Kansas City T-Bones Look Like Filet Mignon in 10-2 Drubbing of Saints
Not many teams have been able to make the St. Paul Saints look bad over the last two seasons, but the Kansas City T-Bones looked like they may have come up with the perfect remedy. Four home runs, four stolen bases, and three Saints errors led to 10-runs as the T-Bones downed the home team by eight runs.
This looked like it would be an impressive pitchers’ duel through the first three innings as Saints starter Jeff Shields and T-Bones hurler Johnny Shuttlesworth both looked particularly impressive early on. Shields allowed two lone singles through the first third of the game, as did Shuttlesworth.
In the top of the fourth, the Kansas City T-Bones got on the board without getting a hit. Vladimir Frias led off the inning by reaching base on an error. He then stole second and third. On the play at third, Saints’ catcher Tony Caldwell’s throw was more toward the hole and the ball skirted into left field. Frias came home and it was 1-0 Kansas City.
In the fifth, the T-Bones would blow the game open. Christian Torres was hit by a pitch to start the frame and moved to second on a sacrifice. A wild pitch moved him to third, before Brett Wiley walked. Frias then grounded a ball to short on what looked like it could have been a double-play, but a misplay by the shortstop allowed him to reach and Torres to score. A sacrifice fly scored Wiley and moved Frias to second. He would then steal third, his third steal of the game, and scored when Anthony Gallas singled. That brought Tyler Massey to the plate, who promptly ripped a two-run homer over the right field wall. His first of the year. That made the score 6-0.
In the top of the sixth the T-Bones would extend their lead. Steve Swingle was the first batter of the inning and he crushed a Shields offering over the left field fence to make it 7-0.
The Saints responded in the bottom half of the inning, scoring two. Angelo Songco doubled with one out and scored when Nate Hanson followed with a single. A base hit by Tony Thomas moved Hanson to second and he scored when Tony Caldwell doubled off the wall in right. The inning looked like it might be a huge one for the Saints, but Thomas rounded too far off third and the relay picked him off to end the threat. That made the score 6-2 and, more importantly, it was the last time the team would threaten.
Kansas City would add three more runs onto the scoreboard with runs in the eighth and ninth. Anthony Gallas homered in the eighth, his third of the season, and Frias added his first home run on the top of the ninth. Tyler Massey added an RBI double as well.
Both Gallas and Massey had three hits apiece. Frias scored three runs and Massey drove in three. Shuttlesworth moved to 1-1 on the season. Shields fell to 1-1.
These two teams will go at it again tomorrow night. John Straka (1-0, 6.75) goes for the St. Paul Saints. Jeremy Strawn (0-1, 5.4o) for the Kansas City T-Bones. First pitch is 7:05.
By Robert Pannier