Category: T-Bones

by Sophie Darting

In a game that was a battle of the bullpens and featured a combined 18 runs, the Kansas City T-Bones came back and were able to hold on to their lead as they defeated the Cleburne Railroaders, 10-8, Tuesday in the first game of a three-game series in Texas.

The T-Bones sent right-hander Henry Owens (0-0) to the mound to make his 2019 Kansas City T-Bones debut after being signed earlier in the day.

Kansas City (10-13) jumped on Cleburne’s starter, Nefi Ogando (0-2) in the top of the third inning. A pair of back-to-back singles by Roy Morales and Ryan Brett came around to score when Ramsey Romano continued his tear at the plate and launched his third home run of the year. Romano’s three-run homer was a no-doubter and put the T-Bones up, 3-0.

The T-Bones continued their offensive attack in the top of the fourth inning. Nava took a leadoff walk and after a Casey Gillaspie single, Kansas City had two on with nobody out. Roy Morales stepped up to the plated and roped a two-run double to give the T-Bones a 5-0 lead.

Owens labored to get through the bottom of the fourth inning, and the Railroaders (12-12) were quick to respond. After a walk to start the inning, John Nester launched a home run to decrease the T-Bones’ lead to three runs, 5-2.

After a pair of walks and a defensive error by the T-Bones, Cleburne had the bases loaded with nobody out. A wild pitch allowed one run to come home, and the other two runners were able to advance to second and third. An RBI-groundout by K.C. Huth brought another run home. With two outs, the Railroaders were able to tie the ballgame off a suicide squeeze that the T-Bones misplayed.

The defensive miscues continued when the go-ahead run came around to score for Cleburne. After there was some miscommunication in the outfield by Sweeney, Brett, and Mars and a ball dropped, Nick Rotola scored the sixth run of the inning for the Railroaders as they took a 6-5 lead.

Following the high-offensive numbers put up in the fourth inning, both teams went to their bullpens to try to keep the other at bay.

Following the Railroaders’ six-spot in the bottom of the fourth inning, things looked bleak for the T-Bones, as they watched their 5-0 lead quickly turn into a 6-5 deficit. However, Kansas City responded loudly with a two-run inning in the top of the fifth.

Danny Mars led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a groundout. Mars proceeded to steal third and was about to score on a pitcher error. After Darnell Sweeney walked, he was able to advance on that same pitcher’s error and scored on a Daniel Nava putout to give the T-Bones a 7-6 lead.

Kansas City put up another high-scoring inning in the top of the sixth inning. Christian Correa led off the inning with a walk and a single by Brett gave the T-Bones two men on with no outs. Mars stepped up to the plate and drove in two runs in Ramsey Romano and Correa with a double to extend their lead to 9-6.

The T-Bones weren’t finished with the inning. After Dylan Tice got on with a walk, he and Mars converted a successful double steal and Mars was able to score when Sweeney lined a base hit to left to make it a 10-6 T-Bones lead.

Cleburne was able to get a pair of runs back in the bottom of the eighth inning after Robert Calvano came in to pitch in relief. After the Railroaders got runners on second and third with only one out, a pinch hit single up the middle by Kenny Meimerstorf scored both runners in Hunter Clanin and Grant Buck to make it a 10-8 ballgame.

The Railroaders made some noise in the bottom of the ninth when they got the tying run on base, but the Kansas City bullpen buckled down, giving the T-Bones the victory.

The T-Bones will play game two against the Railroaders on Wednesday, June 12, at 7:05 p.m. The game can be heard on the T-Bones Broadcast Network, http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/

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.

• Story from T-Bones

by Sophie Darting

The Kansas City T-Bones were unable to take advantage when they had runners on base and ended up falling, 5-2, to the Chicago Dogs in the series finale and last game of the homestand on Sunday afternoon in Kansas City, Kansas.

During the rubber match of the series, both the Kansas City T-Bones and the Chicago Dogs sent an ace to the mound in Tommy Collier (1-3) and Luke Westphal (4-0). It certainly showed throughout the first four innings. It was a pitcher’s duel; both starters were dealing, matching each other pitch for pitch, and inning for inning, until the fifth inning.

The T-Bones (9-13) faced a tall task in the southpaw on the mound for the Dogs (14-7), as Westphal had a league-leading 0.00 ERA, with 31 strikeouts and had yet to give up a run in 23.2 innings pitched this season. The T-Bones quickly changed that.

After getting men on base but being unable to convert them into runs in the previous innings, Kansas City finally had some success in the bottom of the fifth inning.

After Chicago broke up the scoreless pitchers’ duel in the top of the fifth when they scored a run off an RBI-single by Keon Barnum, Kansas City answered in the bottom of the frame.

Ryan Brett roped a one-out double to right field and was able to tag and advance to third on a fly ball by Ramsey Romano. Danny Mars stepped up to the plate with a runner on third and two outs, and he delivered, as he also doubled and scored Brett to tie the ballgame in the bottom of the fifth.

Collier had been pitching well throughout the contest and was able to get himself out of any jams that he faced, stranding Dogs on base in almost every inning. However, Chicago finally got to him in the top of the sixth inning, knocking in three runs with the help of run production from the bottom of the order.

An RBI single by Harrison Smith, an RBI double by Rey Gonzalez, and another RBI single, this time by David Olmedo-Barrera, gave Chicago a 4-1 lead and ended Collier’s day on the mound.

Chicago added another run in the top of the eighth off a pair of back-to-back doubles by Gonzalez and Olmedo-Barrera to increase their lead to 5-1.

Dylan Tice gave the T-Bones life again in the bottom of the eighth inning when he launched his first home run as a T-Bone to make it a 5-2 ballgame.

The Dogs scored again in the ninth inning, extending the lead to 6-2, and the T-Bones ultimately fell, as they were unable to mount a comeback against the Dogs’ bullpen.

The T-Bones will have an off-day on Monday and then hit the road on Tuesday, June 11, to face the Cleburne Railroaders and then the Texas Airhogs in a six-game road trip. The games will be on the T-Bones Broadcast Network, http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/.

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.

• Story from T-Bones

by Gabby Albertson

This was a game to remember for the Kansas City T-Bones as they continued their series with the Chicago Dogs Saturday, June 8. They came out ready to fight, hoping to redeem themselves after several losses, and they succeeded, beating the Dogs 6-5.

The Chicago Dogs made it on the board first in the first inning with a double RBI by Trey Vavra, sending home Jordan Dean to make the score 1-0.

Kansas City fought back in the second inning, getting on the board, 1-1, tying the game with a fielder’s choice by Roy Morale and allowing Shawn O’Malley to advance to home.

However, the Dogs took the lead 3-1, in the top of the third with a home run by Keon Barnum, which also let Vavra run home too. On a sacrifice fly to right field by Daniel Nava that got him out, Darnell Sweeney ran home to advance the T-Bone’s score 2-3 in the bottom of the third.

Soon after, Chicago advanced their lead to 4-2 in the top of the sixth on a fielder’s choice that allowed Carlos Zambrano to advance to first and for Tony Rosselli to run home.

The T-Bones, however, had a surprise for the Dogs with Christian Correa hitting a single in the bottom of the sixth that allowed Casey Gillaspie to score, making it 3-4. Then they took the lead, 5-4, from Chicago when Ramsey Romano hits a single, allowing both O’Malley and Correa to run home.

Luckily, for the T-Bones, Romano was on a seven-game hitting streak. Then, as the T-Bones furthered their lead even more in the sixth inning, Dylan Tice hit a triple RBI that got Romano to home, making it 6-4.

Later, the Chicago Dogs tried to redeem themselves with a walk by Victor Roache that let Jordan Dean score, making it 5-6, but they did not succeed.

Kansas City did what they didbest, taking a bite out of the Dogs. They will continue their series with Chicago Sunday, June 9, to get another win. Game time is 1:05 p.m. for a Sunday. The game can be heard on the T-Bones Broadcast Network, http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/.

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.

• Story from T-Bones