On Sunday, the Kansas City T-Bones (41-30) were six outs away from securing a big series split on the current 10-game road trip. Lincoln had other ideas as the first place Saltdogs (46-25) scored two runs in the eighth to steal a 4-3 win over Kansas City at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Jeff Walters entered the game in the bottom of the eighth on a hot streak, having not allowed an earned run since he returned from the inactive list on July 13, a span of 10 appearances and 9 2/3 innings pitched. Walters retired the first batter he faced but then gave up singles to Nathanial Maggio and Brandon Jacobs to set Lincoln up for the comeback.
A wild pitch moved the runners up to second and third, forcing the T-Bones to walk pinch hitter Tommy Mendonca on a 3-0 count. Randolph Oduber then delivered the go-ahead RBI single to score two and give Lincoln the 4-3 lead.
The T-Bones rallied in the ninth, getting a leadoff walk from Leo Rojas off closer Michael Wagner. With two outs, Chantz Mack singled to put runners at first and second, but Mack was picked off first base on a pitch that bounced in to Marcus Lemon by catcher Dashenko Ricardo of Lincoln for the final out of the game.
Most of the afternoon the T-Bones had the upper hand. Lincoln scored a pair of runs, one of them unearned, off Matt Sergey with a pair of errors by Kansas City, but the right hander buckled down and tossed six strong innings, getting a quality start with five strike outs.
Kansas City erased the 2-0 lead in the fifth off Shairon Martis the starter for Lincoln. Jordan Edgerton singled with one out and then moved to third on a single from Chantz Mack. A sacrifice fly scored Edgerton from third to cut the lead to 2-1.
The T-Bones then got back-to-back singles from Kevin Keyes and Cedric Hunter to take the lead at 3-2 after five. Meanwhile Sergey retired the last seven he faced, giving way to Grant Sides, who worked a 1-2-3 seventh. Jeff Walters (1-3) was charged with the loss while J.R. Bunda (7-0) got the relief win, and Wagner notched his league-leading 15th save.
The T-Bones fell five games behind the Saltdogs for the division lead but still hold a share of the lead in the wild card race in the American Association. The T-Bones are now 3-4 on the 10-game road trip, moving on to Fargo Monday night.
The game is set for 7:02 p.m. and can be heard online on the T-Bones Broadcast Network with the pregame starting at 6:45 p.m.
Tickets for home games are available online, by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting in person the Providence Medical Center Box Office.
– Story from T-Bones