KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Matt Padgett has come up big for Kansas City all season. No play has been bigger, though, than his three-run walk-off home run against Laredo on Tuesday night, giving the T-Bones a 9-7 win and a split of the doubleheader.
After Laredo beat Kansas City 10-4 in the first game, the T-Bones were facing the possibility of being swept, trailing 7-5 in the bottom of the last inning (seventh). After Anthony Davis walked and Kennard Jones reached on an error, Jairo Perez singled, which scored Davis. That brought up Padgett.
“You can’t say enough about [Padgett] and how clutch he’s been for us all year,” said T-Bones manager Kenny Hook. “That was a much-needed home run. It doesn’t surprise me, but we haven’t had a walk-off all year and that’s the type of thing that can give us some momentum.”
Kansas City took a 3-2 lead in the first inning, thanks in part to a home run by Perez, who now has 16. Kyle Nichols added his sixth on the season.
Rick Zagone made his first start for Kansas City and gave up six runs on nine hits. He didn’t get the decision. Chad Robinson, who came in relief of Sean Toler in the seventh, got his first win of the season with Kansas City.
In the first game, the Lemurs took advantage of two-out opportunities and beat Kansas City 10-4. Laredo scored nine of its runs and got nine of its 14 hits with two outs. The big blow came in the sixth, when the Lemurs scored six. T-Bones starter Dustin Loggins, who gave up four runs and nine hits, took the loss.
Padgett, Perez and Felix Molina each had two hits for Kansas City. (The T-Bones had eight in the contest.) Perez led the way with a two-for-three night that included three RBIs and one run scored. Both of his hits were doubles.
Kansas City and Laredo continue their four-game series on Wednesday afternoon at noon. Tickets are available by calling the Providence Medical Center Box Office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 913-328-5618 or at tbonesbaseball.com.
