Kansas City forces tie against Oakland

Francisco Pena hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to help the Kansas City Royals force a 9-9 tie against the Oakland Athletics in Cactus League play on Friday.

Alex Gordon also hit a solo shot for the Royals and Justin Maxwell went 3- for-4 with two RBI in the stalemate. KC starter Danny Duffy was lit up for five earned runs over two innings with three walks and two strikeouts.

Derek Norris went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer for the A's, while Michael Taylor notched his third homer of the spring with a solo shot in the fourth inning. Oakland starter Dan Straily allowed one run on three hits over four innings with two walks and two strikeouts.

[SportsNetwork.com]