Monarchs Rally a Seven-Run Ninth Frame, Outlast Canaries in Game 1 of Division Series

Sioux Falls, SD — It was a back-and-forth opening game of the West Division Series, and after facing a deficit in the ninth, the Monarchs rallied with seven tallies to claim a 12-6 victory over the Canaries on Wednesday night.

The Monarchs did not waste much time finding an early lead. In the first inning, Tyler Gentry led off with a walk while Austin Callahan reached base via error. They both stole a base and then Luken Baker walked to load the bases. Saul Garza grounded into a double play, but Gentry raced home to jump in front.

Although they had an early deficit, this did not phase Sioux Falls as they were able to muscle in a run of their own. Mike Hart and Michael Curialle both walked while Anthony Hall lined a ball into center field to bring home Hart for the tying run.

This was a 1-1 ballgame, but Kansas City retook the lead in the third. With one out, Gentry crushed the first pitch of the at-bat and the Monarchs were back in front. The inning did not stop there when Callahan singled and Baker drew his second walk. This allowed Garza to tap a base hit to left field and jump into a 3-1 advantage.

It was the exact start that KC was looking for on the mound as Geison Urbaez answered the call in his first playoff start. The former Blue Jays prospect dealt in a season-high nine punch outs while only allowing two hits and a run. There were four more pitchers out of the bullpen as Emmanuel Chapman, Tyler Myrick, Jack Walker, and Durbin Feltman combined for six strikeouts.

Kansas City added to the two-run lead by plating two more tallies in the top of the seventh. Gentry reached base and Callahan singled to put two runners on. Facing a 1-2 hole, Baker floated an RBI double to left center to bring in both runners and the Monarchs had their largest lead at that point with a 5-1 advantage.

Unfortunately, this four-run lead did not last very long as the Canaries came storming back in the bottom of the seventh. Chapman had a tough time dealing in strikes as he walked Anthony Hall, Chase Englehard, and Grady Mee to juice the bases. Trevor Achenbach reached base via fielders choice on a grounder to short and brought home Hall with one out. Later in the frame, Joe Vos walked and Mike Hart sliced a grand slam the opposite way to give Sioux Falls their first and only lead of the night.

With their backs up against the wall, the Monarchs showed no fear heading into the ninth inning. They remained poise at the dish when Callahan walked and Baker singled to quickly put the tying run in scoring position. It was Garza and Richardson who walked to tie the game at six apiece. The bases were loaded once again and there were no outs. This was a prime position for KC to drive in more than one run and they did exactly that. Onix Vega ripped his only hit of the night into left field and Baker scored to retake the lead at 7-6. The very next batter, Sahid Valenzuela, placed a ball into left center for a two-run RBI double and the frame did not stop there. In the top of the order, Gentry read the 1-0 pitch to perfection and smoked his second blast of the night on a three-run shot to right center and put this game out of reach. This group silenced the hopes of Sioux Falls who were looking to pull the upset.

The Monarchs showed their resilience and did not panic under pressure while rallying in the biggest inning of the game. It was a much needed win as they now have an opportunity to close out the series on Friday night at Legends Field. First pitch is at 6:35.