08/25/2018 1:09 AM -
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – It was Salute to Sandlot Night at T-Bones Stadium Friday, with a special appearance by Chauncey Leopardi, who played Squints in the movie. And if “The Beast” would have been on the other side of the fence, he would have had a grand feast as the T-Bones and Goldeyes hit seven baseballs out of the park.
The two teams combined for a total of 36 hits and 24 runs. Unfortunately, more of those runs were for Winnipeg as they defeated the T-Bones 13-11. The Goldeyes crushed five home runs and Kansas City chalked up two – both from Noah Perio Jr.
It didn’t begin well for Kansas City. In the first inning, Grant Heyman and Reggie Abercrombie had back-to-back singles. Josh Mazzola then gave the Goldeyes a big lead early, hitting a three-run home run over the left field fence – his 18th homer of the season.
The Goldeyes weren’t done yet though. In the second, Josh Romanski singled, then Grant Heyman hit a long ball into the bullpen, making the score 5-0.
And it only got worse in the third inning as Blake Adams hit a solo home run to dead center, putting Winnipeg up 6-0.
Kansas City began to come back in the bottom of the fourth when Noah Perio Jr. hit a three-run double down the right field line that scored Ryan Brett, Todd Cunningham and Colin Walsh – and cut the Goldeyes lead in half with the score 6-3. Perio Jr. then scored on a right field single by Adrian Nieto to make it 6-4 Goldeyes.
In the fifth, the T-Bones not only evened up the game but took the lead with a six-run inning. Keith Curcio and Ryan Brett singled, then Mason Davis walked to load the bases for Todd Cunningham. With one down, Cunningham hit into a fielder’s choice to score Curcio and make it 6-5 Winnipeg. Colin Walsh followed with an RBI single to the shortstop that scored Brett to tie it up 6-6. Noah Perio Jr then stepped in and crushed the ball deep to right field for a three-run home run that made it 9-6 Kansas City. Adrian Nieto singled to center and advanced to third on a double by newcomer Danny Hayes. Alay Lago then stepped in with a single to left to score Nieto and pad Kansas City’s lead to 10-6.
Winnipeg put one run on the board in the sixth as pinch runner Josh McAdams scored on an RBI single by Reggie Abercrombie.
The bottom of the seventh saw Noah Perio Jr. hit his second home run of the game – a solo shot that put Kansas City up 11-7.
The eighth inning, however, was a turning point in the game as the Goldeyes scored five runs to re-gain the lead. Josh Romanski reached on a fielder’s choice, Grant Heyman doubled, then Reggie Abercrombie singled to center, which scored both runners on base. An error by Keith Curcio on a hit by Josh Mazzola allowed Abercrombie to score. Tucker Nathans then hit a two-run home run that put Winnipeg ahead 12-11.
Winnipeg added on an insurance run in the top of the ninth when Topeka native Tyler Baker hit a solo home run over the right field wall to make it 13-11 Goldeyes.
Facts from the night:
• Noah Perio Jr. ended the night with seven runs driven in and two home runs.
• At least one run was scored in every inning, but neither team scored in the same inning.
• Every game in the league Friday evening had seven or more runs scored by one the teams playing.
• Every player on each team had a hit except for Kansas City’s Todd Cunningham and Winnipeg’s Andrew Sohn.
• While Winnipeg out-hit Kansas City 20-16, the Goldeyes stranded seven runners while the T-Bones only left three on base.
With the 13-11 win, Winnipeg is now 37-54 on the season and Kansas City dips to 56-33. Kansas City will take on Winnipeg Saturday at 7:05 pm at T-Bones Stadium in the rubber match of the three-game series. KC will then continue its nine-game homestand with three games against Sioux City and three games versus Wichita. Saturday will feature post-game fireworks and Sunday is Bark at the Park!
Season, group tickets, mini-plans and nightly party suites are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting the Box Office at T-Bones Stadium. Call the Box Office at (913) 328-5618 or purchase and print at www.tbonesbaseball.com. Box office hours are 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday – Friday and 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Saturday. For additional information or interview requests, members of the media may contact the T-Bones Media Relations Department at (817) 739-3693. Stay tuned to www.tbonesbaseball.com. and the T-Bones Facebook and Twitter pages for updates throughout the season.
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