Category: Kansas City Monarchs

Monarchs shut out Canaries, 3-0

by Adam Cook

The Kansas City Monarchs (45-22) stayed dominant over the Canaries from Sioux Falls (24-41), completing the combined shutout behind a strong performance from starter Nick Belzer and a dominant showing from the bullpen on Saturday in South Dakota.

Belzer went four innings, allowing no runs but recording no strikeouts before a new Monarch toed the rubber each inning for the rest of the game, shutting the Canaries out 3-0.

Monarchs starting pitcher Belzer took a moment to get settled, allowing a double and a walk to the first two batters. Fortunately for Belzer and the Monarchs, he knew how to time his double play balls, as a 6-4-3 double play helped him escape the inning unscathed.

Belzer and Sioux Falls starter Cesilio Pimentel then both traded 1-2-3 innings through the top of the third.

The streak was broken by Belzer’s allowing another two-baserunner inning when John Nester and Osvaldo Martinez hit back-to-back singles. Again, Belzer worked his way out of it by way of the ground ball with back-to-back ground ball outs, escaping once again scoreless.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Canaries’ offense again showed some life with a single and a double, putting runners at the corners with two away, but Sioux Falls’ Kona Quiggle ended the inning with a foul out.

The fifth inning marked the end of the road for Belzer, as Brian Glowicki began the fifth on the bump, ending Belzer’s night with four innings pitched, five hits, no runs, and no strikeouts. Glowicki’s entrance marked the beginning of a dominant night for the Monarchs’ bullpen, as he retired the side in four batters to send the game to the sixth, where the Monarchs’ bats finally came to life.

It began with a single from Willie Abreu, turning the lineup over to the top for leadoff hitter Darnell Sweeney, who then roped a double to right field, putting runners at second and third with no outs for Kevin Santa.

Santa didn’t have to take the bat off his shoulder to give the Monarchs the first lead of the game, however, as Abreu came across the plate on a wild pitch from Pimentel, advancing Sweeney to third. After a Santa strikeout, slugger David Thompson whacked a double to left field, scoring Sweeney and making the score 2-0 Kansas City.

Back-to-back walks from the next two batters, Matt Adams and Casey Gillaspie, brought newly converted first baseman J.C. Escarra to the batter’s box in a bases loaded, one out situation, where he became the third straight Monarch to be awarded a free pass, scoring Thompson.

This was the last straw for Pimentel, as he was taken out for relief pitcher Stevie Ledesma, who promptly struck out the next two Monarchs, turning the inning over with the score 3-0 Kansas City.

Brock Gilliam, Brandon Koch and Jeremy Rhoades took over in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, and allowed a combined one baserunner, and Koch struck out the side in order.

This brought the Monarchs to the ninth inning ahead 3-0, where closer Jameson McGrane retired Zane Gurwitz, Jabari Henry and Gavin LaValley in order, securing his 14th save, the combined shutout, and the sixth straight win for the Monarchs.

The Monarchs will go for the sweep in game three of their three-game series against the Sioux Falls Canaries at 1:05 p.m. Sunday, July 31, in South Dakota. 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.

Abreu hits his way to a win for Monarchs

by Caleb Grizzle, Monarchs

The Kansas City Monarchs (44-22) continued their winning ways against the Sioux Falls Canaries (24-40) behind Willie Abreu’s strong performance at the plate on Friday in South Dakota.

Abreu finished with a home run, double and five RBIs on the night.
Abreu’s offensive onslaught propelled the Monarchs to a 6-1 win, their fifth in a row.

In the first inning, Ty Culbreth, starting pitcher for the Sioux Falls Canaries, retired the Monarchs in order, picking up his first of five strikeouts on the night.

Jon Harris received the start for the Monarchs and controlled the Canaries early, retiring three out of four batteries in the first frame.

The Monarchs offense took flight in the second inning, starting with a double from David Thompson.

Between two at-bats ending in fly outs for the Monarchs, J.C. Escarra drew a walk to reach first. Alexis Olmeda displayed patience at the plate, drawing a walk to load the bases for Abreu.
Abreu took advantage of the opportunity and cleared the bases with a double to center field. Culbreth escaped the inning by striking out Kevin Santa, but the Monarchs led 3-0 heading into the home half of the second.

In the bottom of the second, Harris picked up two strikeouts in the inning on his way to retiring three out of four Canaries once more, to hold them scoreless.

Both offenses were quiet in the third inning, as Culbreth retired three out of four Monarchs. Culbreth allowed one hit, a two-out double to David Thompson, but escaped unscathed in the inning, holding the Monarchs scoreless.

Harris continued his scoreless outing with some support from the Monarchs infield. Pete Kozma, Chad De La Guerra and Escarra teamed up to complete an inning ending 6-4-3 double play following a one-out walk.

In the fourth frame, Abreu was once again a smooth operator with two outs. With Escarra on first base, Abreu drove a deep, no-doubt-about-it blast over the right field wall. Abreu’s two-run home run pushed the Monarchs lead to 5-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth. In the home half of the sixth, the Canaries finally answered on offense with a two-out, solo home run from Trey Michalczewski to cut the deficit to four runs.

Harris walked one following the home run but struck out Kona Quiggle to end the inning.


The Canaries called upon Nate Garkow to replace Culbreth on the mound. Garkow settled in quickly, striking out the first two batters he faced before surrendering a two-out double to Thompson, Thompson’s third of the night.

The Monarchs couldn’t add to their lead as Garkow secured a scoreless inning of work, retiring Gillaspie to end the top of the fifth inning.

Harris continued his strong outing in the fifth inning, retiring the Canaries in order and picking up another strikeout on the night.

In the sixth inning, both offenses slowed down, with no runs added for either team and only two hits combined. Harris concluded his quality start with six innings of work, four hits allowed, two walks, four strikeouts, and only one earned run. The Monarchs led 5-1 heading into the seventh inning.

In the top of the seventh, Garkow, for the third inning in a row, retired three out of four Monarchs and allowed only one hit and no runs.

Jordan Martinson entered on the mound to replace Harris for Kansas City. Martinson controlled the inning on the mound with two strikeouts and no runs or hits allowed, as he retired three out of the four Canaries he faced.

The Monarchs finally scored a run with Garkow on the mound in the eighth inning after an error from Osvaldo Martinez with runners on base. The Canaries’ error came following Escarra’s double. Kansas City pushed the Monarchs lead to 6-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth.

Martinson relied upon two Monarchs in the eighth, Kozma and Escarra, to retire the side in order. Kozma and Escarra recorded three straight 6-3 putouts to hold the Canaries scoreless once more.

In the top of the ninth inning, Kansas City went down in order, as Garkow finished his night on the mound with no earned runs in five innings of relief work. Frank Rubio entered for Martinson, making quick work of the Canaries, retiring them in order to secure the win.

The Monarchs will play game two of their three-game series against the Sioux Falls Canaries at 6:05 p.m. Saturday in South Dakota. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 5:30 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.

Monarchs move into division’s first place with sweep of Canaries

by Kaitlyn Sanders, Monarchs

The Kansas City Monarchs (43-22) completed the sweep of the Sioux Falls Canaries (24-39) with a 4-2 score on Thursday night at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas.

The Monarchs now are in sole possession of first place in the West division, one game ahead of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.

Kansas City got runners on base in both the first and second innings but couldn’t bring them in. The first three innings remained scoreless.

Darnell Sweeney warmed the KC bats, going 2-for-2 and reaching third base in the bottom of the third with a triple to deep center field, but once again, the Monarchs left the batter stranded.

Jabari Henry started the fourth inning off hot as his first hit launched a solo home run to left field, giving Sioux Falls its first lead of the game and the series at 1-0.

The Monarchs came back in the fourth as Matt Adams reached second with a double off the wall in left field. J.C. Escarra then punched one deep into the home run hill in right for a two-run home run to give the Monarchs the lead, 2-1, going into the fifth.

In the bottom of the sixth, Casey Gillaspie reached first with a single to right field before Chad De La Guerra hit one to left. Pete Kozma popped a ball to right-center field to bring in Gillaspie for an RBI, the score 3-1.

In the bottom of the seventh, Thompson sent one out to deep right field for a triple, eventually coming home on a wild pitch and extending the Monarchs’ lead to 4-1.

Jeremy Rhoades came to the mound in the top of the eighth and walked Nick Gotta and Osvaldo Martinez back-to-back. After a fly-out to center field Gotta reached third before Jabari Henry’s fielders choice cut the lead in half at 4-2 for the final score.

Monarchs’ starter Lewis Thorpe went 5.0 innings pitched, with 5 hits, 1 run and 2 strikeouts to record his seventh win. Brian Glowicki came in to relieve him in the sixth and struck out three batters. Brandon Koch worked a scoreless inning while Jameson McGrane worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the save (13).

The Monarchs will travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to start another three-game series against the Canaries at 7:05 p.m. Friday, July 29. The away game in South Dakota can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:35 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.