The Kansas City T-Bones fought hard, but fell 8-6 to the Sioux City Explorers on a hot Monday night in Kansas City, Kansas. The T-Bones and Explorers lit up the score board combing for 14 runs, on 23 hits.
Barrett Astin (3-1) struggled, allowing eight earned runs on eleven hits in seven innings pitched for the T-Bones.
Nate Samson knocked a home run over the left field wall in the first inning to give the Explorers an early 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the first, Zach Walters hit an RBI single to center field to score Todd Cunningham from second base.
The T-Bones went on to take a 3-1 lead in the second after Keith Curcio snuck a 2-run home run over the right field wall.
In the third inning, a single by Louis Durango followed by a wild pitch put runners at the corners for the Explorers.
Back-to-back 6-3 put outs allowed two runs to score, tying the game 3-3. Sioux City struck again in the fifth inning. Three consecutive singles by Dylan Kelly, Louis Durango, and Michael Lang loaded the bases for Sioux City.
Samson hit a sharply hit single to right field that scored two runs. Jose Sermo hits into a fielder’s choice tacking on another run to extend the lead 6-3.
The T-Bones never backed down. In the home half of the fifth, Cunningham hit his second double of the night.
Nick Torres hit a single to put runners on first and third for Kansas City. Walters then drove in Cunningham from second after an RBI single up the middle. Cal Towey hit a double to right field that scored Torres and Walters to tie the game 6-6.
Two late runs in the 7th and 8th innings helped secure a tough win for the Explorers over the T-Bones. T-Bones went on to lose by a final of 8-6.
Barrett Astin (3-1) is credited with the loss tonight. Ryan Flores (2-0) is credited with the win tossing 2.2 scoreless innings.
The T-Bones fall to (12-10) on the season. Kansas City trails the (19-5) Explorers by six games in the South Division.
The T-Bones and Explorers continue their four-game series at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday, June 12. The action is aired on The T-Bones Broadcast Network, http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/.
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 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