By BRIAN BRUCE, Tbonesbaseball.com
GARY, Ind.- Bubby Williams blasted two home runs – a two-run shot to left-center in the fifth and a towering three-run shot to left-center in the sixth – and accounted for five runs as Kansas City erased an early deficit and won the series finale against the Gary SouthShore RailCats, 7-2, on Thursday night at the U.S. Steel Yard.
Down 1-0 in the top of the fifth, Williams, a Blue Springs, Mo., native, smashed a line drive round-tripper off of RailCats starter Morgan Coombs (2-4), giving Kansas City its first lead at 2-1. Jose Duran added a sacrifice fly later in the frame, which increased the T-Bones’ lead to 3-1.
Gary got one run back on an RBI single by Mike Massaro in the bottom of the fifth that made the score 3-2, and set the stage for Williams’ nightcap in the sixth.
With two on and two out, the former Astros farmhand Williams crushed a towering drive well over the left-center field wall, pushing the T-Bones out to a 6-2 lead. The four-run cushion would be more than enough for starter Shaun Garceau and Kansas City’s bullpen.
Following a 1 hour, 23 minute rain delay after the top of the first inning, Garceau (4-0) worked six innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits, while striking out six. His ERA bumped up a notch, but remains sparkling at 1.67 in four starts.
Kansas City turned to the bullpen for the final three frames, as Drew Bailey, Dan Kickham and Jake Wiley pitched scoreless seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, respectively. The T-Bones tacked on the final run with a Ray Sadler RBI single in the top of the ninth.
KC, now 22-18 on the season, travels to Lincoln, Neb., to begin a four-game set against the SaltDogs on Friday night at Haymarket Park. Staff ace Josh Rainwater (3-2; 3.23 ERA) is scheduled to start for the T-Bones. Catch the play-by-play call on the KMBZ Business Channel 1660 AM and online at www.tbonesbaseball.com.
