Month: June 2016

T-Bones beat Saltdogs, 6-1

The Kansas City T-Bones prevailed to a 6-1 win over Lincoln Tuesday night at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Neb.

The T-Bones got exactly what they needed from Jared Messer (2-0), who pitched eight innings of one-run ball, to go with five
strike outs. Aaron Baker pitched a perfect ninth, which included two strike outs.

Tyler Massey gave Kansas City the first lead of the game, with an RBI single in the first inning, which scored newly signed Tyson Gillies. Jake Blackwood doubled the lead with his sixth home run of the season.

Kansas City led 2-1 after the first inning, scored one in the second and two more runs in the third, to race out to a 5-1 lead.

Lincoln starting pitcher Ryan O’Sullivan (1-3) pitched eight plus innings, but was charged with all six runs on eight hits.

Rookie outfielder Dalton Wheat added two hits and two RBI for Kansas City.

The T-Bones (15-22) continue the three-game series with Lincoln (18-19) Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., with the action available online at www.tbonesbaseball.com.

– Story from T-Bones

Kansas attorney general asks state Supreme Court to reconsider DUI cases after recent decision

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt yesterday asked the Kansas Supreme Court to reconsider its opinions in a group of DUI cases in light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Birchfield.

The attorney general’s requests filed yesterday afternoon come after the recent U.S Supreme Court decision on three DUI-related cases, known together as Birchfield v. North Dakota, which addressed the constitutionality of criminally punishing post-arrest refusals to submit to testing to determine blood alcohol levels.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld that the Fourth Amendment permits warrantless breath tests incident to arrests for drunken driving. Additionally, the court found that there was no legal right to refuse a breath test incident to arrest and upheld a conviction for refusal to comply with the requested breath test. As a result of this decision, previous conclusions made by the Kansas Supreme Court in State v. Ryce, State v. Nece, State v. Wilson, and State v. Wycoff require reconsideration, according to Schmidt.

“The Kansas cases reached a different result that appears inconsistent with the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding,” Schmidt said. “Although the issues presented are not identical, the bottom line is the same: The U.S. Supreme Court says the U.S. Constitution allows the state to criminally punish a driver’s refusal of a breath test after a DUI arrest, and the Kansas Supreme Court has said it does not. We think the Kansas court’s conclusion must yield to that of the U.S. Supreme Court, and we have requested clarity on the matter.”

In February, the Kansas Supreme Court overturned a state statute making it a crime for a person suspected of DUI to refuse to submit to a test to determine blood-alcohol levels. The state court held that the statute as currently written violates constitutional rights.

Shortly after, Schmidt filed motions asking the Kansas Supreme Court to delay formally issuing the mandate on its decisions on the four Kansas cases, State v. Ryce, State v. Nece, State v. Wilson and State v. Wycoff, pending the outcome of the Birchfield case. Motions were later filed asking the Court to reconsider its decisions striking down the refusal statute, which effectively stayed the mandate in the cases. The Kansas Supreme Court has taken no action on the pending motions.

In March, Schmidt joined 17 other attorneys general in filing a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the Birchfield case urging the court to decide the case in a way that upholds the constitutionality of Kansas’ statutes.

Sporting KC visits Houston tonight to continue U.S. Open Cup title defense

Sporting Kansas City continues its defense of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, facing rivals Houston Dynamo in the Round of 16 at BBVA Compass Stadium. The game is set to kick off at 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on SportingKC.com.

Unbeaten in four games during the month of June, Sporting Kansas City reached the Round of 16 with a 2-1 extra time win at Minnesota United FC on June 15.

Benny Feilhaber and Christian Ramirez traded second-half penalty kicks before Diego Rubio came off the bench to score the winner in the 109th minute. Manager Peter Vermes’ men have scored multiple goals in both MLS matches since then – a 2-0 home win over FC Dallas and a 2-2 stalemate at Montreal Impact on Saturday.

Feilhaber enters Wednesday’s contest with an assist in each of Sporting Kansas City’s last three matches, and his six career assists in the U.S. Open Cup are three more than any other player in Sporting KC history.

Forward Dom Dwyer was the star on Saturday in Montreal, scoring twice to bring his team-leading total to eight goals in 2016. The 25-year-old Englishman bagged five goals during Sporting KC’s run to the 2015 Open Cup championship and is one goal shy of becoming the club’s lone leader atop the Open Cup scoring chart.

Center back Matt Besler and winger Graham Zusi have rejoined Sporting Kansas City after spending the last month with the United States Men’s National Team at Copa America Centenario. The duo last played for the club on May 21 and will be in contention feature Wednesday night as Sporting Kansas City continues its quest for a second straight U.S. Open Cup title and a fourth in team history.

The Houston Dynamo currently sit at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with 14 points from 16 games, but have just one loss in eight matches at BBVA Compass Stadium this season in all competitions. Wade Barrett’s side cruised in their U.S. Open Cup fourth round tie on June 15, burying San Antonio FC 4-0 behind goals from Mauro Manotas, Alex, Raul Rodriguez and Leonel Miranda.

While remaining tough to beat at home, the Dynamo have just two points from nine regular season road games in 2016. Their most recent setback came at the Portland Timbers on Sunday, extending Houston’s league winless run to five games. Andrew Wenger and Will Bruin gave the visitors a 2-0 halftime lead, but Portland replied with three unanswered goals in the second half to leave the Dynamo rooted at the bottom of the West.

Wednesday’s encounter is a rematch of the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal which Sporting Kansas City won 3-1 at Children’s Mercy Park. Houston won the first regular season meeting of 2016, receiving goals form Giles Barnes and Andrew Wenger in a 2-0 result at BBVA Compass Stadium in May 7. The rivals have squared off 21 times in all competitions since 2011, including five playoff games and two Open Cup meetings.

– Story from Sporting KC