltDogs in position to steal a game in Kansas City. Ivan Marin raced for home after a sacrifice fly by Johnson. Marin appeared to be tagged out before the runner tagged home, but he was called safe. Lincoln tacked on two more insurance runs to stun the T-Bones 8-5 in extras.
Lucas Irvine (4-2) pitched well after his stint on the disabled list, pitching six innings, allowing seven hits and three runs. Despite his gutsy performance, Irvine wasn’t credited as the winning pitcher.
Pasquale Mazzoccoli (2-1) is credited with the loss, throwing one inning, allowing one hit, three walks and three earned runs. Jake Hohensee (1-2) is credited as the winning pitcher tossing one inning, only allowing one hit.
The T-Bones fall to 41-22 on the season, ending a four-game winning streak. Kansas City still holds a three-game lead over the Wichita Wingnuts for second place in the South Division. Lincoln improves to 31-31 and sits firmly in fourth place in the South Division.
The T-Bones continue their home stand in Kansas City at 7:05 p.m. Friday, July 27, when the Chicago Dogs make the trip to T-Bones Stadium.
The game can be heard on the T-Bones Broadcast Network on MixLR at http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/.
Individual tickets, season, group, mini-plans and nightly party suites are on sale and can be purchased by visiting the box office at T-Bones Stadium, calling the box office at 913-328-5618, or www.tbonesbaseball.com. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
– Story from T-Bones