KC FORGETS TO PACK BROOMS

/in /by

The Kansas City Monarchs (45-23) could not keep a lead or the Sioux Falls Canaries (25-41) off the bases in a 8-6 loss Sunday afternoon at the Birdcage. The Monarchs bullpen allowed nine walks and encountered three bases-loaded scenarios, and the Canaries capitalized, taking the lead twice and avoiding another sweep this week.

While the Monarchs saw a quick 1,2,3 first half inning, starting pitcher Matt Hall took the mound and loaded the bases. Osvaldo Martinez singled to center field before Zane Gurwtiz and Jabari Henry both walked. Gavin LaValley then brought a runner in with a single and the Canaries took the lead early,1-0. With the bases still loaded, Hall struck out Trey Michalczewski and escaped the first with only one run.

Kansas City didn’t trail for long as Matt Adams and Casey Gillaspie completed two back-to-back solo home runs to quickly take the lead at 2-1.

The seventh inning proved a big one for the Monarchs as they added three more runs. Gillaspie reached second on a pop-up to right field and a putout from J.C. Escarra landed Gillaspie at third base. Alexis Olmeda sent an RBI single to left field, bringing Gillaspie in for a 3-1 score. Willie Abreu walked before the Canaries had a pitching change. Darnell Sweeney singled courtesy of an error by the right fielder Gurwitz and brought in Olmeda, making the score 4-1. Charlie Hasty then balked, bringing in Abreu and giving Kansas City a buffer with a 5-1 lead.

Monarchs pitcher Brandon Koch took the mound at the start of the half inning and Sioux Falls fought back. Martinez singled to center field before Gurwitz was hit by a pitch and Henry hit an RBI single out to left field. Michalczewski walked to load the bases, and Kona Quiggle fired one to right center field where Sweeney could hold onto the ball, allowing two batters to score, dwindling Kansas City’s lead to 5-4. A sacrifice fly from Angelo Altavilla gave Michalczewski the run in. Jeremy Rhoades took the mound with men on first and third with two outs. Rhodes walked two batters, Martinez and Gurwitz, and the Canaries took the lead going into the eighth, 6-5.

The Monarchs fire back as David Thompson hits a long ball to tie the game again at 6-6. Kansas City could not manage to take the lead, however, with Gillaspie doubling to right and Escarra reaching first on an error by the left fielder Nick Gotta, but both runners remained stranded.

Frank Rubio came in for the Monarchs and faced a bases-loaded scenario. Michalczewski singled before Quiggle and Altavilla both walk. Shamoy Christopher singled bringing in two runs, and the Canaries took back the lead and the win, 8-6.

Monarchs starter Matt Hall went 5.0 IP for 6 H, 1 R and 8 strikeouts. Hall was matched against Neil Lang who went 6.2 IP, for 5 H, 5 R and 3 strikeouts.

The Monarchs will have tomorrow (8/1) off before starting a three-game series on Tuesday (8/2) back in Kansas City against the Kane County Cougars with first pitch at 7:00 p.m. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the video stream airing on aabaseball.tv.

 

Tickets to all Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com. For additional information or interview requests, members of the media may contact the Monarchs Media Relations Department at (817) 739-3693. Stay tuned to monarchsbaseball.com. and the Monarchs Facebook and Twitter pages for updates throughout the season.

WP: Colby Wyatt (4-2)

LP: Frank Rubio (2-1)

S: Mitchell Walters (2)

Boxscore

BY: KAITLYN SANDERS

KC PITCHING MAKES CANARIES LAY EGG

/in /by

The Kansas City Monarchs (45-22) stayed dominant over the Canaries from Sioux Falls (24-41), completing the combined shutout behind a strong performance from starter Nick Belzer and a dominant showing from the bullpen. Belzer went four innings, allowing no runs but recording no strikeouts before a new Monarch would toe the rubber each inning for the rest of the game, shutting the Canaries out 3-0.

Monarchs starting pitcher Nick Belzer took a moment to get settled in in this one, allowing a double and a walk to the first two batters. Fortunately for Belzer and the Monarchs, he knows how to time his double play balls, as a 6-4-3 double play helped him escape the inning unscathed.

Belzer and Sioux Falls starter Cesilio Pimentel would then both trade 1-2-3 innings through the top of the third. The streak would be broken by Belzer’s allowing another two-baserunner inning when John Nester and Osvaldo Martinez hit back-to-back singles. Again, Belzer would work his way out of it by way of the ground ball with back-to-back ground ball outs, escaping once again scoreless.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Canaries offense would again show some life with a single and a double, putting runners at the corners with two away, but Sioux Falls’ Kona Quiggle would end the inning with a foul out.

The fifth inning marked the end of the road for Belzer, as Brian Glowicki would begin the fifth on the bump, ending Belzer’s night with four innings pitched, five hits, no runs, and no strikeouts.  Glowicki’s entrance would mark the beginning of a dominant night for the Monarchs bullpen, as he retired the side in four batters to send the game to the sixth, where the Monarchs bats would finally come to life.

It began with a single from Willie Abreu, turning the lineup over to the top for leadoff hitter Darnell Sweeney, who would then rope a double to right field, putting runners at second and third with no outs for Kevin Santa. Santa didn’t have to take the bat off his shoulder to give the Monarchs the first lead of the game, however, as Abreu came across the plate on a wild pitch from Pimentel, advancing Sweeney to third. After a Santa strikeout, slugger David Thompson stepped up and whacked a double to left field, scoring Sweeney and making the score 2-0 Kansas City.

Back-to-back walks from the next two batters, Matt Adams and Casey Gillaspie, brought newly-converted first baseman J.C. Escarra to the batter’s box in a bases loaded, one out situation, where he would become the third straight Monarch to be awarded a free pass, scoring Thompson. This would be the last straw for Pimentel, as he was taken out for relief pitcher Stevie Ledesma, who would promptly strike out the next two Monarchs, turning the inning over with the score 3-0 Kansas City.

Brock Gilliam, Brandon Koch, and Jeremy Rhoades would take over in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, respectively, and allow a combined one baserunner, and Koch would strike out the side in order. This brought the Monarchs to the ninth inning ahead 3-0, where closer Jameson McGrane would Zane Gurwitz, Jabari Henry, and Gavin LaValley in order, securing his 14th save, the combined shutout, and the sixth straight win for the Monarchs.

The Monarchs will go for the sweep in game three of their three-game series against the Sioux Falls Canaries  tomorrow (7/31) at 1:05 p.m. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 12:30 p.m. and the video stream airing on aabaseball.tv.

Tickets to all Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com. For additional information or interview requests, members of the media may contact the Monarchs Media Relations Department at (817) 739-3693. Stay tuned to monarchsbaseball.com. and the Monarchs Facebook and Twitter pages for updates throughout the season.

 

WP: Glowicki (1-0)

LP: Pimentel (0-3)

S: McGrane (14)

Boxscore

BY: ADAM COOK

LISTEN TO ALL MONARCHS GAMES LIVE ON THE MONARCHS BROADCAST NETWORK

CANARIES CAN’T CONTAIN ABREU

/in /by

The Kansas City Monarchs (44-22) continued their winning ways against the Sioux Falls Canaries (24-40) behind Willie Abreu’s strong performance at the plate. Abreu finished with a home run, double and five RBIs on the night. Abreu’s offensive onslaught propelled the Monarchs to a 6-1 win, their fifth in a row.

In the first inning, Ty Culbreth, starting pitcher for the Sioux Falls Canaries, retired the Monarchs in order, picking up his first of five strikeouts on the night. Jon Harris received the start for the Monarchs and controlled the Canaries early, retiring three out of four batteries in the first frame.

The Monarchs offense took flight in the second inning, starting off with a double from David Thompson. Between two at-bats ending in fly outs for the Monarchs, J.C. Escarra drew a walk to reach first. Alexis Olmeda displayed patience at the plate, drawing a walk to load the bases for Willie Abreu. Abreu took advantage of the opportunity and cleared the bases with a double to center field. Culbreth escaped the inning by striking out Kevin Santa, but the Monarchs led 3-0 heading into the home half of the second. In the bottom of the second, Harris picked up two strikeouts in the inning on his way to retiring three out of four Canaries once more, to hold them scoreless.

Both offenses were quiet in the third inning, as Culbreth retired three out of four Monarchs. Culbreth allowed one hit, a two-out double to David Thompson, but escaped unscathed in the inning, holding the Monarchs scoreless. Harris continued his scoreless outing with some support from the Monarchs infield. Pete Kozma, Chad De La Guerra and J.C. Escarra teamed up to complete an inning ending 6-4-3 double play following a one-out walk.

In the fourth frame, Abreu was once again a smooth operator with two outs. With J.C. Escarra on first base, Abreu drove a deep, no-doubt-about-it blast over the right field wall. Abreu’s two-run home run pushed the Monarchs lead to 5-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth. In the home half of the sixth, the Canaries finally answered on offense with a two-out, solo home run from Trey Michalczewski to cut the deficit to four runs. Harris walked one following the home run but struck out Kona Quiggle to end the inning.

The Canaries called upon Nate Garkow to replace Ty Culbreth on the mound. Garkow settled in quickly, striking out the first two batters he faced before surrendering a two-out double to David Thompson, Thompson’s third of the night. The Monarchs couldn’t add to their lead as Garkow secured a scoreless inning of work, retiring Gillaspie to end the top of the fifth inning. Harris continued his strong outing in the fifth inning, retiring the Canaries in order and picking up another strikeout on the night.

In the sixth inning, both offenses slowed down, with no runs added for either team and only two hits combined. Harris concluded his quality start with six innings of work, four hits allowed, two walks, four strikeouts, and only one earned run. The Monarchs led 5-1 heading into the seventh inning.

In the top of the seventh, Garkow, for the third inning in a row, retired three out of four Monarchs and allowed only one hit and no runs. Jordan Martinson entered on the mound to replace Harris for Kansas City. Martinson controlled the inning on the mound with two strikeouts and no runs or hits allowed, as he retired three out of the four Canaries he faced.

The Monarchs finally scored a run with Garkow on the mound in the eighth inning after an error from Osvaldo Martinez with runners on base. The Canaries error came following J.C Escarra’s double. Kansas City pushed the Monarchs lead to 6-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth. Martinson relied upon two Monarchs in the eighth, Pete Kozma and J.C. Escarra, to retire the side in order. Kozma and Escarra recorded three straight 6-3 putouts to hold the Canaries scoreless once more.

In the top of the ninth inning, Kansas City went down in order, as Garkow finished his night on the mound with no earned runs in five innings of relief work. Frank Rubio entered for Martinson, making quick work of the Canaries, retiring them in order to secure the win.

The Monarchs will play game two of their three-game series against the Sioux Falls Canaries (7/30) at 6:05 p.m. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 5:30 p.m. and the video stream airing on aabaseball.tv.

Tickets to all Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com. For additional information or interview requests, members of the media may contact the Monarchs Media Relations Department at (817) 739-3693. Stay tuned to monarchsbaseball.com. and the Monarchs Facebook and Twitter pages for updates throughout the season.

WP: Harris (4-1)

LP: Culbreth (6-4)

S: N/A

Boxscore

BY: CALEB GRIZZLE

KC FLIES PAST CANARIES FOR SWEEP

/in /by

The Kansas City Monarchs (43-22) completed the sweep of the Sioux Falls Canaries (24-39) with a 4-2 score. The Monarchs are in sole possession of first place in the West division, one game ahead of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.

Early on, Kansas City would get runners on base in both the first and second innings but couldn’t bring them in. The first three innings, therefore, remained scoreless.

Darnell Sweeney seemed to warm the KC bats, going 2-for-2 and reaching third base in the bottom of the third with a triple to deep center field, but once again, the Monarchs left the batter stranded.

Jabari Henry started the fourth inning off hot as his first hit launched a solo home run to left field, giving Sioux Falls their first lead of the game and the series at 1-0.

The Monarchs came right back in the fourth as Matt Adams reached second with a double off the wall in left field. J.C. Escarra then punched one deep into the home run hill in right for a two-run home run to give the Monarchs the lead, 2-1, going into the fifth.

In the bottom of the sixth, Casey Gillaspie reached first with a single to right field before Chad De La Guerra hit one to left. Pete Kozma popped a ball to right-center field to bring in Gillaspie for an RBI, the score 3-1.

In the bottom of the seventh, Thompson sent one out to deep right field for a triple, eventually coming home on a wild pitch and extending the Monarchs lead to 4-1.

Jeremy Rhoades came to the mound in the top of the eighth and walked Nick Gotta and Osvaldo Martinez back-to-back. After a fly-out to center field Gotta reached third before Jabari Henry’s fielders choice cut the lead in half at 4-2 for the final score.

Monarchs starter Lewis Thorpe went 5.0 IP, with 5 H, 1 R, and 2 strikeouts to record his seventh win. Brian Glowicki came in to relieve him in the sixth and struck out three batters. Brandon Koch worked a scoreless inning while Jameson McGrane worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the save (13).

The Monarchs will travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to start another three-game series against the Canaries tomorrow (7/29) at 7:05 p.m. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:35 p.m. and the video stream airing on aabaseball.tv.

Tickets to all Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com. For additional information or interview requests, members of the media may contact the Monarchs Media Relations Department at (817) 739-3693. Stay tuned to monarchsbaseball.com. and the Monarchs Facebook and Twitter pages for updates throughout the season.

WP: Thorpe (7-1)

LP: Pulido (1-5)

S: McGrane (13)

Boxscore

BY: KAITLYN SANDERS

MONARCHS COLLECT DOUBLE DIGIT WIN

/in /by

The Kansas City Monarchs (42-22) pummeled the Sioux Falls Canaries (24-38) Wednesday night at Legends Field. The Monarchs beat the Canaries in a commanding 16-2 victory.

The Monarchs offense exploded early. Matt Adams led off the inning with a double over left fielder Angelo Altavilla. Casey Gillaspie followed up the at-bat with a single to right field, but an error made by right fielder Aaron Takacs allowed Adams to score and advance Gillaspie to third. A sacrifice fly from J.C. Escarra scored Gillaspie and gave Kansas City an early 2-0 lead over the Canaries.

Pete Kozma kept the offense going as he roped a double off the left field wall. Alexis Olmeda brought him in with an RBI-single up the middle. After Darnell Sweeney worked a walk, Chad De La Guerra hit a three-run bomb to right-center field. The Monarchs went on to score three more runs and finished the inning with eight hits and a 9-0 lead over the Canaries.

Sioux Falls scraped across a run in both the third and fourth innings on RBI’s from Gavin LaValley and Jabari Henry to make it 2-9.

The Monarchs onslaught continued in the bottom of the fourth. Kozma drove in Gillaspie with a sacrifice fly to left field. RBI’s from Willie Abreu, Darnell Sweeney, and David Thompson gave Kansas City a 13-2 lead after four innings of play.

The Monarchs continued to steamroll the Canaries. In the bottom of the fifth, Kozma notched an RBI-single to score Gillaspie. Two innings later, Escarra doubled and was quickly brought home on an RBI-single from Abreu. Kansas City tacked on another run in the eighth as Adams drove in Sweeney with a single to left field. After eight innings of play, the Monarchs led 16-2.

Brian Glowicki made his season debut for the Monarchs in the ninth inning. He made quick work of the Canaries, striking out two and retiring the side to end the game.

The Monarchs will look to sweep the Sioux Falls Canaries tomorrow night (6/28) at 7:00 p.m. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the video stream airing on aabaseball.tv.

Tickets to all Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com. For additional information or interview requests, members of the media may contact the Monarchs Media Relations Department at (817) 739-3693. Stay tuned to monarchsbaseball.com. and the Monarchs Facebook and Twitter pages for updates throughout the season.

 

WP: Gilliam (4-1)

LP: Garkow (1-6)

S: N/A

LISTEN TO ALL MONARCHS GAMES LIVE ON THE MONARCHS BROADCAST NETWORK

MONARCHS CAGE THE CANARIES

/in /by

The Kansas City Monarchs (41-22) pitching staff was on full display Tuesday night at Legends Field. They threw a combined shutout in a 1-0 win over the Sioux Falls Canaries (24-37).

Matt Hall started on the bump for Kansas City. He kept the Canaries off their rhythm all night. Hall earned a quality start, threw six scoreless innings, and collected seven strikeouts. The left-hander also allowed just three hits during his tenure.

The Monarchs threatened in the second inning. With two outs, Pete Kozma roped a line drive down the left field line for a stand-up double. Alexis Olmeda followed up Kozma’s at bat with a walk. Willie Abreu dug in and hit a soft chopper up the middle which he beat out for an infield single. Kansas City was unable to bring in any runs and after two innings of baseball, the game remained tied at zero.

The Monarchs finally broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth. David Thompson worked a walk to bring up Matt Adams. The designated hitter hit a towering fly ball that dropped out in no man’s land in right-center field. Thompson’s heads-up baserunning brought him to third base. Casey Gillaspie followed up the at-bat with a sacrifice fly to center field to score Thompson and give the Monarchs a 1-0 lead.

Willie Abreu had a sensational night. He finished his night 3-4 from the plate and accounted for three of the Monarchs seven hits. Abreu was also impressive in the field as he made a spectacular diving catch towards the left field line in the second inning.

Jameson McGrane toed the rubber for the Monarchs in the ninth inning. With two outs, McGrane struck out John Nestor to end the game and earn his 12th save of the season.

The Monarchs will continue their homestand with game two against the Sioux Falls Canaries tomorrow night (6/27) at 7:00 p.m. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the video stream airing on aabaseball.tv.

Tickets to all Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com. For additional information or interview requests, members of the media may contact the Monarchs Media Relations Department at (817) 739-3693. Stay tuned to monarchsbaseball.com. and the Monarchs Facebook and Twitter pages for updates throughout the season.

WP: Hall (5-2)

LP: Lang (1-3)

S: McGrane (12)

Boxscore

By: GABRIEL LOPEZ

THE COMEBACK KIDS

/in /by

It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. The Kansas City Monarchs (40-22) finished strong Sunday afternoon against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (41-21), defeating them 10-7. The Monarchs were down five runs through six innings of baseball. A late nine-run seventh inning propelled Kansas City over Fargo-Moorhead, who still sits in first in the West Division.

The RedHawks didn’t waste any time early. In the bottom of the first, Peter Maris worked a walk. Leobaldo Pina followed with an RBI-double to left center field. A few batters later, Rymer Liriano walked to bring up Ben Livorsi who roped a double to score two more runs for Fargo-Moorhead and give them an early 3-0 lead.

J.C. Escarra hammered a two-out double in the top of the second, but the Monarchs couldn’t bring him in as they still trailed by three runs.

The RedHawks continued to add onto their lead. After Nick Novak singled to left field, he quickly stole second base. Evan Alexander worked a walk to bring Peter Maris to the plate. Maris tallied an RBI-single to right field to score Novak. Pina followed up the at-bat with an RBI of his own. After two innings of baseball, the RedHawks led 5-0 over the Monarchs.

Davis Feldman started on the mound for the RedHawks. He earned a quality start, allowing three runs through six innings of work.

In the seventh inning, the Monarchs offense got hot. After Casey Gillaspie walked, Chad De La Guerra belted a two-run bomb to cut Kansas City’s deficit to three runs. Following the long ball, J.C. Escarra, Pete Kozma, and Willie Abreu all collected hits to bring another run home and make it a 3-5 ballgame. Kevin Santa roped an RBI-single to right field to make it 4-5. The Monarchs tied the game at five when Casey Gillaspie worked a bases-loaded walk, collecting his fourth walk of the day. Kansas City added four more insurance runs and finished the seventh with seven hits, four walks, nine runs, and a 9-5 lead over the RedHawks.

In the top of the eighth inning, David Thompson hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Darnell Sweeney and extend Kansas City’s lead, 10-5.

The RedHawks closed the gap in the bottom of the eighth as they scored two runs on RBI’s from Nick Novak and Christian Correa. After eight innings of play, the Monarchs led 10-7 over the RedHawks.

Jameson McGrane entered the match in the bottom of the ninth. McGrane retired three straight RedHawks to end the game and earn his 11th save of the year.

The Monarchs are back in action for a three-game homestand against the Sioux Falls Canaries Tuesday night (7/26). The game will start at 7:00 p.m. and can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the video stream airing on aa baseball.tv.

Tickets to all Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com. For additional information or interview requests, members of the media may contact the Monarchs Media Relations Department at (817) 739-3693. Stay tuned to monarchs baseball.com. and the Monarchs Facebook and Twitter pages for updates throughout the season.

WP: Brock Gilliam (4-1)

LP: Luke Lind  (4-2)

S:  Jameson McGrane (11)

Boxscore

By: GABRIEL LOPEZ

MONARCHS OFFENSE GROUNDED IN FARGO

/in /by

Untimely walks, wild pitches, and errors plagued the Kansas City Monarchs (39-22) as they weren’t able to fly with Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, losing 4-2 on the road on Saturday night. Jon Harris provided a strong start on the mound for Kansas City, with five innings pitched, allowing only three hits and two runs on the day. The RedHawks bullpen ultimately shut down the Monarchs offense, allowing only five hits and two runs for the game.

RBIs and hits proved to be scarce throughout Saturday night; through five innings, Kansas City and Fargo-Moorhead combined for only six hits, four runs and one RBI. In the first inning, the Monarchs stole a run via heads up baserunning from David Thompson. Following two strikeouts from RedHawk starter Tanner Riley, Thompson drew a walk and stole second and third base. Thompson eventually scored from third after a wild pitch. The Monarchs threatened again with two outs but were not able to capitalize with runners on second and third base. Jon Harris received the start for Kansas City and retired the RedHawks in order, picking up his first strikeout of the night.

Both offenses stayed quiet in the early innings, as the RedHawks brought in reliever, Brady Stover, to pitch in the second. Stover stifled the Monarchs’ offense in the second, third, and fourth innings. Stover recorded four strikeouts, allowed two hits, and one run in four innings of work. Jon Harris matched Stover’s efforts on the mound with two hitless and scoreless innings in the second and third, as he retired five batters in a row between the two frames. In the fourth inning, the RedHawks made the most of a two-out single from Ben Livorsi. Harris walked John Silviano early in the fourth, allowing him to reach third base on Livorsi’s single. With runners at first and third base, Sam Dexter put the RedHawks on the board with an RBI single. On Dexter’s single, Livorsi reached third base. With Livorsi on third base, Nick Novak stepped up to the plate, looking to break the tie. Novak struck out on a dropped third strike but reached first and Livorsi scored, giving the RedHawks a 2-1 lead after four innings.

In the fifth inning, the Monarchs battled back, starting with Darnell Sweeney who reached second base on a fielder’s choice and an error by the shortstop Sam Dexter. With Sweeney on second base with two outs, Kevin Santa’s timely infield single helped Sweeney advance to third base. With David Thompson at the plate, an untimely wild pitch from Stover allowed speedy Darnell Sweeney to tie the game up, 2-2. Jon Harris settled back in on the mound for Kansas City, retiring Fargo-Moorhead in order behind strong defensive play from Casey Gillaspie.

Joe Jones replaced Stover on the mound for the RedHawks, holding the Monarchs scoreless via a key inning ending 4-6-3 double play. Harris remained on the mound for Kansas City to start the bottom of the sixth inning before surrendering a leadoff single to SIlviano. With Silviano on first, Kansas City called upon Brandon Koch to replace Harris on the mound. Brandon Koch struck out three in the inning, allowing only one hit and no runs.

Seven pitches in the top of the seventh inning was all that it took for Jones to retire the bottom half of the Monarchs lineup in order, holding the score all even at 2-2. Similar to the sixth, Koch faced the first batter but was replaced after surrendering a hit-by-pitch at-bat to the leadoff RedHawk, Christian Correa. Jordan Martinson entered for Koch on the mound, securing a fielder’s choice to start his outing, and striking out the next batter he faced to get two outs in the inning. Evan Alexander, who reached first on the fielder’s choice, stole second base, eliminating the force out at second base. David Thompson fielded a ground ball on a high hop off the turf at third base but was unable to make a clean throw to first, allowing Alexander to score. The RedHawks led 3-2 heading into the eighth inning.

In the eight inning, the Monarchs top of the order went down in order, with Joe Jones pitching one more impactful inning for Fargo-Moorhead from the bullpen. In the bottom of the eighth, the RedHawks added a much needed insurance run off of reliever Jordan Martinson before Kansas City called upon Jacob Lindgren to hold the score at 4-2. Alex DuBord entered in the ninth to attempt to secure the save for the RedHawks. Down to their final three outs in the ninth inning, the Monarchs managed a two-out double from Chad De La Guerra. With the tying run at the plate, J.C. Escarra struck out looking to end the game, giving DuBord his seventeenth save of the season.

The Monarchs are all set to take on the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks in the final game of the three-game series tomorrow night at Newman Outdoor Field with the first pitch at 1:00 p.m. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 12:30 p.m. and the video stream airing on aabaseball.tv.

Tickets to all Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com. For additional information or interview requests, members of the media may contact the Monarchs Media Relations Department at (817) 739-3693. Stay tuned to monarchsbaseball.com. and the Monarchs Facebook and Twitter pages for updates throughout the season.

WP: Jones (3-1)

LP: Koch (2-2)

S: DuBord (17)

Boxscore

By: CALEB GRIZZLE

MONARCHS HOLD ON FOR NAIL BITING WIN

/in /by

The Kansas City Monarchs (39-21) held on to defeat their division rival Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (40-20) with a 6-4 final score. Alexis Olmeda propelled the offense with a three-run shot in the sixth, but the RedHawks did not go down without a fight. The Monarchs are now just one game back of the RedHawks for the first place spot in the West Division.

Kansas City has had great success when scoring in the opening frame, and they did just so on Friday night in Fargo. Darnell Sweeney did his part by opening up the game with a leadoff single on the fourth pitch of the game. A passed ball allowed Sweeney to coast into second base. The two hole, Kevin Santa kept things going by singling and driving in Sweeney to get the Monarchs on the board first (1-0). Kansas City now has a record of 19-7 when scoring in the first inning.

The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks did not respond until the bottom of the second inning to make it 2-1. Sam Dexter hit a solo shot for the hometown RedHawks that got the fans on their feet. The home run would be the first of four between the two teams on the night.

After the early runs, both starting pitchers went on to toss three consecutive scoreless frames. In that period from the third through the fifth Lewis Thorpe tossed five of his seven strikeouts. Fargo’s starter Peyton Wigginton sat one batter down on strikes each of the three innings to keep the score at 2-1 in favor of the Monarchs.

The game was flipped after it shifted from a pitchers duel to the Alexis Olmeda show. Olmeda was facing a new arm out of the Redhawks bullpen in the sixth, but that did not phase him as the catcher stepped up to the plate and blasted a three-run home run on a 2-2 count to blow the game open (6-1).

A few moments later the RedHawks kept the long ball show going when Rymer Liriano hit his sixth home run of the season off of Lewis Thorpe (6-2).

The book was closed on Lewis Thorpe’s night in the home half of the seventh inning when he was replaced by LHP Jordan Martinson. Thorpe had a terrific outing and earned himself the quality start by tallying 6IP, 7H, 2R, 2BB, and 7K. The Australian lefty has collected 29 strikeouts in his last four starts.

Jordan Martinson’s first inning out of the bullpen did not go as planned, but he limited the damage after being helped out by his first baseman Casey Gillaspie. Gillaspie completed the 8-6-3 putout when he tagged Evan Alexander out in a run down. Two batters later, Leobaldo Pina singled to cut the deficit down to three (6-3). Martinson stayed with it by ending the inning with a huge strikeout against the highly feared John Silviano of the RedHawks.

In the eighth inning Jeremy Rhoades made his season debut for the Monarchs on his first day back with the team. Rhoades was a member of last season’s championship team. Rhoades returned to the roster after spending the time playing down in the Mexican league for the Mariachis de Guadalajara.

The RedHawks gave Rhoades a very warm welcome back to the league by sending his third pitch over the outfield wall to tighten the score at 6-4. The home run for Fargo served to be Liriano’s second blast of the game. Rhoades was able to give the defense a double-play ball and then a strikeout to end the threat.

In the final inning the Monarchs went down in order, but the RedHawks got their leadoff runner aboard via walk. The closer Jameson McGrane settled in with a huge strikeout. The next batter would pop-up to David Thompson and bring the tying runner Jordan Garr to the plate with just one out left in the game. McGrane filled up the strike zone with the game on the line, pounding the mitt on the final pitch of the game to clinch the victory for the Monarchs.

The Monarchs are slated to take on the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks in game two of the three-game set tomorrow night at Newman Outdoor Field with the first pitch at 6:00 p.m. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the video stream airing on aabaseball.tv.

Tickets to all Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com. For additional information or interview requests, members of the media may contact the Monarchs Media Relations Department at (817) 739-3693. Stay tuned to monarchsbaseball.com. and the Monarchs Facebook and Twitter pages for updates throughout the season.

WP: Thorpe (6-1)

LP: Wigginton (4-2)

S: McGrane (10)

Boxscore

By: JAXSON WEBB

MONARCHS DROP GAME THREE TO MILKMEN

/in /by

In one of the shortest games of the season, the Kansas City Monarchs (38-20) and the Milwaukee Milkmen (29-29) moseyed along to a 2-1 final score in two hours and 39 minutes.

Matt Hall held the Milkmen in the second and third innings, retiring the batters in 1,2,3 fashion with multiple Monarchs left stranded on base before the fourth inning.

After zero home runs in Tuesday night’s game, Will Kengor sent one to right field for the first run of the game, the Milkmen leading 1-0 going into the fifth.

In the sixth inning, three back-to-back singles from Corelle Prime, Will Kengor and Keon Barnum brought in Prime, extending the Milwaukee lead to 2-0.

Pete Kozma finally put the Monarchs on the board in the top of the seventh. Matt Adams doubled to left field before David Thompson was hit by a pitch to reach first. A fielder’s choice from Kevin Santa got Thompson out at second while Adams reached third. Kozma hit a single to center field and brought in Adams, cutting into the Milkmen lead, 2-1.

The last two innings were quiet ones as the Kansas City offense could not string together any offense.

Monarchs starting pitcher Matt Hall went 6.0 IP with 6 H, 2 R and 8 strikeouts in a hard luck loss. A.J. Schugel notched the win going five innings and holding KC to no runs on four hits.

The Monarchs will play the last game of this four-game series with the Milwaukee Milkmen on Thursday (7/21) evening at Franklin Field with first pitch slated for 6:35 p.m. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:05 p.m. and the video stream airing on aabaseball.tv.

Tickets to all Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com. For additional information or interview requests, members of the media may contact the Monarchs Media Relations Department at (817) 739-3693. Stay tuned to monarchsbaseball.com. and the Monarchs Facebook and Twitter pages for updates throughout the season.

WP: Schugel (2-2)

LP: Hall (4-2)

S: Benoit (2)

Boxscore