By Brian Bruce

SIOUX CITY, Iowa-  The Kansas City T-Bones hit three home runs and sent 11 men to the plate in a huge top of the third inning and went on to defeat Sioux City, 9-3, on Wednesday night at Lewis and Clark Park.

Brandon Jones was the first to homer in the third, his 12th, on a line drive two-run shot to right-center off of Explorers starter Aaron Correa (2-2). Lee Cruz made it back-to-back homers with his seventh, a deep drive to left. Later in the frame, Devin Goodwin hooked a high drive down the left field line, his 13th. By the end of the inning, Kansas City had scored six runs on seven hits and extended its lead to 8-0.

Having provided him with plenty of run support, T-Bones starter Brian Grening (9-5) settled in and pitched well. Over 6 2/3 innings, he allowed only two runs on nine hits while striking out three. Grening now leads the team in wins and dropped his ERA to 3.78.

Both Brandon Jones and Lee Cruz each had three-hit nights and each was just a triple shy of the cycle. Cruz is now hitting .357, while Jones raised his mark to .322.

The win improves Kansas City to 45-44 and snaps a five-game losing streak. KC wraps up the three-game road trip on Thursday night at Lewis and Clark Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05. The T-Bones send right-hander Josh Rainwater (4-10; 4.84) to the mound for his 19th start of the season, and Sioux City counters with right-hander Colin Allen (0-4; 7.90). The game can be heard on 1660-AM (KMBZ Business Channel) or online at www.tbonesbaseball.com.