T-Bones trio blasts Cleburne, 10-4

The names Torres, Cunningham and Adkins sound like the name of a fancy high-dollar law firm, and on Monday night at Cleburne, Texas, the trio help lay down the law in 10-4 win for the Kansas City T-Bones over the Cleburne Railroaders at the Depot.

Hunter Adkins (4-2) picked up his fourth win of the season as he tossed seven strong innings, allowing two earned runs on only four hits. It was the second night in a row for the T-Bones where the starter went seven-plus innings, allowing only two earned runs.

Dylan Mouzakes (1-5), the starter for Cleburne, went six strong innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits.

The Railroaders and T-Bones were held scoreless until the top of the fourth inning where the T-Bones’ Nick Torres doubled as Colin Walsh scored. Taylor Featherston then hit his fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot over the left field wall.

Cleburne answered in the bottom of the fifth as K.C. Huth launched a solo home run off Adkins for his first of the season. Railroaders answered again in the bottom of the sixth as Cam Monger doubled to cut the T-Bones’ lead to one.

Kansas City knocked out Mouzakes after six and opened the floodgates off Cleburne’s bullpen, scoring three in the top of the seventh.

The inning started with a walk to Adrien Nieto; then Keith Curcio singled to put runners on first and second. A wild pitch advanced the runners before Dexter Kjerstad loaded the bases with a walk.

The next batter, Dylan Tice, walked to score a run. Then Todd Cunningham hit a bases-loaded double to score two more, making the score 6-2.

Nick Lee pitched one inning, allowing one run for Kansas City as Levi Scott blasted his eighth home run of the season for the Railroaders, 6-3.

Kansas City added some insurance runs in the ninth inning as Todd Cunningham singled for his third RBI of the night, scoring Keith Curcio. Two batters later, Nick Torres crushed a three-run shot in the ninth for his fifth of the season.

Cleburne scored one run in the ninth as well, but that was it for them as they fell to the T-Bones 10-4.

The T-Bones have now won two in a row as they take the series opener. Todd Cunningham and Nick Torres combined to go 4-10, driving in six runs. The T-Bones will look to win their third game in a row Tuesday against the Railroaders and first pitch will be at 7:06 p.m. in Cleburne, Texas.

Individual tickets, season, group, mini-plans and nightly party suites are on sale and can be purchased by visiting the box office at T-Bones Stadium or www.tbonesbaseball.com. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

The T-Bones’ games are airing on the T-Bones Broadcast Network, http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/.

– Story from T-Bones

T-Bones end three-game slide with 5-2 win

Starting pitcher Tommy Collier (5-3) led the Kansas City T-Bones (34-20) past the St. Paul Saints (31-24) to avoid a four-game sweep in Kansas City on Sunday afternoon at T-Bones Stadium.

Collier pitched eight innings giving up two runs on five hits and striking out a season-high 10 batters. The T-Bones tallied up five runs on eight hits to outlast the often-resilient Saints with a final score of 5-2.

The T-Bones wasted no time, jumping out to an early 1-0 lead on the Saints after a two-out solo home run by Colin Walsh.

Kansas City kept its foot on the gas in the third inning, starting with a lead-off walk by Tucker Pennell. After Dylan Tice hit into a fielder’s choice Pennell was out at second, leaving Tice at first.

Walsh forced a walk to put runners on first and second for Nick Torres, who hit a ground-rule double, scoring Tice. Noah Perio Jr. continues to have an impact on this ball club, hitting an RBI double that allowed Walsh and Torres to score. The T-Bones took a 4-0 lead into the fourth inning.

The T-Bones’ four-run lead took a hit in the sixth inning, stemming from a one-out single down the third base line by Max Murphy.

The next at bat, Kyle Barrett struck a well-hit ball to right field that sent Murphy to third to put runners at the corners. Burt Reynolds quickly struck out for out number two, putting the pressure on Brady Shoemaker to deliver for St. Paul. On the third pitch of the at bat, Shoemaker crushed a double to left field, scoring Murphy from third and a hustling Barrett from first. The Saints cut into the T-Bones lead 4-2.

In the bottom of the sixth, Perio Jr. started off the inning with a single to left field. One batter later, Keith Curcio mimicked Perio Jr. hitting another single to left field to put runners on first and third.

The T-Bones tacked on another run thanks to a Dexter Kjerstad fielder’s choice that allowed Perio Jr. to score. Kansas City extended its lead to 5-2 over St. Paul.

Collier and Kevin Hill secured the win for the T-Bones pitching scoreless seventh, eighth, and ninth frames. Kansas City went on to win by a final score of 5-2. Collier was credited as the winning pitcher. Kevin Hill was credited with the save.

The T-Bones broke a three-game slide against the Saints. Kansas City improves to 34-20 on the season and regains sole possession of second place in the South Division with a half-game lead over the Wichita Wingnuts.

St. Paul drops to 31-24 on the season, hanging on to a half -game lead for first place in the North Division over the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks.

The T-Bones hit the road for a three-game series against the Cleburne RailRoaders starting Monday, July 16, at 7:05 p.m.

Individual tickets, season, group, mini-plans and nightly party suites are on sale and can be purchased by visiting the box office at T-Bones Stadium or www.tbonesbaseball.com. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

The T-Bones’ games are airing on the T-Bones Broadcast Network, http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/.

– Story from T-Bones

Seven-run inning for St. Paul seals loss for T-Bones

In just one inning, the Kansas City T-Bones gave up a five-run lead and the St. Paul Saints came away with a 10-8 win at T-Bones Stadium in Kansas City, Kansas.

The loss is the third straight for the T-Bones, who remain in second place in the league with a 33-20 season record.

Like Friday evening, the Saints gained an early-game lead. In the first inning, Kyle Barrett reached base on a fielder’s choice, then Burt Reynolds, the third batter up for St. Paul, smacked a two-run home run over the left-center field fence into the St. Paul bullpen.

The hit, off T-Bones starting pitcher Barrett Astin (6-2, 5.27), was Reynolds’ 13th RBI of the season and gave the Saints a 2-0 lead.

But the lead didn’t last long as the T-Bones answered back with speed in the bottom of the first.

Starting pitcher Ryan Zimmerman (1-1, 4.69) walked the lead-off batter Dylan Tice.

His walk was quickly followed by a shot deep down the right field line by Todd Cunningham, who leads the league with a .384 average.

That hit allowed Tice to score from first, and as Cunningham was racing toward third the relay man overthrew third, allowing him to come home and even the game 2-2.

In the bottom of the second, Kansas City increased their assault on St. Paul with a huge five-run inning.

Mason Davis was hit by a pitch, followed by a right field single by Tice which sent the speedy Davis to third. With one out and runners at the corners, Cunningham lined to right center, sending Davis home.

The hit was the 23rd RBI for Cunningham this season. With Tice at third, an RBI sacrifice fly to left field by Colin Walsh made the score 4-2.

Then, Nick Torres hit a towering two-run home run into the Saints’ bullpen, making the score 6-2 Kansas City.

Noah Perio Jr. walked and was followed by an Adrian Nieto double to the warning track just outside the St. Paul bullpen, which sent Perio home and made the score 7-2.

However, it was a painful fourth for the Kansas City as St. Paul came back to score seven runs off starting pitcher Barrett Astin, who had retired seven of the last eight prior to that inning.

It started with a walk to Reynolds, who then advanced to second on a wild pitch to Brady Shoemaker. Back-to-back walks put Shoemaker on first.

With no outs, Astin, with his third straight walk of the inning, put former T-Bone Zach Walters on first to load the bases.

Dante Bichette Jr. then singled to left field despite a diving attempt by center fielder Cunningham, allowing Reynolds to score.

Astin went on to walk Nathaniel Maggio, which brought home Shoemaker for the sixth Saints run of the game. Zach Walters scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Anthony Phillips, making the score 7-5.

Max Murphy then singled to left field to once again load the bases, followed by a Kyle Barrett single up the middle that scored two runs and tied the score. Burt Reynolds lined into left center to score yet another run and give St. Paul the lead 8-7.

Brady Shoemaker, the 11th batter of the inning, hit a ground-rule double to right field to score Barrett and make the score 9-7.

With two outs in the fourth, recent T-Bones addition Ian Hardman came in for relief. And a relief it was as Hardman struck out Walters to finally put an end to the inning.

Marcus Crescentini came in the top of the eighth, giving up a double to St. Paul’s Barrett, who was then driven home with an RBI single by Shoemaker, making the score 10-7.

The T-Bones loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth as Keith Curcio reached on a fielder’s choice, Dexter Kjerstad singled and Mason Davis lined a single to left to keep the line moving.

With one out, a sacrifice fly to left by Tice scored Curcio, bringing the T-Bones a step closer to re-gaining the lead, with the score 10-8. But Kansas City left two on base going into the ninth.

The T-Bones weren’t able to gain any more traction and St. Paul defeated the Kansas City with a final score of 10-8.

Kansas City wraps up a four-game series with St. Paul on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

Individual tickets, season, group, mini-plans and nightly party suites are on sale and can be purchased by visiting the box office at T-Bones Stadium or www.tbonesbaseball.com. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

The T-Bones’ games are airing on the T-Bones Broadcast Network, http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/.

– Story from T-Bones