KANSAS CITY, KS – The Lincoln Saltdogs offense was stymied by the Kansas City T-Bones as KC ended the Saltdogs’ nine-game winning streak with a 6-3 win at Community America Ballpark.
The Saltdogs (36-22) remain in first place in the American Association Central Division and lead by 2.5 games over Gary Southshore. Lincoln’s nine-game streak was the longest of any team in the league this season. The Saltdogs still won the series over the T-Bones by taking the first two games.
Calvin Drummond earned the win by going six innings and allowing two runs on five hits. He struck out four batters compared to three walks.
The Saltdogs looked to be in control to start the game. For the third time in the series, the Saltdogs scored in the first inning. Matty Johnson walked with one out to be the first baserunner aboard. Then, Cesar Valera, Curt Smith and Brandon Jacobs notched three straight singles to score two runs and grab the early lead.
Kansas City struck back in the bottom half of the inning. Chantz Mack and Marcus Lemon reached on singled before the runners advanced on a groundout in the next at bat. Then, Tyler Horan ripped a single to send both runners home and tie the game.
Saltdogs starting pitcher Carlos Pimentel held the T-Bones without a hit for the next four innings before they exploded in the sixth inning. Kansas City scored four runs on five hits to take a convincing 6-2 lead. The biggest hit came when Jordan Edgerton hit a fly ball to center field that Matty Johnson lost in the lights. The routine fly ball ended up being a two-RBI triple.
The Saltdogs scored one run off of closer Cody Winiarski in the top of the ninth inning. Smith walked and Jacobs doubled him in for to cut the deficit to three runs. Winiarski struck out the next three batters to end the game.
Curt Smith tallied two hits in the game to move past Pichi Balet for the third most hits in franchise history. He has 436 hits in his career. Smith also extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
The Saltdogs return to Lincoln to face the Wichita Wingnuts on Friday. It will be a matchup of the Central and South Division leaders and the top two records in the league. 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.