Late inning offense pushes Grand Prairie past T-Bones

By Brian Bruce

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas -- The AirHogs scored one run in the seventh and three runs on three hits in the eighth, as they came back and defeated Kansas City, 5-3, on Sunday night.

Grand Prairie scored one run on three singles in the bottom of the seventh as Yasutsugu Nishimoto hit a line drive to center with two outs, scoring Porter from third, making the score 3-2.

The AirHogs put the finishing touches on their comeback in the eighth against T-Bones lefty reliever Steve Kent (4-4). After a lead-off walk to Brian Myrow, the AirHogs put together three straight RBI base hits. Andres Rodriguez doubled, driving in Myrow. Porter then doubled, scoring Rodriguez and giving Grand Prairie a 4-3 lead. Finally, Zane Chavez then singled, scoring Porter and pushing the AirHogs out to a 5-3 lead.

Closer Justin Dowdy pitched a scoreless ninth and got his 13th save of the season.

The late inning offense by the AirHogs overshadowed another fine start by T-Bones right-hander and Liberty, Mo., native, Luke Irvine. For 6 2/3 innings, he stymied the Grand Prairie offense, holding it to just two runs on eight hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

The loss drops Kansas City to 33-29 overall, with the fourth and final game of the series set for a 7:05 start on Monday evening. The T-Bones send left-hander Devin Anderson (3-5; 4.07 ERA) to the mound and can split the series with a win. Grand Prairie will turn to right-hander Will Irvin (1-1; 5.63). Catch the play-by-play call on the KMBZ Business Channel (1660 AM) or online at www.tbonesbaseball.com.