Category: Kansas City Monarchs

Monarchs drop game to Milkmen

David Thompson of the Kansas City Monarchs hit a solo home run in the third inning Saturday, June 18, at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas. The Monarchs dropped the game to the Milwaukee Milkmen 7-4. (Photo credit by John Ellis, Kansas City Monarchs)
Jan Hernandez of the Kansas City Monarchs rounded the bases following his seventh inning solo home run Saturday, June 18, at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas. The Monarchs dropped the game to the Milwaukee Milkmen 7-4. (Photo credit by John Ellis, Kansas City Monarchs)

by Kaitlyn Sanders, Monarchs

The Kansas City Monarchs (21-11) could not battle back after a heavy hitting fifth innin

g from the Milwaukee Milkmen (18-14), losing game two of the series 7-4 on Saturday.

Milwaukee got on the board early in the first inning after Mason Davis hit a double, and Corelle Prime brought him in with an RBI single. Kansas City couldn’t respond after the loading the bases and lining out to center to end the inning at 1-0.


In the bottom of the second, Pete Kozma and J.C. Escarra both reached base with a single before Willie Abreu hit one out to right field for an RBI single, tying the game at 1-1.

David Thompson homered in the bottom of the third with a rocket straight to the home run patio in left field to give the Monarchs their first lead at 2-1.

The Milkmen tied the game in the top of the fourth as Aaron Hill reached first base on a single to right before advancing to second and third on an error from Monarchs starting pitcher Akeem Bostick. Logan Trowbridge singled to left and brought in Hill, 2-2.

The top of the fifth was a busy one for the Milkmen as they scored five runs. With the bases loaded–Mason Davis on third, Correlle Prime on second and Will Kengor on first–the Monarchs made a pitching change from Bostick to Frank Rubio.

Dylan Kelly hit an RBI single to make the score 4-2, but was thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double by Jan Hernandez to Pete Kozma. Christ Conley had a base hit for another RBI before Bryan Torres doubled to left field, earning another 2 RBI, the score at 7-2.

The Monarchs got back a run in the bottom of the sixth as Casey Gillaspie was hit by a pitch, and Pete Kozma walked. Willie Abreu got a single to left field for an RBI and lessened the Milkmen’s lead to 7-3.

Kansas City picked it back up in the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run to left center from Jan Hernandez, his 14th as the American Association home run leader, to bring the Monarchs within three at 7-4.

Kozma was left stranded on third in the eighth, and the Monarchs could not piece together any runs in the ninth.

The Monarchs will face the Milkmen at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 19, at Legends Field for game three of the series.

The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 2:30 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 milk Milwaukee

Kansas City Monarchs shortstop Pete Kozma knocked a hit in the Monarchs 8-5 win over the Milwaukee Milkmen Friday night, June 17, at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo credit by John Ellis, Kansas City Monarchs)

by Gabriel Lopez, Monarchs

An impressive two-home run night on Friday for Jan Hernandez put him first in two categories in the American Association.

Hernandez now leads the league in home runs with 13. His five-RBI night also put him first in RBIs with 36.

Hernandez’s performance helped the Kansas City Monarchs (21-10) take the series opener against the Milwaukee Milkmen (17-14) in an 8-5 victory Friday night at Legends Field.

The Milkmen broke the tie in the second inning as Logan Trowbridge hit an RBI single to right field. Magglio Ordonez Jr. followed this with an RBI single of his own to give Milwaukee a 2-0 lead.

Kansas City had a productive fourth inning. Gaby Guerrero and Matt Adams hit back-to-back singles to start the inning. After David Thompson was hit by a pitch, Jan Hernandez belted a grand slam to right field to give the Monarchs the lead. A sacrifice fly from Pete Kozma extended Kansas City’s lead 5-2.

Milwaukee chipped away in the sixth as Chad Sedio and Mason Davis both delivered RBI singles to bring the Milkmen within one.

The Monarchs continued to score in the next three innings. Hernandez stepped up and roped his second home run of the day with a bomb to center field.

In the seventh, Guerrero hit an RBI single to score Willie Abreu. In the eighth, Kozma lined an RBI triple into the right-center gap to score Casey Gillaspie. After eight innings, the Monarchs led 8-4.

Dylan Kelley hit a two-out home run for the Milkmen to make the score 8-5. Jameson McGrane brushed this aside and struck out Aaron Hill to end the game.

The Monarchs will face the Milkmen at Legends Field in game two at 6 p.m. Saturday at Legends Field. 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.

Explorers provoke nightmares for the Monarchs

by Jaxson Webb, Monarchs

The Kansas City Monarchs (20-10), for the first time this season got swept by division rival, the Sioux City Explorers (14-15).

Monarchs’ starter Matt Hartman did all he could on the mound, but it still wasn’t enough for the series finale victory.

Game three of the road series in Sioux City, Iowa, served to be a low scoring pitchers duel.

Matt Hartman of the Kansas City Monarchs reached a personal best on the season six innings pitched on Thursday evening, allowing just two runs off six hits. Hartman threw a scoreless first inning but surrendered a run in the bottom of the second inning off a single to center from Blake Tiberi (1-0).

The Monarchs answered the Explorers later, but it wasn’t until the top of the fifth inning when Kansas City used a pinch of small ball to tie things up. Kevin Santa gave himself up by using the short game with a sacrifice bunt to move the baserunners to second and third. The very next at-bat, Joel Booker delivered a sacrifice fly to center field to bring in Pete Kozma (1-1).

The eight-year big leaguer, Kozma had himself a night offensively by recording two doubles and scoring the only run for the Monarchs.

Sioux City’s starting pitcher, Patrick Ledet, kept his flawless record on the mound intact by getting the victory, going seven innings with just one run, three walk, and striking out nine batters.


The tide of the game was really shifted in the bottom of the seventh inning when a single was delivered by the Sioux City offense, followed by a throwing error by Joel Booker, advancing Nate Samson in to score (2-1).


Kansas City had chances here and there throughout the game, including a bases-loaded opportunity in the bottom half of the eighth, but the Explorers defense and pitching held tight to escape the threat.


A member of last season’s championship team made his season debut for the Monarchs after being signed earlier this week. Right-handed pitcher Justin Donatella was called on to throw the home half of the eighth inning. Donatella did his part on the hill by recording one strikeout and keeping the hometown Explorers scoreless to give his offense a chance for some late-game heroics.

Sioux City’s Max Kuhns came in to slam the door shut and secure the series sweep for Sioux City. Kuhns struck out all three batters he faced in the bottom of the ninth.

The loss dethroned the Monarchs from the top spot of the West Division standings, falling just one game back of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.

The next Monarchs game will be at 7 p.m. Friday, June 17, at Legends Field against the Milkmen of Milwaukee who are currently in second place of the American Association East Division. 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.