T-Bones win; Zagone remains undefeated

After a shaky first inning, starting pitcher Rick Zagone led the T-Bones to a 7-6 victory against the Laredo Lemurs on Sunday night at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas City, Kan.

Zagone pitched 6 1/3 innings, surrendering seven hits and giving up five earned runs. He walked no batters and struck out four. Zagone improves his record to 4-0 for the season.

Laredo sent seven batters to the plate in the first inning, scoring three runs on RBI doubles by Travis Denker and Gerardo Avila. Zagone then retired 15 Lemur batters in a row.

Danny Richar led the T-Bones offensively, going 3 for 4 with a two-run home run, an RBI single and a stolen base. The homer was his second of the season.

David Espinosa added to the T-Bones scoring with a two-RBI triple in the third inning. He also scored two runs on the day.

Darrell Hudson and Brian Erie also chipped in with one RBI apiece.

Laredo attempted a comeback, scoring two runs in the seventh. One was on a sacrifice fly by Josh Scheffert and the other on an RBI single by Nick Van Stratten.

With the win, the T-Bones (12-12) take the series against Laredo two games to one. The team resumes action on Tuesday night in Wichita. The T-Bones return home on June 17 with a three-game series against Sioux City. Tickets are available by calling the Providence Medical Center Box Office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 913-328-5618.
– Story from T-Bones

Grand Prix of Kansas proves exciting in KCK

Racing action Saturday from the road course at Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan. The No. 00 Chevy Camaro was driven by Ashley McCalmont and Bob Michaelian. (Fan photo)

Road racing fans weren’t disappointed at Kansas Speedway Saturday night with great racing for the second consecutive year on Kansas Speedway’s infield road course in Kansas City, Kan.

A familiar name to NASCAR fans visited Victory Lane as Colin Braun and his co-driver Jon Bennett of CORE autosport won the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Prototype Challenge Series race.

“We rolled off the truck good, made a few changes and we had a good car from there,” Braun said. “This win is a testament to the team.”

For Bennett, it was a surreal weekend as he watched his son graduate and capped the weekend off with a win.

Kris Wilson and James Davison with TRG-AMR won the Grand Sport (GS) class of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, giving Aston Martin its first win in the series.

“I knew it was important for me to not make any mistakes and I’m just really pleased we got this win,” Davison said.

Chad Gilsinger and Michael Valiante with HART Racing won the Street Tuner (ST) class of the series.

Tony Bullock with ONE Motorsports won the Cooper Tire Prototype Lites race #1 by just over one tenth of a second. Mikhail Goikhberg with JDC Motorsports won race #2 in the Prototype Lites Series.

Tickets are currently on sale for the Oct. 3 ARCA Racing Series at Kansas Speedway presented by Menards, the Oct. 4 Kansas Lottery 300 (NASCAR Nationwide Series) and the Oct. 5 Hollywood Casino 400, the fourth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Tickets can be purchased by calling 866-460-RACE (7223) or by logging onto www.kansasspeedway.com.

– Story from Kansas Speedway

Racing action Saturday from the road course at Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan. The 01 Camaro, left, was driven by Eric Curran and Lawson Aschenbach. (Fan photo)

Racing action Saturday from the road course at Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan. (Fan photo)

Giarraputo’s blast lifts T-Bones

Nick Giarraputo’s first home run of his T-Bones career couldn’t have come at a better time. It was the final run in a three-run fourth inning that helped propel Kansas City to a 5-3 win over Laredo in front of 5,922 Saturday night at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

Laredo struck first with a familiar weapon, the long ball. In the bottom of the second, John Alonso launched a solo home run off Kansas City starter Pat Doyle (2-2).

Trailing 1-0 and looking for their first hit of the game, the T-Bones got to Laredo starter Josh Strawn in the fourth inning. Danny Richar led off the inning with a triple and was brought home as Nick Schwaner flew out to center. Vladimir Frias then reached second on a throwing error by shortstop Devin Goodwin. Two pitches later — a steal and then a wild pitch — Frias scored. That’s when Giarraputo roped a solo shot over the mini-monster in left that gave Kansas City a 3-1 lead.

David Espinosa tacked on an insurance run in the fifth with a two-out triple to deep center, and was advanced home on throwing error to third by Travis Denker.

Doyle allowed just six hits off three runs and struck out five. Kris Regas notched his fifth save with a scoreless ninth. Giarraputo went two for three and scored two runs.

With the win, the T-Bones are now 11-12. They conclude game a three-game series with Laredo Sunday afternoon at 5:05. Tickets are available by calling the Providence Medical Center Box Office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 913-328-5618.

Box score: http://www.pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscoretext.html?gameid=177760