FARGO, ND- The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks sent seven men to the plate against southpaw Steve Kent in the bottom of the 8th inning, scoring four runs on four hits, and went on to defeat Kansas City, 8-6, in front of 3,035 fans on Tuesday night at Newman Outdoor Field.
The RedHawks scored two runs in the bottom of the 6th on a two-run single by catcher Todd Jennings to take a 4-1 lead. Kansas City had an immediate answer.
Shortstop Jose Duran led off the top of the 7th with a single off of lefty Joe Harris and was followed by a Gus Milner single. Brandon Jones then walked to load the bases with no outs, chasing Harris from the game.
But, up next was Kala Ka’aihue, and he wasted no time in getting the T-Bones right back into the game. Ka’aihue sat on a first-pitch fastball from Fuqua, and smoked a 92 mph offering into left-center for a two-run single, putting Kansas City within a run at 4-3.
Trevor Coleman then walked, and Devin Goodwin bounced into a would-be 6-4-3 inning-ending double-play. But, using his excellent speed, Goodwin beat the throw to first from second baseman Carlo Cota while Jones scored the tying run from third, making the score 4-4.
Fargo-Moorhead was able to deal the decisive blow in the bottom of the 8th, scoring four runs that included a two-run double by Cota. The four-run explosion made it 8-4 RedHawks. Kansas City tried to rally in the top of the 9th, pushing two runs across on two hits and a walk, but Reid Fronk grounded out to end the game with Goodwin on first.
The loss drops Kansas City to .500 at 9-9, while Fargo-Moorhead improves to 8-10. Kent (0-1) took the loss, allowing four earned runs on four hits in one inning of work. RedHawks left-hander Daniel Morari (1-1) earned the win, allowing two earned runs and one hit in two innings. Righty Tom Boleska picked up the save, his fourth.
Kansas City and Fargo-Moorhead are back at it on Wednesday night for Game 3 of the four-game set, with the first pitch slated for 7:02. RHP Matt Mitchell (1-2; 5.09) gets the start for KC, while Fargo-Moorhead counters with RHP Alex Caldera (3-0; 1.33).
Catch all of the play-by-play action with Brian Bruce on the KMBZ Business Channel 1660 AM and online at www.tbonesbaseball.com.
