Month: April 2019

Sister Hazel to perform pre-race concert May 11 at Kansas Speedway

Calling all Hazelnuts – Sister Hazel, whose songs have been on the charts in both the rock and country genres, will perform the pre-race concert at Kansas Speedway on May 11.

The “All For You” band has been called “one of the Top 100 Most Influential Independent Performers of the last 15 years” by Performing Songwriter Magazine.

In their first showing on the country chart, they made a strong debut with “Lighter In The Dark” at No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums, and #6 on Billboard’s Independent chart.

Their most recent release “Water,” a six track EP, is Volume 1 of a collectible compilation series titled, “Elements,” and includes a bonus seventh track that will continue throughout the series. “Water” made its debut at No. 4 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart and No. 2 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart.

Pre-race passes for Saturday night, May 11, which allow up close access to the Sister Hazel concert and driver introductions are currently available online at www.kansasspeedway.com or by calling 866-460-7223. Pre-race passes must be accompanied by a grandstand ticket or RV admission. Tickets for the May 11 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race and May 10 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race are also available.

Kansas Speedway, a premier motorsports facility in the Midwest, holds two NASCAR race weekends a year, in addition to holding approximately 200 other events throughout the year. Kansas Speedway’s first race weekend of the season is in May with the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series under the lights. In the fall, the NASCAR playoffs return in with the NASCAR XFINITY Series and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. To purchase season or single day tickets, call 866-460-RACE (7223) or log onto www.kansaspeedway.com.

KCKCC coach Ross gets 600th win in sweep of Coffeyville

KCKCC head coach Lana Ross recorded her 600th coaching win Thursday, much to the delight of assistant coach Jenn Strohman, left, and members of the Blue Devil squad that swept Coffeyville 9-0 and 11-5. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Lana Ross reached another milestone in an illustrious coaching career Thursday.

A 9-0 Kansas City Kansas Community College victory over Coffeyville in the first game of a Blue Devil sweep was the 600th win in Ross’ 15 years of coaching. The Blue Devils completed the sweep with an 11-5 nightcap win.

“A lot of games, a milestone,” said the soft-spoken Ross. “I was glad it was a conference game.”

The sweep vaulted the Blue Devils (10-4) into a tie with Cowley College for second place in the Jayhawk Conference behind Johnson County (12-2) heading into a doubleheader at JCCC Saturday at noon and 2 p.m.

Shay Grosstephan (11-4) allowed just three hits and retired the Red Ravens in order in three of the five innings in the 9-0 win. She struck out two and walked none and helped her own cause with a double and single and two RBIs. Alexis Rymer also had a pair of hits and drove in three runs while Alaina Howe doubled in two.

Leading 1-0, KCKCC broke the game open with three runs in the third and five in the fourth. A double by Devin Purcell and singles by Grosstephen, Rymer and Howe scored the three runs in the third. Britney Smith’s bunt single ignited the 5-run fourth. Hannah Redick also singled and after a throwing error, Grosstephan doubled, Kaylee Arnzen singled and Rymer singled in a pair of runs.

The Blue Devils rapped out 13 hits in the 11-5 second game. Redick had two doubles and a single and Grosstephan drove in three runs with three singles to lead the way. Purcell and Arnzen each doubled and singled and Mackenzie Pinkerton and Howe both doubled to round out the 13-hit attack.

Trailing 2-0, KCKCC went ahead 3-2 in the first on singles by Redick, Grosstephan and Rymer and a double by Arnzen and added three more in the second on just two hits, a double by Purcell and single by Grosstephan. Pinkerton doubled in a run in the fourth and the Blue Devils added three more in the fifth on a double by Redick and singles by Grosstephen and Arnzen.

Pinkerton got her 12th win, scattering 10 hits, striking out six and walking four in a route-going effort.

Head coach Lana Ross spent much of Thursday waving Turner’s Gracie Gentry and other Blue Devil runners home as the Blue Devils scored 20 runs in 9-0 and 11-5 wins over Coffeyville. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

New York Red Bulls visit Sporting KC on Sunday

Two perennial playoff contenders and founding members of Major League Soccer will square off Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park when Sporting Kansas City (2-1-2, 8 points) duels the reigning Supporters’ Shield champion New York Red Bulls (1-3-1, 4 points).

Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. and tickets remain available at SeatGeek.com .

The contest will be televised nationally on FS1 and FOX Deportes, while ESPN 94.5 FM (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish) will air local radio broadcasts with The Final Whistle postgame show immediately following on Sports Radio 810 WHB.

It will be Sporting Sustainability day, with green initiatives encouraged. There will be a game T-shirt package, with an offer for an organic T-shirt made of recycled material. Fans also may bring new or used soccer gear to recycle to local youth.

Fans are encouraged to stay in their seats afterwards for a Special Olympics Unified Soccer exchange game between Special Olympics Sporting Kansas City and Special Olympics New York Red Bulls.

Sporting’s run in the 2019 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League came to a halt Thursday night in a semifinal home defeat to CF Monterrey.

Having navigated a crowded fixture list through the first month and a half of the campaign, Sporting can now direct its full attention on the MLS regular season. Sunday marks the start of a six-week stretch that will see manager Peter Vermes’ side play six of eight league matches on home soil.

Sunday’s primetime battle features two teams who have made a habit of reaching the postseason over the last decade.

New York’s nine-year playoff run is the second-longest active streak in MLS, while Sporting’s eight-year run ranks third. Both teams are also coming off historic 2018 regular season campaigns.

The Red Bulls set an MLS record for most wins (22) and points (71) in a 34-game regular season, while Sporting set a slew of scoring records en route to a first-place finish in the West.

Led by head coach Chris Armas, the Red Bulls will hope to overcome their last trip to Children’s Mercy Park in September 2017. Sporting defeated New York by a 2-1 score in the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, receiving the game-winning goal from forward Daniel Salloi, to win the tournament for the third time in six years and deny the Red Bulls their first major cup trophy.

Despite their consistently stellar performances over the course of 2018, the Red Bulls fell short of reaching MLS Cup last winter and have started the new season slowly.

The reigning Supporters’ Shield winners have lost three straight league games for the first time in two years and have lost five of six in all competitions, including a quarterfinal defeat to Santos Laguna in the Concacaf Champions League.

New York’s recent slide doesn’t detract from the fact that Bradley Wright-Phillips, Kaku and Daniel Royer spearhead a formidable attack.

Wright-Phillips has scored 106 regular-season goals since 2014, 40 more than any other player, while Kaku amassed six goals and 14 assists in his debut MLS season last year. Royer has led the way thus far in 2019 with a team-best four goals and two assists in all competitions.

Facing a Red Bulls outfit that has failed to keep a clean sheet in seven straight matches, Sporting will look to cash in and extend their regular-season home unbeaten run to nine.

Krisztian Nemeth (eight goals), Gerso Fernandes (four goals, four assists) and Johnny Russell (three goals, four assists) have all shown solid productivity in front of goal, and on an even brighter note, Salloi returned Thursday after missing almost a month with an ankle injury.

  • Story from Sporting KC