The Kansas City T-Bones started slow, but stormed back to take out the Sioux Falls Canaries 9-5 to sweep the three game series on Thursday.
After trailing by three runs in the first, the T-Bones offense erupted for 15 hits and nine runs. Noah Perio Jr. was the catalyst for Kansas City, going three for four with four RBIs on the night.
With one out, Mason Davis advanced to first on a single and later reached second due to a pitching error. Todd Cunningham hit a fly out to center field that helped advance Davis to third.
With two outs, John Straka sailed a pitcher to the backstop allowing Davis to charge home from third to score the first run of the game. Kansas City took a one-run lead to the bottom half of the first.
The Canaries bounced back in a big way, scoring four first-inning runs of their own. Mike Hart and Jabari Henry started the four-run inning with a pair of singles to put runners at first and second with one out.
Chris Grayson put Sioux Falls on the board slicing an RBI single scoring Hart and advancing Henry to second. A wild pitch to Jordan Dean send Henry to third and Grayson to second, putting both runners in scoring position. Dean kept the line moving for the Canaries, hitting another single, allowing Henry and Grayson to score. Dean later went on to score on a 6-3 out, putting the Canaries up 4-1 after an exciting first inning.
Back-to-back walks by Cunningham and Colin Walsh started the scoring threat for Kansas City in the third inning. Perio knocked a single to load the bases for Alay Lago with no outs. Lago sliced a single that scored Cunningham from third, cutting into the Canaries lead at 4-2.
In the top of the fifth, Cunningham hit a single to start an explosive inning. Colin Walsh hit a double to put runners on second and third to put Kansas City in scoring position. Perio Jr. hit a single for the third consecutive hit, scoring Cunningham and sending Walsh to third. With two runners on, Keith Curcio crushes a bases clearing home run to take the lead from the Canaries, 6-4.
Sioux Falls was able to manufacture a run in the bottom of the fifth. Jordan Smith hit a single to advance to first. He stole second and reached third on an error by the catcher. Smith scored on a sacrifice fly by Mitch Glasser to put the Canaries within a run of Kansas City.
Crucial walks by Sioux Falls in the eighth helped the T-Bones run away with the game. Dylan Tice reached first on a walk, but was later put out after Davis hit into a 4-6-3 double play. Back-to-back walks to Cunningham and Walsh set up Perio Jr for a three-run home run to extend the lead to 9-4 heading into the ninth.
The Canaries fought hard, scoring a late inning run, but were taken out by the T-Bones by a final score of 9-5.
Despite a rough first inning, Barret Astin (8-3) settled down and is credited with his team-best eighth win on the season. Astin pitched six innings allowing five runs on seven hits. John Straka (1-4) pitched four and two-thirds innings allowing six runs, five earned on 12 hits. Straka is credited as the losing pitcher.
After the win, Kansas City wins their third straight game improving to 46-23 on the season. The T-Bones sit firmly in second place in the South Division, 6.5 games behind the league’s best Sioux City Explorers (53-17). The Canaries lost their eighth straight game and fell to 26-43 on the season. Sioux Falls is in last place in the North Division, 14.5 games back of the first place Gary SouthShore RailCats (40-28).
The T-Bones completed the series sweep of the Canaries and headed to St. Paul for a three-game series with the third place Saints at 7:05 p.m. Friday at CHS Field.
The game can be heard on the T-Bones Broadcast Network on MixLR at http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/.
Season, group, mini-plans and nightly party suites are on sale and can be purchased by visiting the box office at T-Bones Stadium. Call the box office at 913-328-5618 or purchase and print at 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