By ASHLEY DUNKAK, TBonesbaseball.com
It took 10 innings, but Newark prevented a sweep by Kansas City when an RBI single from Juan Martinez broke the 1-1 stalemate and gave the Bears a 2-1 victory, their only win of the three-game series at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Wednesday.
Newark took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when leadoff hitter Alex Bardeguez tripled and then scored on a ground out.
Bears starter Mike Ness held the T-Bones scoreless through five innings, but the Kansas City drought ended in the bottom of the sixth when Trevor Coleman led off with a home run, tying the game 1-1.
After surrendering one run in the first inning, T-Bones right-hander Josh Rainwater shut out the Bears for the remainder of regulation, striking out five batters while allowing eight hits and no walks in nine innings of solid pitching.
The stalemate continued until Martinez singled in Billy Alvino in the tenth inning, giving the Bears a 2-1 lead that the T-Bones could not overcome.
“We just left too many guys on base,” said manager Kenny Hook. “And we need to score more than one run.”
Prior to this week, Kansas City had not won more than a single game in any home series this season. While they won a home series for the first time in 2012, they have yet to secure their first sweep.
The T-Bones have Thursday off before leaving Friday morning for a three-game series in Wichita. The game can be heard live on the KMBZ Business Channel (1660 AM) or at tbonesbaseball.com.
