Monarchs Fall Short, Explorers Snatch First Game of the Set

Kansas City, KS — It was a night where the Monarchs could not get over the hump and fell to the Sioux City Explorers, 4-3, on Friday night.

Sioux City got in front in the first inning and never surrendered the lead. Leadoff hitter, Austin Davis singled and followed it up with two stolen bases to put himself at third. It was Braulio Vasquez who shot a sacrifice fly to center field and brought in Davis to score.

The Monarchs responded with a solo homer from Austin Callahan where he muscled one over the opposite field fence in the second frame. It was the Nebraska native’s first home run of the season to put the game at one apiece.

Dakota Chalmers earned the nod on the mound. The former A’s prospect went five innings while giving up three runs, but he located the zone and found himself with five K’s.

The story of the night was home runs and thats exactly what Sioux City did in the top of the fifth. After Zane Denton walked, this brought in Elliot Good who belted a two-run bomb over the left field wall to take a 3-1 lead. The Explorers kept the momentum rolling in the sixth inning after Alberto Osuna walked and Jackson Van De Brake recorded a base hit. This allowed Denton to rip a hard ground ball into left field while Osuna scored to add on another tally.

It was Monarchs outfielder, Trevor Boone, who hammered his third home run this season when he cracked one into left field in the bottom half of the sixth. The Monarchs plated a run in the seventh inning after Hudson Head and Marcus Smith walked. This brought up Sahid Valenzuela who sent a ball into center field and Head raced home from second to cut it to a one-run game.

Unfortunately that was the last time either team scored as the Monarchs finished the night six hits and eight runners stranded on base.

The Monarchs will look to even up the series when these two teams go right back at it for the second game tomorrow night. First pitch is at 6:35 at Legends Field.