SUNDAY: Kansas City and New Jersey combined for 55 runs in the first three games of their four-game series, so Sunday proved to be a change of pace as the Jackals won 4-2 behind a strong start by lefty Jon Kibler.
The T-Bones got only one hit off of Kibler, a crafty left-hander, through five innings. In the sixth, Kansas City put together three consecutive hits, chasing Kibler, who still picked up his first win of the season.
“We didn’t make adjustments offensively against (Kibler) soon enough,” said Kansas City manager Kenny Hook. “We didn’t make him work hard enough; we kept swinging early in the count. You have to approach a soft-throwing lefty differently. We didn’t put him on the ropes early enough. That was the difference in the game.”
The Jackals (3-1) scored a run in the first inning after the first three batters reached base against T-Bones starter Matt Mitchell (0-1). With the bases loaded, Francisco Caraballo grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Gaetano Giunta and giving New Jersey a 1-0 lead.
The Jackals added two more runs in the sixth and one in the seventh.
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New Jersey compiled 14 hits, including a four-hit night for Danny Santiesteban, who also had three runs batted in and scored two runs. The Jackals (2-1) scored in six of the nine innings.
The Jackals got on the board first with a two-run home run by Carlos Guzman in the second inning.
Later in the inning, Santiesteban drove in Jeff Lanning, giving New Jersey a 3-0 lead.
The T-Bones (1-2) answered with two runs in the bottom of the second, but the Jackals added two runs in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings.
Kansas City starter Devin Anderson (0-1) went four innings, giving up nine hits and seven runs (four earned).
Offensively, the T-Bones were paced by Lee Cruz, who homered, doubled and singled, drove in two runs and scored two.
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FRIDAY: Kala Ka’aihue blasted two home runs, helping to lead the Kansas City T-Bones to their first win of 2012, an 11-3 victory over the New Jersey Jackals at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
In the third inning, after New Jersey’s Matt Chico gave up a bases loaded walk to Brandon Jones that gave the T-Bones (1-1) their first lead of the night at 3-2, Ka’aihue lined a grand slam down the left-field line. Then, Ka’aihue led off the seventh with a moon shot to left field.
“KK is traditionally a slow starter,” said T-Bones manager Kenny Hook. “But when he gets going, he’s proven that he can hit multi-homer games. He definitely showed that tonight.”
The win is the first for new manager Kenny Hook and comes on the heels of Thursday night’s 17-7 loss to the Jackals.
“I’m relieved to get that first win,” Hook said, “but I’m most happy about the way we bounced back. We had better at-bats and we made (New Jersey) play defense.”
Pitcher Nick Singleton (1-0) picked up his first win for the T-Bones as he gave up four hits and two runs, and struck out seven in six innings.
Kansas City hit four singles and a double in the sixth inning before New Jersey recorded an out. As a result the T-Bones increased their lead to 10-2. Ka’aihue’s blast in the seventh inning stretched Kansas City’s advantage to nine runs.
