08/25/2004 12:55 PM - KANSAS CITY – Starting pitcher Greg Bicknell threw his fourth complete game and Cody Nowlin matched a season high with four hits as the T-Bones held on for a 7-3 win over Sioux City at CommunityAmerica Ballpark Wednesday night. It was the third straight victory for Kansas City, which improved to 21-17, 41-45, on the year.

Nowlin doubled in his first two at-bats, homered in his third, and singled in his fourth before being lifted for defensive specialist Mike Hass in the top of the eighth inning. Bicknell (11-3) set a season high with 10 strikeouts in a game that was delayed by 1:05 due to rain. The T-Bones had little trouble with left-handed starter Thomas Ford (4-3), who lasted just 2.1 innings. Ford was charged with five runs on eight hits in his shortest outing of the year.

The Explorers (17-21, 35-51) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Todd Brock hit his seventh home run of the season. But the T-Bones tied the game in the home half when Eddie Pearson pulled a 1-2 pitch down the line in right field to plate Chad Hill and took a 2-1 lead in the second inning when Matt Ceriani hammered a 1-1 offering over the fence in left field.

Kansas City opened up its lead with three in the third inning. Ray Brown led off with a single and advanced to second when Pearson was hit by a pitch. Nowlin made the X’s pay with an RBI-double to right field and Mike Brown followed with a double of his own, a liner into the corner in left field that brought home two to make it 5-1.

Sioux City clawed back with an RBI-single off the bat of Bobby Brown in the fourth inning and added another single tally in the fifth when Ian Church doubled home Casey Baker with two outs to cut the T-Bones’ lead to two. Nowlin hit a solo shot to right in the fifth inning and Ray Brown doubled in Rick Prieto in the eighth to close out the scoring.

The T-Bones will continue their series with the Explorers at CommunityAmerica Ballpark Thursday night beginning at 7:05. Right-handed pitcher Jonathan Krysa (9-7) will head to the hill for Kansas City against Sioux City righty Tony Evans (4-5).

Game Notes: The T-Bones improved their record to 9-17 against left-handed starters and have won their last three contests against southpaws… Bicknell threw a first-pitch strike to eight of the first 11 batters he faced and allowed just three hits through the first three innings… With a single in the first inning, Ray Brown extended his season-high hitting streak to 12 games. Brown finished the night with three hits in five at-bats.

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