July 28, 2021
By: Jason Nick

KANSAS CITY, KS — Kansas City (41-22) defeated Houston (8-55) in the second game of Wednesday’s double-header 10-2.

The Monarchs got things started on offense in the second inning with a walk by Casey Gillaspie and a single from Charcer Burks that put them at first and second, giving Colin Willis an opportunity to drive runs in. Willis doubled, driving in Gillaspie, giving the Monarchs a 1-0 lead. Willis would advance to third by tagging on a fly ball and would then score off an error by the Apollos second baseman, putting Kansas City up 2-0.

Photo credit John Ellis Kansas City Monarchs – July 28, 2021 Casey Gillaspie rounds the bases after a two run home run

The Apollos took advantage of a few mistakes from the Monarchs in the top of the third inning. Taylor Zeutenhorst advanced to first on a dropped third strike and then advanced to second on a passed ball. Jordan Pontious doubled, driving in Zeutenhorst, putting the Apollos on the board, and making it a 2-1 game.

In the bottom half of the third inning, Kansas City kept the momentum going. Ryan Grotjohn walked and Gabby Guerrero singled, putting two runners on for the Monarchs. Burks continued his hot night with a double, driving in both runners to add to their lead and making it 4-1. Burks finished two-for-three, with two RBIs.

Right-hander Ryan Newell got the start for Kansas City and had a solid outing. In three innings pitched, he gave up one hit, one run, and one walk, while striking out three.

Justin Donatella replaced Newell to start the fourth inning. He went two innings and struck out two.

Photo credit John Ellis Kansas City Monarchs – July 28, 2021 Darnell Sweeney rounds the bases after a two run home run

Kansas City continued to dominate in the fourth inning. With two runners on for the Monarchs, Morgan McCullough singled, driving in both runners to make it a 6-1 contest. Darnell Sweeney continued his hot month with a two-run home run for the Monarchs, for his 11th homer on the season, putting Kansas City up 8-1. Gillaspie knocked out a two-run homer of his own. Gillaspie, the Monarchs team leader in home runs, now has 14 on the season. After four innings, the Monarchs lead was 10-1.

Right-hander Jacob Lindgren entered the game to start the sixth inning and struck out two. Ramsey Romano finished the game in the seventh for the Monarchs. Romano gave up one run in the seventh for Houston’s second run of the game. The Monarchs pitching staff gave up a combined three hits on the day.

The Monarchs earned the win, 10-2, and have now won five in a row.

Kansas City will continue their homestand against Houston at Legends Field on Thursday night. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. with the gates opening at 5:00 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: Justin Donatella (2-0)

LP: Abdallah Aris (0-9)

S: N/A

Boxscore

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