The Kansas City T-Bones (33-18) snapped a six-game winning streak Saturday night, falling to the Joliet JackHammers (27-23), 14-5, in front of 6,526 fans at Community America Ballpark.
The JackHammers scored at least in a run in six-straight innings, beginning in the third off T-Bones starter Ryan Knippschild (6-4) when Jonathan Wyatt reached on an error and later scored on a wild pitch. Kansas City tied the game off Joliet starter Ross Stout (5-5) in the bottom of the frame when Jacob Blackwood hit an RBI double, scoring Keanon Simon.
An RBI groundout by Roberto Mena and an RBI single by Wyatt put the JackHammers up, 3-1, after four innings.
Knippschild was chased in the fifth after surrendering four straight two-out runs, capped by a Ryan Wehrle two-run blast. Knippschild allowed seven runs, six earned, on 10 hits while striking out four in four and two-thirds innings. Kyle Heim entered and got the final out of the frame before allowing the first three batters to reach in the sixth. He was charged with two runs in one-third of an inning.
The T-Bones cut the lead to 7-4 in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single by Blackwood, a sacrifice fly by Ray Sadler and an RBI double by Jim Fasano.
The JackHammers scored seven runs in the next three innings, highlighted by a four-run eighth when they recorded four singles, a double and a sacrifice to take a 14-4 lead. Erik Hamren pitched two innings for Kansas City, allowing one run in the seventh. Drew Graham threw the eighth, surrendering four runs, two earned, on five hits and two errors in one inning of work.
Casey Hodges made his T-Bones debut in the ninth, and pitched a perfect inning, striking out one. Sadler capped the scoring at 14-5 with a solo home run in the ninth.
Kansas City wraps up a three-game series with Joliet Sunday in the rubber match as right-hander Andrew Cruse (7-2, 1.97 ERA) is scheduled to start opposite JackHammers left-hander Todd Privett (4-3, 5.04 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. Catch all the action on KXTR 1660 AM or at www.tbonesbaseball.com
