Category: Kansas City Monarchs

by Adam Cook, Monarchs

Geneva, Illinois — The Kane County Cougars (38-36) took the series win against the Kansas City Monarchs (46-27) Saturday night by way of a shutout, securing a 3-0 win.

A big three-run fourth inning for the Cougars provided all the offense in this one, as both teams’ bullpens were lights out.

Mallex Smith got the night started right for the Monarchs, using his blazing speed to muster a leadoff infield single in the first, but the next three batters were retired in order, keeping the top of the first scoreless. Monarchs pitcher Brock Gilliam got the spot start in this one, and continued his dominance from his last time on the bump with a 1-2-3 bottom half.

In the top of the second the Monarchs’ offense made a little more noise with two walks, eventually putting runners at first and third with one out, but an untimely double play kept the game tied 0-0. In the bottom half, Jimmy Kerrigan stayed hot and led the inning off with a single, but Gilliam didn’t let that phase him and retired the next three in order.

The third inning was more of the same for the Monarchs’ bats, as Caeden Harris led the inning off with a single before the next three went down in order. On the other side of things, Gilliam stayed on top of Kane County with his second 1-2-3 inning in the first three innings.

After the Monarchs’ bats went 1-2-3 in the top of the fourth, Alexis Pantoja led off the bottom half with a leadoff single, which was followed by a walk, putting two on for Jimmy Kerrigan. Kerrigan delivered for the Cougars with an RBI double, giving Kane County the first lead of the game.

Gilliam then recorded back-to-back outs, but then back-to-back walks, walking in the second run of the game. B.J. Lopez then reached on an RBI infield single before the third out, leaving the fourth with a 3-0 lead.

The Monarchs didn’t take this lightly, however. In the top of the fifth, Kansas City loaded the bases with one out with help from a Kevin Santa double and a couple walks, which forced Cougars starting pitcher Koby Bishop from the game for relief pitcher Jack Anderson. Anderson came in and got the job done, retiring the next two batters and turning the inning over with no harm done.

Gilliam continued to show signs of fatigue in the bottom half, recording one out before allowing a walk and a single, placing runners at first and second and chasing Gilliam from the game for Jordan Martinson. Martinson had the same fate as Anderson, as he retired the next two batters in order and turned the inning over.

Anderson continued to have the number of the Monarchs’ bats in the sixth, putting up a 1-2-3 inning. Martinson continued the trend of relief pitcher dominance and also retired the side in 1-2-3 style, bringing the game to the seventh with the score still 3-0 Kane County.

Casey Gillaspie led off the top of the seventh with a walk, and then an error allowed Kevin Santa to reach first and Gillaspie to reach second with one out. Unfortunately for the Monarchs, the next two batters were sat down and KC was held scoreless. Jacob Lindgren entered on the mound for Kansas City in the beginning of the bottom half and promptly retired the side in four batters.

Ex-Monarch C.J. Carter entered for the Cougars in the top of the eighth. Jacob Robson began the inning with a single, but a flyout and double play ended the momentum and the half-inning. Friday night’s starting left fielder Brandon Koch returned to his usual role and entered on the mound for the Monarchs in the bottom of the eighth.

Koch alternated base runners and outs, allowing a walk and a single with outs after each. The fifth batter of the inning received a free pass as well, loading the bases for the man who scored against the Monarchs in the series prior, Ernie De La Trinidad. Koch delivered in the clutch, striking out the red hot bat and leaving the bases loaded.

Ryan Richardson entered on the mound to in the ninth to stave off the last chance for the Monarchs. David Thompson led the inning off with a 5-3 groundout, but J.C. Escarra drove a double and brought some life to the visitor’s dugout. The momentum was snuffed, however, as the next two batters were retired, ending the game with a final score of 3-0 Kane County.

The Monarchs will play at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 7, in an away game. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 12:30 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.

by Caleb Grizzle, Monarchs

Geneva, Illinois — The Kane County Cougars (37-36) late-game offense and home run barrage propelled them to a series-opening victory against the Kansas City Monarchs (46-26) on Friday.

The four Kane County home runs, across the sixth, seventh and eighth innings helped the Cougars snatch the lead, getting the 8-5 win over the Monarchs.

Runs and hits came at a premium early on Friday night in Kane County.

In the top of the first, the Monarchs snagged the first run of the night by capitalizing on a walk drawn by David Thompson. With a two-out RBI double from Matt Adams, Kansas City took an early 1-0 lead. Vance Worley received the start for the Cougars, striking out one, allowing one hit and one run in his first inning of work.

In the home half of the first, Nick Belzer made quick work of the Cougars, striking out one and retiring three-of-four batters on his way to his first-of-four hitless innings.

In the second inning, both offenses stayed quiet, as Kansas City went down in one, two, three fashion. Belzer continued his strong outing, mirroring his first inning of work, by retiring three of four with no runs or hits allowed.

The Monarchs grabbed another run in the third inning, which was sparked by an early baserunner, Mallex Smith. Smith, playing in his first game for Kansas City, used his MLB speed to advance to third base on a single from Darnell Sweeney. With runners on the corners, Adams picked up his second RBI of the night—this time a single to right field that snuck past the shift. The Monarchs finished the top of the third leading 2-0.

Belzer walked another Cougar in the bottom of the third inning but faced only three batters with an inning ending 5-4-3 double play.

The fourth inning followed the script of the game so far, with each pitcher retiring three of four batters and allowing no runs. Belzer’s last inning of hitless work preserved the Monarchs’ two-run lead.

In the fifth inning, the runs began to flow a bit more freely. Worley began the inning by walking Mallex Smith. Smith immediately stole two bases and set up Darnell Sweeney for an RBI sacrifice fly. The Monarchs pushed their lead to 3-0 but were unable to add anymore as Worley retired the next two Monarchs to finish his own hitless inning of work.

The Cougars and the walks finally caught up to Belzer in the fifth inning. Belzer began the bottom of the fifth by walking Sherman Johnson and surrendering his first hit of the night to Galli Cribbs Jr. A one-out single quickly erased Belzer’s no-hitter and generated momentum for Kane County. A ground ball to J.C. Escarra advanced both runners into scoring position. Ernie De La Trinidad stepped to the plate and continued his hot hitting with an RBI triple to clear the bases. With the Cougars trailing by one run, Alexis Pantoja brought De La Trinidad home and tied the game at 3-3. Belzer ended his outing with five innings pitched, three hits and three runs allowed and five walks.

Kansas City did not waste any time taking the lead back in the sixth inning with a one-out RBI double from Kevin Santa. Santa’s RBI double was set up once again by an early inning walk, as Worley walked Casey Gillaspie. Santa was thrown out on his RBI double while pushing for third base for the triple. Worley held Kane County’s deficit to one run, leaving the score at 4-3 for his final inning of work. Kane County erased the Monarchs’ lead swiftly with Frank Rubio now on the mound. A leadoff single from Jimmy Kerrigan set Dylan Busby up for a towering two-run home run off the scoreboard to take a 5-4 lead. The Cougars were not done yet as Luke Mangieri blasted a solo home run to push Kane County’s lead to 6-4.

In the top of the seventh, C.J. Carter entered for Kane County, retiring three-out-of-four Monarchs. Carter walked one, allowing no hits or runs to hold the two-run Cougar lead. Rubio continued his work in the bottom of the seventh inning. Rubio faced only four Cougars and allowed only one hit, a two-out, solo home run from Cornelius Randolph. With Randolph’s home run, Kane County led 7-4 heading into the eighth inning.

In the eighth inning, Ben Allison entered for C.J. Carter on the mound. Allison loaded the bases with two walks and a double from Casey Gillaspie. With two outs, the newest Monarch of the night, Jacob Robson, stepped up to the plate for a shot at late game heroics. Robson faced Ryan Richardson from the bullpen with the bases loaded and struck out looking to end the inning. Jeremy Rhoades entered for Rubio and picked up back-to-back strikeouts to begin the bottom of the eighth inning. With two outs, Mangieri picked up another solo home run, extending the Cougars lead to four runs. Rhoades walked one before escaping the inning, allowing one hit and one run.

In the final half inning, Ryan Richardson entered to slam the door on Kansas City’s comeback hopes. Richardson retired two Monarchs before surrendering a single to Thompson and an RBI double from Adams. Kansas City trailed by only three runs, with the tying run on deck, when Richardson retired Escarra on a 5-3 putout to erase any comeback attempt.

The Monarchs play game two of a three-game series against the Kane County Cougars at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, in an away game in Illinois.

The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:05 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.

by Caleb Grizzle, Monarchs

Ernie De La Trinidad was perfect from the plate for the Kane County Cougars (36-36) on Thursday night at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas.

De La Trinidad’s six-for-six performance at the plate with a home run, two doubles, and five RBI secured the series win against the Kansas City Monarchs (46-25). Kansas City fell to Kane County with a final score of 12-6.

The Cougars’ offense started fast in the first frame, with a leadoff home run from De La Trinidad over the right field wall to secure a 1-0 lead.

Jon Harris received the start for Kansas City and settled down after surrendering a solo home run. Harris allowed only one hit the rest of the inning, striking out one along the way to hold the Cougars to one run.

The Monarchs’ offense responded in the bottom of the first by capitalizing on two 2-out walks from starting pitcher Westin Muir.

With David Thompson and Matt Adams both on base after drawing walks, Casey Gillaspie brought them both home with an RBI double to right center field. The Monarchs’ offense was not done yet, with J.C. Escarra picking up an RBI single to right field and scoring Gillaspie. Kansas City threatened again as Escarra reached second base on an error, but Muir escaped the inning with the Cougars only trailing by two runs.

In the second inning, the newest Monarch and Overland Park, Kansas, native, Caeden Harris, made his mark on the game with a difficult catch against the wall in left field to prevent an extra base hit.

Kane County did not wait long to cut into the Monarchs’ lead. A single from Galli Cribbs Jr. set up De La Trinidad for a double and his second RBI of the night, cutting the lead to one run. The Cougars tied it with an RBI single from Alexis Pantoja, ending the inning with the score tied at 3-3.

Harris picked up his first hit as a Monarch in the bottom of the second inning, but the other Monarch bats went quiet, as Muir held them scoreless behind a 4-6-3 double play.

Kane County’s offense picked back up in the third inning with a leadoff double to left center from Jimmy Kerrigan. The Cougars wasted no time bringing Kerrigan home with a Dylan Busby home run over the right field wall.

Kane County threatened with two runners on base, but Frank Rubio replaced Harris, who left due to injury, to end the inning and hold the deficit to two runs. Kansas City again went quietly on offense in the bottom of the third, as Muir retired three of four Monarchs, allowing no hits and no runs.

In the top of the fourth, Frank Rubio worked to settle in on the mound quickly, allowing three hits but no runs courtesy of a 6-3 double play. Westin Muir once again slowed the Monarchs’ offense, this time by retiring Kansas in order to hold the score at 5-3.

Jordan Martinson entered from the Swope Health bullpen to replace Rubio. With Martinson on the mound in the fifth inning, the Cougars struck out three times and put three more runs on the board. The Cougars led 8-3 heading into the home half of the fifth.

Muir’s last inning of work came in the fifth inning as he retired three of four Monarchs to end his outing with four hits allowed, three earned runs, and two strikeouts.

The Monarchs once again called upon the bullpen with Brian Glowicki entering for Kansas City. Glowicki allowed two runs in his inning of work following an RBI double from De La Trinidad with the bases loaded, his fourth and fifth RBIs of the night. The Cougars extended their lead to 10-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth.

Jack Anderson replaced Muir on the mound for Kane County. With Anderson on the mound, the Monarchs loaded the bases with a single from Escarra, a walk drawn by Ryan Grotjohn, and a single from Alexis Olmeda. With the bases loaded and no outs, the Monarchs added two before the inning came to a close with an RBI walk from Harris and an RBI single from Kevin Santa. The Monarchs trailed 10-5, stranding three runners on base in the inning.

Kansas City secured its first one, two, three inning after Brandon Koch entered on the mound in the seventh inning, retiring the Cougars in order.

The Monarchs added one more run in the seventh inning, this time against Ben Allison. Escarra’s deep solo blast to right field cut the deficit to only four runs. Kansas City threatened to add another run with a near inside-the-park home run from Grotjohn, who was thrown out at home.

In the eighth, Koch faced only three Kane County batters, walking one, allowing no hits or runs on his way to another scoreless inning of work. Allison followed suit with his own scoreless inning of work, retiring Kansas City in order striking out one in the inning.

In the final frame, Jacob Lindgren replaced Koch for Kansas City. Kane County added two more runs after loading the bases with no outs. With the bases loaded, Sherman Johnson reached second base on a fielder’s choice and error by Olmeda, scoring two runs in the process. The Monarchs trailed 12-6 heading into the bottom of the ninth, down to their final three outs.

Ryan Richardson entered to slam the door on any comeback from Kansas City. Richardson needed only 11 pitches to force three fly outs to end the game in one, two, three fashion.

The Monarchs travel to Kane County for game one of a three game series road trip against the Kane County Cougars at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5.
The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6 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.