Four errors allowed Sioux City to beat the T-Bones, 7-6, in 10 innings Monday night in Sioux City, Iowa.
The Kansas City T-Bones (6-4) got their second straight quality start and pounded out 13 hits, but four errors did the club in at Mercy Field at Lewis and Clark Park.
The cruel ending to what was once a promising night came in the 10th when a misplayed infield pop up by the T-Bones allowed the winning run to race home for the 7-6 winner. It was one of two cruel innings in the game.
Carlos Diaz came into the game for Kansas City and got the first batter he faced. Then a single from Luis Durango and a stolen base put the winning run on second. Michael Land then struck out for the second out of the inning.
It looked like the game might go to the 11th when Jay Austin grounded to first, but first baseman Nick Torres dropped the ball and then threw late to Diaz covering first. Then the T-Bones looked like they might dodge that error when Nate Samson popped up a ball between the mound and the plate.
Torres and Jordan Edgerton both reached up for the ball, collided and the ball hit off the glove of Edgerton and fell to the ground as Durango scored for the win.
The game began with Kansas City taking the lead 1-0 with a sacrifice fly from Angel Rosa in the top of the fourth.
But then came the craziness of the home half of the fourth. Lucas Irvine got the first out of the inning but issued a walk to Michael Lang. Jay Austin singled to put runners at first and second.
Nate Samson delivered an RBI single to score the first run in the form of Lang. The throw from right toward third allowed Samson to try to go to second. The throw to second base by Edgerton went to right field allowing Jay Austin to score for a 2-1 lead.
Keith Curcio then threw toward third to try to get the runner, but he sent it into the dugout and sent Samson home for a 3-1 lead.
After the X’s increased their lead to 4-1 in the bottom the fifth Kansas City came back to tie the game in the sixth. Kansas City hit three straight singles to load the bases. A fourth single from Adrian Nieto brought one run home to make it 4-2. Angel Rosa then walked to make the score 4-3 with the bases juiced.
The T-Bones’ Johnny Davis tied the game with an RBI single off starter James Dykstra. After a quiet bottom of the inning for Sioux City the teams went to the seventh even at four apiece.
Kansas City took the lead back in the seventh and added a run in the eighth. Adrian Nieto drove in his second run of the game with his third hit of the night in the seventh and an inning later Nick Torres drove in Zach Walter who singled to start the inning off Parker Markel to give Kansas City back the lead at 6-4.
Yet Sioux City did not go away. Sam Street worked a 1-2-3 seventh and retired the first batter of the eighth and looked to retire Michael Lang on a strike out but the call went the other way on an apparent borderline pitch. Lang then singled on the next pitch and Jay Austin would hit a two-run home run down the left field line to tie the game at six.
The T-Bones got a runner on in the ninth with one out but could not cash in and Sioux City went in order in the bottom of the ninth. That sent the game to extra innings. Kansas City went 1-2-3 as Patrick Shuster struck out the final two.
That set up the bottom of the 10th that saw the X’s walk it off with the T-Bones’ fourth error of the game. The four errors led to three unearned runs for Kansas City pitching. Lucas Irvine went six innings for the T-Bones scattering five hits and giving up four runs only two that were earned with a walk and strike out.
Kansas City had its five-game winning streak snapped dropping to 6-4 while Sioux City sent their record to a league best 9-2.
Carlos Diaz (0-1) was charged with the loss while Schuster (1-0) picked up the win. Kansas City will continue the seven-game road trip Tuesday night with game two of the four game series.
The game can be heard online on the T-Bones Broadcast Network with the first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. in Sioux City.
Season, group, mini-plans and nightly party suites are on sale and can be purchased by visiting the box office at T-Bones Stadium. Call the box office at 913-328-5618 or purchase and print at 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.
– Story from T-Bones