LINCOLN, NE – The Lincoln Saltdogs gave up 14 hits and lost to the Kansas City T-Bones 8-5 in the series finale at Haymarket Park Wednesday night.
The T-Bones (33-17) finished off their second sweep of the Saltdogs (27-24) with the win. It marks the first time the Saltdogs have been swept at home under Manager Bobby Brown’s leadership. The last home sweep came against the Joplin Blasters in September of 2015.
Hunter Adkins earned the win for KC after giving up four runs over five innings. Austin Robichaux took the loss for Lincoln. The right-hander allowed five runs on 10 hits over four innings of work.
Kansas City tallied the first run in the second inning. Noah Perio Jr. got on with a hit to start things. Keith Curcio and Adrian Nieto each notched two-out singles to put the T-Bones in front 1-0. They added another run in the third inning on a two-out RBI by Nick Torres.
The Saltdogs pulled even in the third. Ivan Marin and Christian Ibarra each drew walks to start the frame. The next two batters were retired meaning Curt Smith needed to come through to produce runs. The veteran laced a doubled that emptied the bases and tied the game.
The tie was short-lived. The T-Bones recorded three straight base hits in the fourth before Dylan Tice drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Then, Mason Davis and Todd Cunningham collected consecutive singles to drive in two more runs and make it 5-2.
They kept it going in the fifth. Nick Torres singled off reliever Cortland Cox and Keith Curcio launched a two-run homer to bring KC’s lead to five runs.
The Saltdogs kept fighting to get back in it. Marin worked another walk to start the fifth and Ibarra knocked one out of the park to make it 7-4. It was Ibarra’s second homer of the series and his third in the last five games.
The T-Bones tacked on another run in the seventh. Noah Perio Jr. went deep off reliever Shairon Martis to score the final run for Kansas City.
Marin and Ibarra each registered hits in the ninth inning. Marin scored on a Joe Moran ground ball to finish the scoring. It was Moran’s first RBI of his professional career.
The Saltdogs have Thursday off before heading to Sioux City for a three-game series with the Explorers. First pitch on Friday is at 7:05 PM with coverage beginning at 6:35 PM on ESPN 101.5 FM 1480 AM and http://www.espn1480.com/lincoln-saltdogs-baseball/.
For more information on the Saltdogs, follow the team on Facebook and Twitter/Instagram @saltdogsball. For ticket information visit https://saltdogs.com/tickets/ or call (402) 474-2255.