The Kansas City T-Bones outlasted the Sioux Falls Canaries 8-7 in 11 innings Saturday night at Sioux Falls Stadium in South Dakota.
A wild night with 22 strike outs, three ejections, a blown save and four home runs helped the T-Bones scratch out a go-ahead run in the 11th.
Marcus Lemon, who celebrated his 29th birthday Saturday, delivered an infield single with the bases loaded to break the 7-7 deadlock in the 11th off Sioux Falls left-hander Josh Ferrell (1-2).
The T-Bones took the lead, 1-0, in the second on an unearned run off an error by Sioux Falls. The Canaries took their first lead of the series with a pair in the bottom of the second to make the score 2-1. Burt Reynolds hit his first of two homers of the game an inning later off T-Bones starter Scott Carroll to make the score 3-1.
But Kansas City answered in the fourth, getting one run back on a double from Joe Jackson, and then they took the lead in the fifth on a grand slam home run off the bat of Zach Walters and a solo shot from Chase McDonald to make it 7-3.
The Canaries chipped away with a run in the fifth on another Reynolds home run and a pair in the eighth to make it 7-5 in the ninth.
The T-Bones turned to Grant Sides who struck out the first man he faced in Ty Morrison. Morrison was tossed from the game for Sioux Falls, but the Canaries loaded the bases on three straight walks and then got back-to-back bases loaded walks by Black Schmit and Aaron Gretz to tie the game 7-7.
Sides was relieved by Rich Mascheri (2-0) who got the final out of the inning. The left-hander went on to work 2 1/3 scoreless innings with four strike outs to earn the win.
The T-Bones got a season-high 17 strike outs from the pitching staff, with 13 coming in the first nine innings. Kamakani Usui struck out the side in the seventh, and for the second night in a row, the T-Bones pen achieved that feat.
The T-Bones 10-game road trip wraps up Sunday afternoon at 4:05 p.m. with the final game of the three-game series at Sioux Falls.
Kansas City will turn to right-hander Calvin Drummond (0-0, 2.63) to face left-hander Joe Bircher (1-2, 4.33). The game can be heard on the T-Bones Broadcast Network online at tbonesbaseball.com.
The T-Bones return home Monday, June 5, to play host to Wichita in the first game of a three-game series. Tickets are available online, by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting in person the Providence Medical Center Box Office.
– Story from T-Bones