By MATT FULKS, tbonesbaseball.com
SUNDAY: Former T-Bones infielder Devin Goodwin homered as rain cut Laredo’s 6-2 win over Kansas City short Sunday at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
The T-Bones took the early lead, however, just two batters into the game. Bryan Sabatella led off the Kansas City first with a walk, and came around to score on a double by Jonny Kaplan, who was signed by the club Saturday. Nick Schwaner would single later in the inning, scoring Kaplan and giving Kansas City an early 2-0 lead.
Leading 2-1, Kansas City starting pitcher Mike Nannini (0-2) worked his way around base runners in the third and fourth, but finally surrendered the lead in the fifth. Harrison Kain singled and Nick Van Stratten was hit by a pitch beginning the inning, setting the stage for a Goodwin three-run home run over the left field wall. Dennis Phipps followed two batters later with a homer of his own, extending the Laredo advantage to 5-2.
The Lemurs tacked on another run in the seventh. Van Stratten led off the inning with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a poor throw by catcher Brian Erie. Goodwin then lifted a fly ball to centerfield, allowing Van Stratten to tag and score, pushing the Laredo advantage to 6-2.
Laredo starting pitcher Cesar Carrillo settled down considerably after a rocky first inning, allowing only three hits and no runs over the game’s next five innings. Caleb Graham tossed a scoreless seventh for the Lemurs before the clouds rolled in and the game entered a delay. After 30 minutes, the game was called and ruled final after seven innings of play. Carrillo (3-3) picked up his third win for Laredo.
With the loss, Kansas City falls to 17-19, while Laredo moves to 19-16. The T-Bones embark on a four-game road trip to Amarillo before returning home on June 27 to face off against the Gary SouthShore RailCats at 7:05. Tickets are available by calling the Providence Medical Center Box Office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 913-328-5618.
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SATURDAY: Laredo’s offense and Kansas City’s four errors were too much for the T-Bones to overcome, as the Lemurs won 7-3 Saturday night in front of a crowd of 7,058 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
Laredo got to T-Bones starter Daniel Barone (4-1), who gave up seven hits, six runs (two earned) and three strikeouts in 7 innings. However, the Lemurs knocked two home runs against Barone, on by J.P Ramirez and one by Nick Van Stratten.
Travis Denker and Devin Goodwin added RBI singles for Laredo. The RBI was Denker’s league-leading 39th of the year.
David Espinosa had a productive night at the plate for Kansas City, going 2-for-5 with a double, a triple and a run scored. The triple was his team-leading sixth of the season.
The T-Bones’ RBIs came from a single by Nick Schwaner. Jonny Kaplan, making his T-Bones debut, chipped in two RBI groundouts. Darrell Hudson was 3-for-4 with a double.
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FRIDAY: Byron Wiley had a career night for the T-Bones, falling a double short of the cycle in an 8-5 Kansas City win over Laredo in front of 5,564 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Friday night.
Wiley hit a three-run home run in the fourth and tied the game, and then an RBI triple in the sixth that gave Kansas City the lead, and they would never look back.
Things started poorly for the T-Bones, however, as the Lemurs and their high-powered offense got off to a quick start against Kansas City starter Rick Zagone, who struggled in his previous start, last weekend at Laredo. With one out in the second inning, Gerardo Avila singled and Angel Flores walked before Josh Scheffert shot a single up the middle, scoring Avila. Nick Van Stratten later singled in the inning, scoring Flores and pushing the Laredo advantage to 2-0. Travis Denker tacked on another run in the third, blasting his league-leading 13th home run over the left field wall.
Kansas City finally got to Laredo starter Tyler Pearson in the fourth, when David Espinosa led off the inning with a single and Danny Richar walked. Wiley then tied the game with one swing, knocking a 3-1 pitch over the left field wall for his third home run of the season.
Wiley was back at it in the sixth, shooting an RBI triple to right field that scored Richar, who opened the inning with a walk. Wiley then came home on a wild pitch by Seth Lintz, who had come on in relief of Pearson. Brian Erie appeared to hit into an inning-ending double play following a walk by T.J. Mittelstaedt and a Vladimir Frias single, but the relay throw skipped by first baseman John Alonso’s glove and allowed Mittelstaedt to come around and score, extending Kansas City’s lead to 6-3.
Both clubs would score two more runs apiece, but Kansas City was able to come away with the victory. Zagone picked up his fifth win of the season for Kansas City, tossing six strong innings. Pearson took the loss for Laredo (4-3). Kris Regas picked up his seventh save.
