The Kansas City T-Bones opened the 2017 exhibition schedule in efficient fashion, scoring a run in each of the first three innings and then turning the offense on in a five run fifth to roll to a 15-1 win over the Lees Summit Monarchs Tuesday night at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas City, Kansas.
The T-Bones jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the home half of the first with Marcus Lemon driving in Omar Garcia with a bases-clearing triple off Monarchs starter David Collins. In the next inning, the T-Bones added another run with a solo homerun to left field from Daniel Rockett, and it was 2-0.
Omar Garcia singled off Fernando Esquivel to start the bottom of the third inning and stole second on the next pitch home. Marcus Lemon then singled to put runners at the corners for Donald Lutz. The former Cincinnati Red brought home Garcia with a sacrifice fly, and the score was 3-0.
Right hander Calvin Drummond got the start for Kansas City and worked two scoreless innings for the T-Bones, surrendering no hits and adding three strike outs. Rich Mascheri took over for Drummond in the third and worked a scoreless inning for Kansas City.
The Monarchs got a run back in the top of the fourth and were looking for more with the bases loaded, but T-Bones lefty Mascheri was able to retire Sherman Thomas Jr. on a fly out to shallow center to keep the game 3-1 Kansas City.
For the third time in the game, Omar Garcia reached on a single off of Monarchs reliever Jason Beeding to lead off the bottom of the fifth for Kansas City.
Marcus Lemon then followed with his third hit in three trips—a single to right to put runners at first and second for the T-Bones Kevin Keyes. Garcia and Lemon each moved up a base on a double steal on the first pitch home to Keyes. The Austin, Texas native then hit the next pitch out of the park over the mini monster in left for a three-run blast to make it 6-1 T-Bones.
Kansas City was not done in the fifth as they scored two more on a sac fly from Brett Wiley and another run on an error by the Monarchs, which gave the T-Bones a comfortable 8-1 advantage.
The bats would plate two more in the sixth and seventh and three more in the eighth to finish the night as 15-1 winners in a 19-hit barrage at the plate. Omar Garcia went 5-for 6, scoring five runs in the leadoff spot, while Marcus Lemon added four hits, going 4-for-6 and scoring two runs. Daniel Rockett had two doubles to go along with his homerun for Kansas City.
Chris Perry worked a scoreless fifth and sixth inning for Kansas City, giving up just one hit before being relieved by Anthony Usui in the seventh; Usui also kept the Monarchs off the scoreboard in his one inning of work. The Kansas City pen tossed an inning of scoreless relief from Aaron Brooks and Cody Winiarski to close out the game.
The Monarchs are the reigning National Adult Baseball Association World Series Champions and are managed by former T-Bones great Jon Krysa. The Missouri native pitched in a franchise-high 90 games from 2003 to 2007 and ranks second in all-time in wins with 30.
The T-Bones are scheduled to play the second game of the exhibition season Wednesday night at 7:05 at CommunityAmercia Ballpark against the American Association division rival Gary SouthShore RailCats. Tickets are available online or by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting in person the Providence Medical Center Box Office.
The T-Bones will open the 2017 regular season at home on May 19 against Lincoln.
– Story from T-Bones
