LINCOLN – The Kansas City T-Bones committed two errors in the bottom of the ninth inning to allow the Lincoln Saltdogs to come back and win 6-5 for their seventh walk-off of the season.
The Saltdogs entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 6-5 and facing reliever Grant Sides. Brandon Jacobs started the inning with a single. After a strikeout, Tommy Mendonca was hit by a pitch before being removed for pinch-runner Ivan Marin. Then, Cesar Valera hit a slow grounder that went between the legs of Sides allowing Valera to reach on an error. Next, with the bases loaded and one out, Randolph Oduber hit a ground ball to the pitcher. Sides fielded it and then flipped to home plate but the catcher wasn’t there. Jacobs and Marin scored on the miscue giving the Saltdogs the win.
Derek Gordon earned the win for the Saltdogs after notching his second complete game. The right-hander allowed five runs on six hits. He struck out a season-high nine batters while issuing only two walks. Gordon didn’t allow a hit after the second inning.
The game didn’t start pretty for the Saltdogs and Gordon, though. Kansas City loaded the bases with two singles and a walk with one out in the top of the first inning. Then, Kyle Petty turned on the first pitch of his at bat and hit a grand slam to left field.
The T-Bones added another run in the top of the second inning. Eddie Newton tripled with one out and Omar Garcia singled him in during the next at bat. Marcus Lemon followed with another single, which would end up being Kansas City’s final hit of the game.
The Saltdogs got their offense going in the bottom of the third inning. Trever Adams started the frame with a solo home run, his eighth of the season. Then Dashenko Ricardo singled before Curt Smith hit a line-drive homer past the left field fence. Tommy Mendonca joined the home run onslaught with a long ball of his own in the next at bat. The lefty pulled a ball into the wind and into the KC bullpen to make it 5-4.
The Saltdogs had base runners in each of the final five innings but couldn’t push any across until the bottom of the ninth. Lincoln has won by a walk-off win in all four Tuesday home games in 2017. The Saltdogs tied season highs with the big third inning. The three homers tied for the most in an inning, the five hits tied the high-mark as did the four runs. The Saltdogs are 16-4 at home.
The Saltdogs try for a series-clinching win on Wednesday night. First pitch is at 6:45 PM with coverage beginning at 6:15 PM on ESPN 1480 and saltdogs.com.
Tickets are on sale and can be purchased by calling (402) 474-2255 or visiting Saltdogs.com. For the latest information on the Saltdogs follow the team on Facebook and Twitter/Instagram @saltdogsball.
<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/gR02CpH8n1I” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>