For the second consecutive night, Kansas City and Laredo went extra innings, but Tuesday night it was the Lemurs beating the T-Bones, 14-11, in 11 innings at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas City, Kan.
A night after Kansas City scored two runs in the bottom of the 12th and won 10-9, Tuesday night’s game included another wild finish.
In the top of the 11th, using the league’s international tiebreaker rule, which puts a runner at second base, Abel Nieves went to third on a single by Kevin Taylor and then broke the 9-9 tie on a double by Denis Phipps.
Two batters later, with the bases loaded and Kansas City’s infield drawn in, J.D. Pulfer grounded a ball to second baseman Brent Peterson, who threw home for what appeared to be a force at the plate for the first out. Instead, Taylor was called safe as the home plate umpire said catcher Brian Erie came off the plate on the throw. Laredo added three more runs by the end of the inning, for a 14-9 lead.
The T-Bones threatened in the bottom of the 11th, with the bases loaded after Laredo pitcher Luis De La Cruz hit back-to-back batters, Vladimir Frias and Robby Kuzdale. Pinch-hitter Jacob Hayes and Nate Tenbrink each walked with the bases loaded, but the T-Bones couldn’t find the timely hit to get any closer.
The game looked promising early for Kansas City, when the T-Bones got on the board first with a six-run, 11-batter second inning.
Adam Bailey led off the inning with a double and then scored on an RBI single by Kyle Robinson. Frias and Kuzdale each followed with singles before Peterson roped a two-run single that scored both runners.
After Starlin Rodriguez reached on a fielder’s choice, Tenbrink knocked in Peterson. The final run of the inning, Rodriguez, scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Bailey. That 6-0 lead wasn’t safe.
The Lemurs came right back in the top of the third and scored three runs, thanks largely to lead-off singles by Juan Silverio and Phil Pohl, and Ty Morrison being hit by a Bobby Doran pitch.
The next three batters, Nieves, Taylor and Phipps then each scored Silverio, Pohl and Morrison, cutting Kansas City’s lead in half.
The T-Bones extended their lead in the fourth. Rodriguez reached on an error and then scored on a triple by Tenbrink. After Jake Blackwood walked, Bailey hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored Tenbrink, and gave Kansas City an 8-3 lead.
Laredo added a run in the fifth on a solo home run by Nieves, and then tied the game with a four-run seventh inning, highlighted by an RBI double Phipps and a two-run single by Travis Denker.
For the second consecutive game, Tenbrink ended the night with three hits — two singles and a triple, along with three RBIs and a run scored.
The T-Bones (49-44) and Lemurs (53-42) are scheduled to play game three Wednesday night at 7:05. Tickets are available by calling the box office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 913-328-5618 or online at tbonesbaseball.com.
– Story from T-Bones