by Alex Dean
The T-Bones (8-11) struggles continued Thursday afternoon as they were unable to force a series split against the Milwaukee Milkmen (10-11), dropping the final game 5-3 in Kokomo, Indiana.
Despite having more hits than Milwaukee on the day, the T-Bones were unable to capitalize on them as they left a total of 12 runners on base.
The T-Bones got off to a good start, striking first on an RBI single by Shawn O’Malley that brought home Darnell Sweeney in the top of the third. However, they were unable to hold that lead, as Teodoro Martinez answered with a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning.
The Milkmen added one run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to take a 4-1 lead.
A rally in the eighth by Kansas City, where Roy Morales and Ramsey Romano both drove in a run, proved to be too little too late, as the Milkmen added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth and Myles Smith (6 saves) shut the door in the ninth.
The main bright spot for the T-Bones came from spot starter Kevin Hamann (0-0, 6.00 ERA), who hurled 3.2 innings of one-run ball after finding out he would be starting just hours before game time. After that, it was a group effort to get the T-Bones to the finish line, with Jackson Lowery, Nick Lee and Robert Calvano each coming in relief for KC.
The T-Bones couldn’t do much against Milwaukee starter Zac Westcott (1-2, 6.00 ERA), who threw five innings of one-run ball and picked up his first win of the season. Both teams struggled with giving up walks. However, Milwaukee was able to escape damage for the most part.
Frustrations reached a boiling point for the T-Bones in the bottom of the sixth, as a balk called on Lee led to both Joe Calfapietra and Marc Magliaro being ejected after arguing the call. The Milkmen scored two runs in the inning.
The T-Bones will come home for a three-game home stand against the Chicago Dogs (12-6) before heading back out on the road.
The T-Bones Broadcast Network, http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/, will provide coverage, with the first pitch at 7:05 p.m. Friday night in Super Hero night. The pre-game will feature a performance by the Falcon Skydiving Team.
Full and half-season 2019 ticket packages as well as mini plans are on sale online or by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting the Saint Luke’s Box Office between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Group ticket sales are also on sale. For more information, visit www.tbonesbaseball.com.
- Story from T-Bones