AMARILLO, Texas – Amarillo completed a doubleheader sweep over Kansas City with a 9-2 win Thursday afternoon.
The Sox won the first game 4-0 Wednesday night and were leading the second game 6-2 when play was suspended shortly after midnight because of the American Association’s curfew rule.
Leading 6-2 when play resumed Thursday afternoon, Amarillo’s Brandon Pinckney and former T-Bones first baseman Kyle Nichols each homered in a three-run sixth inning against Kansas City reliever Chris Squires.
After losing the first game 4-0, Kansas City jumped on Amarillo starter Kellen Moen early in the nightcap, when leadoff hitter Bryan Sabatella hit his second home run of the season on the third pitch he saw. After the Sox tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first, the T-Bones added another run in the top of the second when Robby Kuzdale singled in Nick Schwaner, who had doubled with one out.
That was Kansas City’s last lead of the doubleheader. Amarillo scored three more runs — two in the second and one in the fourth — against Derek Loera (0-1), who was making his first start for the T-Bones. The Sox scored two runs off Kansas City reliever Chris Squires in the fifth, which gave Amarillo a 6-2 lead, before the game was suspended shortly after midnight because of the league curfew rule.
Former T-Bones pitcher Kristhiam Linares pitched the last two innings on Thursday and picked up the win, his first since joining the Sox.
In the first game, Amarillo right-handed pitcher Derek Blacksher was looking for his first win and, unfortunately for the T-Bones’ offense, he got it Wednesday night in a 4-0 shutout for the Sox.
The T-Bones offense could muster only four total hits and six total baserunners against Blacksher (1-4), who went the distance with a 7-inning performance.
Kansas City starting pitcher Andy Noga (0-2) also pitched a complete game, but after giving up an RBI single to Nichols in the third, the Sox added three in the fourth. Noga allowed 10 hits and three earned runs through 6 innings.
Kansas City (18-21) and Amarillo (15-23) will conclude the four-game series tonight at 7:05. That game can be heard on 610 Sports in Kansas City or online at tbonesbaseball.com.
