Game 1

KANSAS CITY, KS– It’s been a long two days waiting for the Kansas City T-Bones and the Lincoln Saltdogs to play just one game in their three-game series due to the dreary weather in Kansas City. Wednesday night nothing was stopping them from playing two games including a short 15-minute delay in the second inning of game one due rain.  The T-Bones and the Saltdogs resumed the game like it had never stopped and Kansas City would rally twice once to tie the game and send it to extra innings and the second to walk off winners 9-8.

Every T-Bone player who started the game had at least one hit in the contest as the ball was knocked all over the ballpark for 14 hits. From the first inning the bats were alive as Lincoln would score three runs in the top of the first on five hits only to see the T-Bones come back to take the lead in the bottom of the first inning.

The T-Bones erased a 3-0 deficit on a two RBI double from Carlos Franco and a two-run home run from Casey Gillaspie coming off Lincoln starter Kyle Kinman. Both starters Dylan Baker of KC and Kinman would settle down and work three more scoreless innings for their clubs as the teams went to the fifth inning with a 4-3 Kansas City lead.

Marc Magliaro came in for Kansas City in relief in the top of the fifth. The Saltdogs immediately responded against the T-Bone pen. Christian Ibarra singled to start the inning and Tyler Moore hit a two-run home run to right and it was 5-4 in favor of Lincoln.  Cody Regis would drive in another run with an RBI single and it was a 6-4 game.

Kansas City would be down to their final three outs in the seventh as Lincoln brought in right-hander Cody Blueberg. Out of nowhere Casey Gallaspie hits the ball to center and was able to travel to second base for a stand up double. Then Christian Correa drove in Gallaspie with a single to cut the lead to one.  Ramsey Romano would pinch run for Correa and was driven in on a single by Forrestt Allday tying the game at six.

The game headed into a wild eighth inning. Kevin Lenik came into the game for Kansas City out of the bull pen. Lenik struck out Nick Schultz but walked the next two batters. Ivan Marin singled to drive in one run and Christian Ibarra single again to drive in another giving Lincoln and 8-6 lead.

Jake Hohensee took over for Lincoln and it took two pitches to pull the T-Bones within one run on a solo shot to right field by Darnell Sweeney to cut the lead to 8-7.  Shawn O’Malley and Carlos Franco each walked to put runners at first and second. Casey Gillaspie would fly out to left but then Hohensee walked Roy Morales to load the bases. Daniel Robertson hit a double to left center to score O’Malley and Franco to give the T-Bones a walk off win 9-8.

Box Score

By Alex Dean

Game 2

While the offense was strong in the first game, pitching was the key for the T-Bones Wednesday night, as Randall Delgado (2-0), Nick Lee, and Carlos Diaz spun a collective seven scoreless innings to lead Kansas City to victory over the Lincoln Saltdogs 3-0 in this seven-inning nightcap of Wednesdays double-header.

Delgado was able to set the tone early on the mound, firing two hitless innings with four strikeouts. He would ultimately go on to strike out 10 in five innings of work, giving up three hits and walking one, while keeping Lincoln scoreless. Nick Lee would take over for him in the sixth with as scoreless inning of his own. Carlos Diaz followed suit with a scoreless seventh, striking out two. Overall, T-Bones pitchers struck out 13 and only allowed 3 hits as they lead Kansas City to a win.

As for the offense, the T-Bones had trouble getting on the board until Darnell Sweeney blasted a rocket to left field, just out of the reach of the outstretched glove of centerfielder Colton Burns to drive in Roy Morales. O’Malley would then follow it up with a single, making the score 2-0 as Sweeney raced home. They tacked on one more run in the fifth on a sac fly by Shawn O’Malley, sending Mikey Reynolds home. That would be all the offense they needed, as the T-Bones were able to shut the door in the later innings of the game.

Randall Delgado picked up his second shutout win of the season, while Shairon Martis only lasted until the fourth, where he had to leave the game due to a possible injury. He picked up the loss, moving to 0-2, giving up two earned runs. Carlos Diaz closed it out and picked up the save for Kansas City.

The T-Bones move to 4-1 on the season and will enjoy an off day before they travel to Winnipeg to take on the Goldeyes for a three-game series this weekend. The Saltdogs record drops to 3-3, and they are set to play the Railroaders in Cleburne on Thursday.

Hear all the action of the T-Bones and Goldeyes this weekend on Mixlr and t-bonesbaseball.com.

Box Score

Full and half-season 2019 ticket packages as well as mini plans are on sale now online or by calling (913) 328-5618 or by visiting the Saint Luke’s Box Office between the hours of 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Group ticket sales are also on sale now.

For additional information or interview requests, members of the media may contact the T-Bones Media RelationsDepartment at (817) 739-3693. Stay tuned to www.tbonesbaseball.com. and the T-Bones Facebook and Twitter pages for updates throughout the season.

By Gabby Albertson

Photo Credit John Ellis Kansas City T-Bones