Category: T-Bones

by G.M. Vaughan

On a night when the T-Bones (56-41) were a bit shorthanded, owing to an injured Shawn O’Malley and an absent Stewart Ijames, the T-Bones stepped up to the plate needing the win against fellow division playoff contender, Sioux City (56-41).

The T-Bones’ Mason Davis provided the fire power in the eighth inning with a three-run home run.

Sioux City pitcher Carlos Sierra faced off against the T-Bones’ Dylan Baker in what seemed like a standoff for most of the game.

After five scoreless innings, Kyle Wren started the X’s with a single toward second, and he advanced to second on what could have been a costly error. On a pass ball by Stankiewicz, Wren advanced to third and then came home on a sacrifice fly by Samson, giving Sioux City a 1-0 lead in the sixth, but a double play ball kept the Sioux City offense from doing further damage.

Carlos Sierra held KC in check allowing just two hits in six scoreless frames.

The T-Bones’ hopes awakened in the bottom of the eighth after a hit-by-a-pitch by Nathan Gercken brought Austin Biggar to first base, and Dylan Tice followed with a base hit to left.

The Explorers brought in their closer, Matt Pobereyko, to try to get a four-out save.

With T-Bones on both first and second, Mason Davis brought the long ball, hitting a three-run homerun, giving Kansas City the 3-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth.

After Henry Owens walked Wren, the lead-off batter in the top of the ninth, Owens was quickly replaced by Carlos Diaz, who came in to close out the game for the T-Bones. Diaz was a strike-throwing machine striking out the next three batters, giving the T-Bones a much-needed win, 3-1.

With the win Friday night and Lincoln’s defeat over Cleburne, the T-Bones are now in a three-way tie for the lead in the South division.

The winning pitcher was Baker (4-5) for the T-Bones, and the losing pitcher was Matt Pobereyko (1-4) for the Explorers. Carlos Diaz earned his lucky 13th save.

The T-Bones will play at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at T-Bones Stadium in Kansas City, Kansas, for game two against Sioux City. The game is on the T-Bones Broadcast Network, http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/.

Tickets to all T-Bones home games 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 Dan Vaughan

Grand Prairie, Texas — If the Kansas City T-Bones (55-41) make it to the post-season, nights like Thursday in Texas could be the reason why.

Hobbled by injuries, missing key players, starters leaving the game because of injury, the T-Bones nevertheless got key hits with two outs, and clutch performances from the bullpen to fight off a tough challenge from the Texas AirHogs, 3-2.

In the top of the third the T-Bones got the bats going with a leadoff walk from Ramsey Romano and a single from Dylan Tice. After a pair of fly ball outs Daniel Nava gave the T-Bones a 1-0 lead with a two-out RBI single to center off Texas starter Travis Ballew. Mason Davis followed with another RBI single to score Tice and KC had a 2-0 lead.

The AirHogs answered in the home half of the third on two unearned runs off T-Bones starter left-handed pitcher T.J. House (2-0). From there the two teams locked up in a tie game as Ballew and House kept the game even into the sixth.

Ballew tossed five innings before leaving after the fifth scattering six hits. KC took the lead in the sixth, but the inning proved costly to an already depleted T-Bones lineup. Omar Carrizales singled to start the inning against Texas reliever Paul Perez. With two outs Tice had a double down the left field line to give the T-Bones the lead they never surrendered.

Shawn O’Malley tried to leg out an infield single and dove into the first base bag. He landed head first and stayed on the ground for several minutes holding his back, was helped up to his feet and left the game with an apparent back injury.

The T-Bones had to insert Casey Gillaspie into the lineup, who had been given the night off after hitting a ball off his foot the night before. The team was already without all-star catcher Roy Morales, on the inactive list and was missing Chris Colabello, who is with Team Italy in a series in Spain. Mason Davis was slowed with a banged-up leg as well and the T-Bones, who were already shorthanded, now faced another challenge.

Stewart Ijames came into play second and Tice moved to third with Romano going to short stop and Danny Mars going to right from left to make room for Gillaspie. Ijames played three games at second earlier this year with Texas before the Aug. 21 trade to Kansas City, but they were the only three games he had played at second in 612 career minor league games.

House worked 5.2 innings, holding the AirHogs to just three hits with nine strike outs.

The T-Bones pen held on after House left the game in the sixth. Hunter Smith was big for KC as he was brought in for House with runners at first and third and the T-Bones clinging to a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth.

Smith was able to get pinch hitter Yang Jin to line out to second for the third out of the inning, ending the threat for Texas. Smith worked a scoreless seventh before Robert Calvano worked a 1-2-3 eighth for Kansas City.

Carlos Diaz came in in the bottom of the ninth and after getting one out walked a batter, then retired the next two, including the final out on a strike out of Justin Byrd, to notch his 12th save. House (2-0) was the winner, while Perez (2-2) was tagged with the loss. The AirHogs are now 26-71 on the season.

The T-Bones remain very much alive in the playoff hunt. Thursday night Sioux City (56-40) beat Sioux Falls 8-1 and remained in first place in the American Association South Division, while Cleburne (56-40) also won 2-0 over Lincoln.

KC trails both clubs by one game with four to play, four of which are against Sioux City at JustBats Field at T-Bones Stadium starting Friday night.

The game will be on the T-Bones Broadcast Network, http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/. It will be the final home stand of the season with the first pitch at 7:05 p.m. Friday against Sioux City.

Tickets to all T-Bones home games 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 G.M. Vaughan

On a night when most T-Bones fans were not only cheering on their home team from the metro, they were also likely crossing their fingers for a Sioux Falls win over Sioux City and a Lincoln win over Cleburne to help their chances in the race for the wild-card spot in the playoffs.

Fans got their wish with a T-Bones win of 16-1, while Sioux Falls fell to Sioux City, and Cleburne lost at Lincoln. The T-Bones remain in the playoff race.

The first inning started favorably—with a stand-up double for Shawn O’Malley. Daniel Nava quickly followed suit, hitting another double, driving in Daniel Nava, and the T-Bones took an early lead in the first inning, 1-0.

The second inning proved to be trouble for AirHogs pitcher Cui Enting, who had allowed six hits and five runs by the end of the inning. Danny Mars and Carrizales both reached first on singles, and an RBI single by Ramsey Romano brought home Danny Mars, increasing the T-Bones lead to 2-0.

A Dylan Tice base hit drove in Carrizales, and the T-Bones were in business, 3-0, in the second. Shawn O’Malley added to the T-Bones total with his 40th RBI of the season, driving in Romano and making it 4-0—all KC.

Stewart Ijames followed with a single, the T-Bones’ 8th hit of the night off Enting, loading the bases. Enting walked Daniel Nava, which brought home Tice. Then a sacrifice fly long shot by Casey Gillaspie allowed O’Malley to score, and the T-Bones ended the inning with a 6-0 commanding lead.

The fourth inning looked much like the second, with hit after hit by the T-Bones. An infield single for Dylan Tice got KC on base in the fourth. O’Malley reached base on a fielder’s choice, and Stewart Ijames blasted a triple to right field, scoring Tice and making it 7-0.

A base hit by Nava that followed made it 8-0, KC. Gillaspie managed another hit, making the AirHogs bullpen get busy. But before Enting was removed, Correa hit a standup double that brought in Nava, giving KC a commanding lead, 9-0. A Danny Mars putout scored Gillaspie, and Corrizales advanced to first on another single, followed quickly by a single by Romano that scored both Correa and Corrizales, making the score 12-0, and prompting the exit of Enting and the entrance of Jia Hong on the mound for the AirHogs.

Perrin walked the leadoff batter, Justin Byrd, raising the hopes of the AirHogs as Li Ning, who was 2-for-2 for the night, reached base. Junpeng also reached first on a fielder’s choice, giving life to the AirHogs offense. Na Chuang had an RBI single that scored Justin Byrd, making the score 12-1, KC.

Perrin walked Li Ning to start the bottom of the sixth. Trevor Simms reached base next after hitting a single—the third AirHogs hit of the night.

Na Chuang sliced a ball to the corner that looked foul, but it was called fair, resulting in a stand-up double that scored Li Ning and Simms, making the score 12-3, KC; however, in an unusual move, the umpires reversed the call, returning the AirHogs to base and keeping the score 12-1.

Singles by Tice, O’Malley, Ijames, and Nava led to a 23-hit total night by the seventh inning, bringing the score to 13-1. Austin Biggar earned his first professional RBI on a hit-by-a-pitch by Jia Hong and a walk for Corrizales brought home Ijames, making it 15-1.

The final run of the night was scored by former AirHogs player Stewart Ijames who hit a home run, his fifth hit of the night, making the final score 16-1, Kansas City.

The winning pitcher was Perrin (7-1), and the losing pitcher was Enting, (0-2).

The T-Bones will look to sweep the series at 7:05 p.m. Thursday night as the two teams face off in the final matchup of the year at AirHogs stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas. Pitching for the T-Bones will be T.J. House (7-9) who will face Travis Ballew (1-11) for the AirHogs. The game will be on the T-Bones Broadcast Network, http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/.

The T-Bones remain very much alive in the playoff hunt. Wednesday night Sioux City (55-40) beat Sioux Falls 9-1 and pulled into a first-place tie with Cleburne (55-40) who lost 9-8 in 12 innings at Lincoln. KC trails both clubs by one game with five to play, four of which are against Sioux City at T-Bones Stadium starting Friday night.

The T-Bones return for the final home stand of the season at JustBats Field at T-Bones Stadium Friday night at 7:05 p.m. against Sioux City. Tickets to all T-Bones home games 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