RailCats Fall 9-1 in Kansas City to Open Three-Game Series
Published on July 31, 2009 under Northern League (NL)
Gary SouthShore Railcats News Release
KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The Kansas City T-Bones scored seven times in the second and third innings and rolled to a 9-1 win over the Gary SouthShore RailCats Friday night at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in the opener of a three-game series.
The RailCats actually scored first in the top of the second when Jordan Czarniecki - who had doubled to lead off the inning - scored on a Jeff Beachum groundout. But the T-Bones answered with three in the bottom of the second and four more in the third to put the game out of reach. Kansas City added two more in the fifth off Tom Thornton (7-5) and cruised home.
Thornton was roughed up early but did the RailCats beleaguered bullpen a tremendous service by throwing 123 pitches and lasting seven innings. In his outing, Thornton was charged with 15 hits and nine earned runs, walking four and striking out only one. Mike Massaro made his second appearance on the mound in the eighth, meaning the âCats five-man bullpen did not have to throw a single pitch Friday despite the lopsided loss.
The RailCats managed only five hits off Kansas City starter Luis Villarreal (5-3), three of those in the first two innings. Villarreal walked four and struck out four in eight innings of work to earn the victory. Steve Haake joined Czarniecki with a double in the game, and no RailCats player had more than one hit.
Ryan Fox led Kansas City with a 3-for-5 night, finishing a triple shy of the cycle. The T-Bones left fielder hit an RBI double in the second, three-run home run in the third and singled and scored in the fifth. Jeff Helps also had three hits and drove in a career-high three for the T-Bones. Kansas City's bottom three hitters in the lineup - Fox, Jacob Blackwood and Helps - went a combined 8-for-12 with eight RBI and five runs scored.
With the loss, the RailCats end the month of July with a 19-7 mark, their second-best record ever in a single month. The âCats went 22-7 in August 2008, but had previously never before won more than 18 games in any month. The RailCats entered the month in fourth place in the league standings, 8.5 games out of first place and end the month firmly entrenched in second place, four games behind league-leading Winnipeg.
The RailCats (39-29) and T-Bones (30-38) will rematch for game two of their series Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. Garret Holleran (1-2, 3.46 ERA) will start for the âCats against Kansas City right-hander Derek Duclos (0-2, 7.04 ERA). That game will be broadcast live on 89.1 FM, The Lakeshore, and online at www.railcatsbaseball.com.
Notes: Friday's game was the first the RailCats have played in Kansas City this season. The RailCats will now play seven of their next 11 games at the home of the T-Bones ... Thornton's loss was his first against Kansas City in three starts this season ... Czarniecki finished July with a league-best 13 doubles ... the RailCats are now 6-3 against the T-Bones in 2009 ... in July, the âCats went 8-5 on the road, their first winning road record in a month this year ... Kansas City's Aharon Eggleston went 2-for-6 to extend his hitting streak to 15 games and on-base streak to 27 games.
More Info: The Gary SouthShore RailCats are a Professional Minor League Baseball Team serving Northwest Indiana and Chicago's south suburbs. The RailCats won the Northern League championship in 2005 and 2007 and for each of the last five years, they have been chosen "Best Local Spectator Sport" by Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly. Their 96 game schedule includes 48 home games at beautiful U. S. Steel Yard, an award-winning 6,000 seat state-of-the-art facility located next to the Indiana Toll Road (I-90) with easy access to I-65.
Northern League Stories from July 31, 2009
- RedHawks Down JackHammers - Joliet JackHammers
- Villarreal Gem Propels T-Bones to Victory - Kansas City Monarchs
- RailCats Fall 9-1 in Kansas City to Open Three-Game Series - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- Eight Run Eighth Dooms Flyers - Schaumburg Flyers
- Now Playing at Alexian Field - Schaumburg Flyers
- RailCats Kick Off August With Jam-Packed Week at Steel Yard - Gary SouthShore Railcats
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