JOLIET, Ill. – A two-run home run from Freddie Thon in the sixth inning, his second of the contest, proved to be the deciding blast as the Joliet JackHammers took tonight’s game, 9-7, against the Kansas City T-Bones at Silver Cross Field in Joliet, Ill.  The loss by the T-Bones gave Joliet the series win and kept Kansas City from winning consecutive games for the first time in June.  They finish the month 8-17 with just one series win in eight tries.

A two-out, two-run home run by Jim Fasano (pictured) off Carlos Castillo in the first inning gave Kansas City an early 2-0 lead.  Kenny Durost hit the first batter he faced but held Joliet scoreless through the first inning before Thon hit his first home run of the game to lead off the second.  The JackHammers tied the game in the third with an RBI double from Doc Brooks.

Kansas City retook the lead in the fourth inning on an RBI double from John Martin, but Joliet plated four runs, three earned, on five hits, one error and a passed ball in the bottom of the frame to pull ahead 6-3 after four.  Joey Gomes led off the inning with a solo home run and back-to-back doubles from Dorian Rojas and Joe Hooft drove in three of the four runs.  Hooft would score on a passed ball from Martin to cap off the scoring.

The T-Bones tied the game at six with a three-run fifth on back-to-back home runs from Brad Correll and Fasano.  Fasano’s second blast of the game was a solo shot.  Correll’s two-run home run was his league-leading 15th of the season.  Castillo left after five innings, surrendering six runs on nine hits in a no-decision.

Joliet again took the lead in the bottom of the fifth on a bases-loaded walk by Mike Caruso.  After Kansas City tied the game at seven with an RBI double by Rob Watson in the top of the sixth, Thon’s home run in the bottom of the inning capped off Joliet’s scoring, putting the final tally at 9-7.

Durost suffered the loss, allowing nine runs, eight earned, on 11 hits in six innings of work as he fell to 2-2.  Chad Fillinger allowed one run on three hits in two innings as he improved to 2-0 on the year.  Tyler Meigs threw two scoreless innings of relief to finish the game for Joliet to earn his third save.

Rick Hummel allowed two baserunners on walks in one and one-thirds scoreless innings.  Tag Horner came in for Hummel with one out in the eighth and induced a double play from Gomes to finish the game for Kansas City.

Fasano extended his hit streak to 11 games with his first inning home run.  It is the longest active hit streak in the league.  Kansas City stole a team record six bases in the contest, besting their prior record of five, done twice previously.

The T-Bones use tomorrow as a travel day as they head to Fargo to face off against the RedHawks.  Zac Stott will take the mound for Kansas City opposite a pitcher to be determined for Fargo in the first game of a three-game set.  First pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 7:00.