Month: July 2022

KC Current travels to Houston tonight

The Kansas City Current are on the road for the first time in over a month as the team travels to play the Houston Dash at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 1.

The match will be broadcast locally on KMCI, 38 the Spot and stream on Paramount+.

The Kansas City Current (2-4-3, 9 points) is on a run of good form entering its first match of July.

The Current are on a four-game undefeated streak with a 2-0-2 record since May 30. Most recently, Kansas City played a 2-2 draw with the Chicago Red Stars on June 18.

Forward Kristen Hamilton gave Kansas City the lead initially in the eighth minute, her team-leading fourth of the regular season. After falling behind 2-1 in the second half, recently acquired forward CeCe Kizer leveled the match in the second half with a strike from just outside the penalty box.

The Houston Dash (4-2-3, 15 points) is coming off a high-scoring, end-to-end match against the North Carolina Courage that saw the team hold on for a 4-3 victory on June 19. The Dash have allowed seven goals in its last two matches. Houston added to its roster this week, acquiring forward Ebony Salmon in a trade with Racing Louisville on June 27.

Hamilton making history

Hamilton has been an offensive leader in her first full season with Kansas City after being acquired in a mid-season trade last summer. In the eighth minute of Kansas City’s match against the Red Stars on June 18, Hamilton set a club record for most goals in a regular season with her fourth score this year.

The Littleton, Colorado, native has scored nine goals in all competitions in 2022 (also a club record), including crucial goals in Kansas City’s last three matches. Two of those goals came from set pieces, while the third was the winning strike in the Current’s 1-0 win over NJ-NY Gotham FC on June 11.

New facility

Despite not playing a game in the last two weeks, Kansas City has seen plenty of action.

On Wednesday, June 22, Kansas City officially unveiled its $18 million training facility in Riverside, Missouri, the first purpose-built facility constructed specifically for a National Women’s Soccer League team. The facility is player-first, and Current players will now have access to elite weight, cardio and recovery assets as well as a high-performance chef and locally sourced menus. The facility was privately financed by club ownership and designed by Generator Studio and Monarch Build, a female-owned construction firm.

Players to watch

Kansas City Current midfielder Kate Del Fava —Del Fava has had a breakout season in 2022 as a regular part of Kansas City’s on-field rotation, playing in nine games with six starts and 561 minutes played. She has been dangerous going forward as well, with five key passes and three total shots on target. Del Fava has been utilized both as an outside and central midfielder in Kansas City’s last four matches.

Houston Dash midfielder Elizabeth Eddy — Houston’s roster took a significant hit over the international break, with seven players not expected to return until late July due to international competition. Enter midfielder Elizabeth Eddy. She started and scored two goals against North Carolina before the break. Following her brace, the 30-year-old midfielder could feature in some capacity against the Current.

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Cleburne overwhelms Monarchs, 14-5

Lewis Thorpe of the Kansas City Monarchs pitched against the Cleburne Railroaders Thursday night at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas, in the Monarchs 14-5 loss. (Photo by John Ellis, Kansas City Monarchs)

Thursday night was the Chase Simpson show. The Railroaders’ third baseman finished the night 4-5 with three home runs and six RBIs.

His incredible performance helped the Cleburne Railroaders (14-29) defeat the Kansas City Monarchs (27-16) in a commanding 14-5 victory at Legends Field.

Cleburne jumped on the scoreboard early as Chase Simpson led off the second inning with a solo home run to center field.

Kevin Hilton started on the mound for the Railroaders. He was cruising through the first three innings, retiring nine straight batters.

Hilton could not retire ten in a row as Matt Adams belted a towering home run to right-center field, marking his fourth long ball in the past five games. Gaby Guerrero immediately followed the solo shot with one of his own to give the Monarchs a 2-1 lead.

The Railroaders tied the ballgame at two in the fifth inning when Chuck Taylor drove an RBI-single to left field.

After a scoreless fifth from Kansas City, Cleburne started to pour it on the Monarchs in the sixth. Simpson led off the inning with a solo home run to left field, notching his second home run of the night.

Four hits, three walks, and five runs later, Simpson stepped up and launched a grand slam over the home run patio to gather his third home run of the night. After the top half of the inning, the Railroaders led 12-2.

The Monarchs scored two runs the next two innings. Jan Hernandez hit a solo home run to left field in the sixth while Sweeney drove in Chad De La Guerra in the seventh as the Monarchs trailed 4-12.

Cleburne extended its lead in the top half of the eighth as Hector Sanchez hit a two-run bomb to center field, giving the Railroaders a 14-4 lead.


The Monarchs scored a run in the eighth inning when Matt Adams hammered an RBI-double to score Hernandez. After eight innings of baseball, Cleburne led 14-5 over Kansas City.


Michael Wong threw a scoreless ninth inning and retired Kevin Santa to end the game. The Railroaders won the four-game series, taking three of the four games against the Monarchs.

The Monarchs will continue their homestand at 7 p.m. Friday as they face the Gary SouthShore RailCats in a three-game series. Skydivers are scheduled before the game.

The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the video stream airing on aabaseball.tv.

Tickets to Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com.

Judge Griffin runs for re-election

Wyandotte County District Court Judge Wes Griffin is running for re-election to district court judge, Division 16, in the 29th Judicial District, which includes Wyandotte County.

“I am devoted to serving the Wyandotte County community and I will never stop trying to make our court system better for our residents,” Griffin stated.

“Justice is not only about helping those who have been charged with crimes but also about making sure crime victims are heard. I have spent more than 40 years making sure that criminals who put our community at risk are held accountable. Everyone is given an opportunity to be heard and second chances are given to those who deserve it but I always put our community first.”

Griffin is a past prosecutor in the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s office and was legal counsel in the legal department of the city of Kansas City, Kansas.

He was the first full-time Municipal Court judge for Kansas City, Kansas.

In his position as a judge in Wyandotte County juvenile and criminal courts he has presided over 100 trials. Griffin is currently also a judge in the Wyandotte County Drug Court Program.

“I have been a judge in the Wyandotte County Drug Court Program since it started in 2010,” Griffin said. “Drug court is a specialty court where people struggling with addiction who are facing prison time are given help with substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, housing and employment. One hundred five people have successfully graduated from the program and it has served as the model for other specialty courts in Wyandotte County, such as Behavioral Health Court and Veteran’s Court.”

Griffin is a graduate of Washington High School in Kansas City, Kansas. He attended Kansas City Kansas Community College and Washburn University and earned his juris doctor degree from Washburn University School of Law. He has been married to his wife, Joyce, for 45 years and has three children and four grandchildren. He attends St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.

He has been involved in Piper Optimist Club for over 20 years, working to provide opportunities for youth in Wyandotte County.