Patrick Pridgen

Monarchs Win Nail-Biter To Split Doubleheader

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Patrick Pridgen

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Patrick Pridgen threw 3.1 perfect innings in relief, Blake Rutherford drove in two runs and the Kansas City Monarchs outlasted the Sioux City Explorers 3-2 in 10 innings to secure a doubleheader split Thursday night from Lewis and Clark Park.

Rutherford’s sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th scored John Nogowski with the eventual game-winning run in the nightcap. Rutherford provided the night’s biggest defensive play with a diving catch for the final out of the 10th inning.

The Explorers (47-25) walked off the Monarchs 9-8 in the opening game, a continuation from a game that was suspended Wednesday night due to rain. Luis Toribio hit a game-tying grand slam in the first batter of Thursday’s action, and a sacrifice fly from Torin Montgomery drove in the winning run later in the inning.

The Monarchs (41-31) jumped out to an early lead in the second game. Micah Pries hit an RBI double to score Jorge Bonifacio and make it 1-0 in the top of the first.

Kansas City doubled their lead on a two-out RBI single from Rutherford in the third.

The Explorers plated runs on two-out singles in the third and sixth innings. Abdiel Layer’s RBI knock in the sixth chased Monarchs starter Josh Hendrickson from the game.

The left-hander tossed 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He walked four and struck out seven.

Sioux City starter Austin Drury allowed two runs in 6.1 innings, scattering nine hits and three walks while striking out five. He threw 112 pitches.

Pridgen took over for Hendrickson and retired all 10 batters he faced, four via strikeouts. That set the stage for the 10th and Rutherford’s go-ahead sac fly.

Steffon Moore tossed a perfect 10th inning to earn the save for Kansas City.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs head home for a weekend series against the Sioux Falls Canaries starting Friday night at 6:35 p.m. Blake Goldsberry will start for Kansas City against Sioux Falls’ Tanner Brown. Fans can watch the game on KSMO-TV.

Monarchs Fall In Resumed Game, Second Game Suspended

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa — On a strange and soggy night in Sioux City, the Kansas City Monarchs walked away with one loss and one potential win.

The Sioux City Explorers beat Kansas City 4-2 in the continuation of a game suspended due to rain Tuesday. The regularly-scheduled game, a seven-inning contest, was suspended in the bottom of the eighth with the Monarchs leading 8-4.

The game will resume Thursday night at 6:05 p.m. with the bases loaded, none out, and Sioux City outfielder Zac Vooletich at the plate representing the tying run.

The regularly-scheduled matchup Thursday night will be a nine-inning game and will start at 7:05 p.m.

A Micah Pries grand slam capped off a six-run Monarchs eighth inning in the second game, played in a driving rain. The game had gone to extras after Sioux City rallied for two runs to tie the score in the seventh.

Julian Garcia allowed one hit through his first six innings before running into trouble in the seventh frame. Torin Montgomery knocked an RBI double to center off Garcia to tie the game.

In the opening game, Jorge Bonifacio homered to give Kansas City a 2-1 lead in the sixth, but Sioux City scored two unearned runs in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead for good.

UP NEXT

Josh Hendrickson will start for Kansas City against Sioux City’s Austin Drury in the regularly-scheduled game Thursday.

Monarchs Game In Sioux City Suspended

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The Kansas City Monarchs’ game with the Sioux City Explorers has been suspended due to heavy rain with the game tied at one in the top of the fifth inning.

The game will be completed as part of a doubleheader Wednesday night. The game will resume at 5:05 p.m. and will be played to nine regulation innings. Wednesday’s regularly-scheduled game will follow about 30 minutes later. Per American Association rules, the second game will be scheduled for seven innings.

The Monarchs took a first-inning lead Tuesday after Jorge Bonifacio lined a double down the left-field line and later scored on an RBI ground ball from Robbie Glendinning, his 46th run driven in of the year.

Sioux City tied the game in the bottom half of the first on a sacrifice fly from D’Shawn Knowles to score Austin Davis. With the Explorers’ speedy runners causing havoc on the basepaths, Henry George was thrown out at home plate in a 7-5-4-2 double play to prevent further damage in the inning.

Starters Ashton Goudeau (Kansas City) and Peniel Otano (Sioux City) allowed one combined hit in the second through fourth innings. The rain came with one out in the top of the fifth with the bases empty and one man out. Ryan Leitch will be the first hitter when the game resumes Wednesday.

Saul Garza

Monarchs Sign All-Star Former Royals Prospect

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — An All-Star catcher and former Royals prospect is joining the Kansas City Monarchs for the stretch run.

Saul Garza, who played in last year’s Mexican League All-Star Game, comes to Kansas City on loan from LMB’s Veracruz.

The 27-year-old is in his fifth pro season. He signed with the Royals out of LSU in 2020 and reached Triple-A with the organization in 2022. He’s played the last three seasons in the Mexican League.

Across 38 LMB games so far this season, Garza sports a .257 average and .912 OPS with eight home runs and 22 RBIs.

“Saul Garza is a really good player with a great pedigree who’s played many years at a high level,” Monarchs manager Joe Calfapietra said. “We think his skill set will be really effective for us moving ahead in to the stretch run. We’re excited to see him play for our ball club.”

A native of Edinburg, Texas, Garza made his college debut at Howard College, hitting .378 with 23 home runs and earning all-region honors.

That landed him a spot with LSU, one of the top programs in America. He hit .303 with the Tigers in 2019 with an .834 OPS in 50 games. That included impressive performances in the SEC Tournament and Baton Rouge Regional, where he was named to both events’ All-Tournament teams.

Garza, whose first name is pronounced sa-OOL, joined the Royals organization in 2020 as an undrafted free agent. The MLB Draft that season was shortened to just five rounds due to the pandemic.

Over 85 games in the Royals system, Garza sports a .240 batting average, .681 OPS, three home runs, 21 doubles and three stolen bases. He played two games with Triple-A Omaha in 2022, his final season with the organization.

Garza batted .276 with an .826 OPS in 2024 between two Mexican League teams, earning him his All-Star nod.

In a corresponding move, Monarchs catcher Joshuan Sandoval was released Tuesday.

The Monarchs (40-29) enter a crucial road series with the Sioux City Explorers starting Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. from Lewis and Clark Park. Fans can tune in on The Bet KC 1660 AM and the Audacy app.

Glendinning Leads Monarchs To Dramatic Win

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GENEVA, Ill. — Robbie Glendinning hit two home runs to lead the Kansas City Monarchs to a dramatic 9-7 win over the Kane County Cougars Sunday at Northwestern Medicine Field.

Glendinning tied the game with a solo shot in the sixth inning, helping erase an early 3-0 Cougars lead. He capped off a four-run ninth for the Monarchs with a two-run blast, his 13th of the season.

The Monarchs took a 5-3 lead in the seventh, only for Kane County to tie the score in the bottom of the inning. Glendinning’s blast made it 9-5 in the ninth, allowing the Monarchs to hold on for the victory.

BOX SCORE

Kansas City (40-29) is the third American Association team to record its 40th win this season.

Monarchs starter Daniel Martinez delivered one of his most impressive starts of the season, striking out nine across six innings. The California native retired 10 straight hitters at one point including a string of five straight strikeouts.

The Cougars (31-36) jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings. Kansas City plated their first run in the third on a two-out double from Jorge Bonifacio, one of two RBIs for the former Royal.

Jaylyn Williams made it 3-2 with a two-out RBI single in the fourth, and Glendinning’s first home run leveled the score at three in the sixth.

Cougars starter Westin Muir threw five solid innings, allowing two runs on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts.

Kansas City took a 5-3 lead in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk from Bonifacio and a sacrifice fly from Micah Pries.

Three straight extra-base hits tied the game back up for Kane County, with Josh Allen and Marcus Chiu contributing RBI knocks.

The Monarchs took the lead against Cougars closer Jake Gozzo. Micah Pries hit a two-run single that deflected off Gozzo’s lower body to make it 7-5, setting the stage for Glendinning’s second home run.

Marcus Chiu hit a two-run homer of his own in the bottom of the ninth, but Jeff Hakanson retired the next two men he faced to end the game.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs have Monday off before heading to Sioux City for a crucial three-game series against the division rival Explorers. Tuesday’s game starts at 7:05 p.m. on The Bet KC 1660 AM and the Audacy app.

Monarchs Drop Walk-Off Heartbreaker In Kane County

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GENEVA, Ill. — Todd Lott hit a walk-off grand slam over the scoreboard in the bottom of the ninth and the Kane County Cougars stunned the Kansas City Monarchs 6-4 Saturday night from Northwestern Medicine Field.

The Monarchs took a 4-2 lead into the ninth inning after scoring three in the seventh, all on wild pitches. It was the first time all season the Monarchs had lost a game where they led after eight innings.

Kansas City (39-29) sits in third in the American Association West, five games out of first place. They’ll look to salvage the final game of the four-game series Sunday afternoon.

The Monarchs took the lead in the first. Yoyner Fajardo singled to begin the game, stole second and scored on an RBI single from Micah Pries. Pries has reached base safely in all 10 of his games with the Monarchs this season.

Kane County (31-35) moved in front in the bottom of the first, plating a pair of runs on RBI singles from Lott and Alex McGarry. McGarry went 1-for-3 with a walk in his first game with Kane County this season after the Monarchs traded him to make room for Fajardo on the roster.

Monarchs starter Blake Goldsberry settled in after that, throwing six-plus innings and allowing two runs (one earned). He walked one and struck out five, leaving with a no-decision.

Cougars starter Konnor Ash breezed through his first six frames but ran into trouble in the seventh. After a high throw negated a potential inning-ending double play, he walked back-to-back hitters to load the bases.

With Ryan Leitch at the plate, Ash threw three straight wild pitches to allow the Monarchs to take the lead.

Steffon Moore got four outs to bridge the gap to Monarchs closer Hunter McMahon, who came on for a five-out save. He worked a clean eighth, allowing only an infield single, before surrendering two hits and a walk in the ninth.

That included Lott’s homer, his sixth of the season. It was McMahon’s first blown save of the year.

UP NEXT

Daniel Martinez will start the series finale for the Monarchs against Kane County right-hander Westin Muir. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. Fans can tune in on The Bet KC 1660 AM and Facebook Live.

Cougars Edge Monarchs In Thriller

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GENEVA, Ill. — Baseball is a game of inches, and the Kansas City Monarchs came up a few inches short Friday night.

The Kane County Cougars brought across two key runs on close plays at the plate in a 3-2 victory over the Monarchs at Northwestern Medicine Field.

Oscar Santos scored the go-ahead run in the seventh on an RBI single from Trendon Craig, getting in just ahead of the tag from Kansas City catcher Ryan Leitch. It would hold up as the game winner in a tight, tense affair.

Alvaro Gonzalez delivered a pair of RBI singles for the Monarchs in his return to the starting lineup. Yoyner Fajardo made an impressive catch at the left-field wall in his Kansas City debut.

The Cougars took the early lead in the second on a solo home run from Armond Upshaw, his fifth of the season.

Marcus Chiu knocked an RBI double in the third to score Darryl Jackson on a very close play at home plate, making it 2-0 Cougars.

Gonzalez’s RBI knocks came in the fourth and sixth, the latter tying the game. The Monarchs loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but did not score.

Kansas City starter Josh Hendrickson allowed three runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings of work. He walked three and struck out six.

Cougars starter Jack Fox exited with a no-decision, giving up two runs (one earned) on seven hits with one walk and one strikeout.

Jake Gozzo got the final four outs of the game to earn the save for Kane County.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs and Cougars continue their four-game series Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. Blake Goldsberry will start for Kansas City against Kane County’s Konnor Ash, who was the starting pitcher for the East Division in the league All-Star Game last week. Fans can tune in to the game on The Bet KC 1660 AM and Facebook Live.

Triple-A Speedster Fajardo Signs With Monarchs

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A leadoff bat with elite speed has signed with the Kansas City Monarchs.

The Monarchs are welcoming utility man Yoyner Fajardo to the squad, the four-time league champions announced Friday.

Fajardo, 26, is a former Pirates, Twins and Mariners prospect who played 49 games with Double-A Arkansas earlier this season. His speed has turned heads throughout his career, including a 50-steal season in 2023 while in the Twins organization.

“Yoyner Fajardo is a great pickup for us,” Monarchs manager Joe Calfapietra said. “He’s a high-OBP, high-average guy with speed, and he can play infield and outfield. He gives us a speed element to our lineup that I think we’re lacking a bit. I think he’s really going to help our ball club.”

Fajardo is expected to make his Monarchs debut in their game against Kane County Friday night. In a corresponding move, outfielder Alex McGarry was traded to the Cougars for a player to be named later.

The Monarchs (39-27) hold the second-best record in the American Association with a little over a month left in the regular season.

Fajardo is in his seventh pro season and will make his Partner League debut with the Monarchs. He owns a career .367 on-base percentage in the minor leagues.

Originally a Pirates prospect, Fajardo rose to High-A with Pittsburgh before the Twins claimed him in the minor league Rule 5 Draft following the 2022 season.

The Santo Domingo native was named an MiLB.com Organization All-Star with the twins in 2023, batting .305 with an .820 OPS to go with his 50 steals.

Fajardo was traded back to the Pirates in June 2024 and moved to the Mariners organization as a free agent last offseason. In 49 Double-A games in 2025 he posted a .248 batting average and .615 OPS with 11 stolen bases.

He also has two years of experience in the Dominican winter league with Gigantes.

The Monarchs’ next home game is Friday, August 1st for a Fireworks Friday game at Legends Field. Fans can find tickets and more information at MonarchsBaseball.com.

Pries’ Big Game Not Enough For Monarchs

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GENEVA, Ill. — Micah Pries knocked three hits and Robbie Glendinning drove in two, but the Kansas City Monarchs dropped their second-half opener to the Kane County Cougars Thursday night from Northwestern Medicine Field.

Kansas City took an early 1-0 lead but allowed nine of the next 10 runs in the defeat, both teams’ first game after the All-Star break.

The Monarchs (39-27) are four games back of first-place Sioux City in the American Association West.

Pries continued his torrid start in a Monarchs uniform with a 3-for-4 performance, collecting three singles and a walk. He’s reached base safely in all eight games he’s played with the Monarchs, batting .414 over that span.

Glendinning went 2-for-4 including a first-inning sacrifice fly and an RBI single in the third.

Julian Garcia took his second loss of the season for the Monarchs, allowing a season-high nine runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings of work.

Garcia surrendered two early home runs: a Josh Allen solo shot in the first and a two-run blast from Oscar Santos in the second. The Cougars (29-35) plated four runs in the fifth to make it 11-2 and chase Garcia from the game.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs look to bounce back Friday night in game two of the team’s four-game series. Lefty Josh Hendrickson will pitch for Kansas City against Kane County’s Jack Fox. Monarchs fans can hear the game on The Bet KC 1660 AM and watch it on Facebook Live.

Bonifacio’s Clutch Baserunning Brings Monarchs Walk-Off Win

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. – After two rain delays and extra innings, The Kansas City Monarchs got the win in a five-hour thriller.

Jorge Bonifacio scored the winning run in the 10th with some heads-up baserunning off of a grounder from Alex McGarry in a 7-6 win over the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks from Legends Field. 

“That was all Bonifacio. I hit a weak chopper up the middle, and that was all good baserunning,” McGarry said. “That’s just high baseball IQ, just bang-bang play at first, and he saw an opportunity, and I don’t know if [third base coach Christian Colón] sent him or not, but that was electric.”

Kansas City (39-26) erased a 5-1 deficit early on and rallied to tie the game in the ninth on a Micah Pries RBI single. Bonifacio’s winning run marked the Monarchs’ fourth walk-off win of the year.

A standout performance from Steffon Moore in relief put Kansas City in a position to walk off the game. Moore threw the ninth and tenth innings without allowing a hit, striking out four while walking one to earn the win.

“He’s been nasty since we picked him up,” McGarry said. “That was just more of the same for him. He’s got strikeout stuff and delivered today.”

Moore shined the brightest in the top of the tenth inning, where he struck out two and kept the bonus runner from scoring.

Kansas City took the lead in the first. Ross Adolph tripled to lead off the frame and scored on an RBI single from Jaylyn Williams. 

Then, it was the RedHawks turn. Fargo-Moorhead (34-32) scored five unanswered in the third and fourth innings to take a 5-1 lead.

The RedHawks sent nine men to the plate in a four-run fourth inning. They drew two bases-loaded walks in the frame. Dillon Thomas continued his hot hitting with a run-scoring single, one of two RBIs in the contest for the former major leaguer.

Monarchs starter Ashton Goudeau left the game in the fourth without recording an out in the inning. He was charged with five runs on three hits with six walks and four strikeouts. 

The Monarchs stormed back in the fifth with a four-run frame of their own Andres Noriega hit a two-run home run, his first as a Monarch, to cut the deficit in half. Robbie Gledinning and Jorge Bonifacio each drove in runs with two-out singles to tie it. 

The game stopped due to rain after six innings with the score tied at five. After a one hour and 13 minute delay, the RedHawks came to the plate for the seventh. Fargo-Moorhead took the lead on an RBI single from Hunter Clanin. The knock drove in Michael Hallquist who had tripled earlier in the inning.

At the seventh inning stretch, the game went into another rain delay. After 18 minutes, the game was back on.

Pries’ clutch single in the ninth set up extra innings, setting the stage for Bonifacio’s winning move. 

UP NEXT

Kansas City’s All Stars head to Fargo-Moorhead for the All Star Game on Tuesday. Robbie Glendinning is set to compete in the Home Run Derby Monday night. After the all star break, the Monarchs are set to travel to Kane County.