Category: Kansas City Monarchs

The sun shined through for the Kansas City Monarchs’ first Bark in the Park at Legends Field and for the team’s second win of the regular season. The Monarchs defeated the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 2-1 Sunday.

Jan Hernandez was the late game hero for the Monarchs. The outfielder broke a 1-1 tie in the home half of the eighth inning with a solo shot to left field off the RedHawks Michael Hope (0-1).

In the next inning, Hernandez made a running catch down the right field line to the corner of the ballpark for the final out of the game.

The Monarchs started off hot in the bottom of the first, scoring an early run to start off 1-0 on an RBI single to left field by designated hitter Gabby Guerrero scoring centerfielder Johnny Field.

Then, Colin Willis was hit by RedHawks pitcher Tyler Pike, loading the bases. Kansas City failed to capitalize after a pop-fly to right by Anibal Sierra. The Monarchs loaded the bases again in the bottom of the second but failed to add to their lead.

The two left-handed starters locked into a tight game the rest of the way. Pike worked five innings surrendering one run while Eric Stout worked seven innings and struck out 10 on the way to a no decision.

In the top of the sixth, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks’ Manuel Boscan drove in Sam Dexter with a RBI double off Stout. The Monarchs left-hander would induced the team’s third double play of the game in the bottom of the sixth, shutting down the RedHawks to keep the game even at one.

Kansas City pitcher Brian Ellington found himself in a jam in the top of the eighth, starting with three back-to-back walks then followed by two strikeouts with bases loaded. Carlos Diaz (1-0) relieved Ellington and finished the job for the Monarchs, getting a fly ball out to end the top of the eighth.

In the bottom of the eighth, Jan Hernandez got the Monarchs rolling again, blasting a homer that reached the left field bleachers and proveed to be the game winner.

Diaz got the first out of the ninth then an infield single by John Silviano and a walk to Kevin Krause put runners at first and second.

Diaz got the second out on a Dylan Kelly fly out to center, then faced Nick Shumpert with two on and two out. Shumpert hit a looping fly down the right field line that Jan Hernandez tracked down to close out the game with a clutch catch near home run hill.

The Kansas City Monarchs will hit the road to face the Sioux City Explorers on Tuesday; first pitch is set for 7 p.m. at Mercy Field at Lewis and Clark Park. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:35 p.m. and the video stream will air on aabaseball.tv.

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

• Story from Dan Vaughan, Kansas City Monarchs

The Kansas City Monarchs could not hold onto an early lead against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, splitting the second game of the series, 8-4, on Saturday night.

The Monarchs were swinging early, launching two home runs from Casey Gillaspie and Colin Willis in the second inning to grab a 2-0 lead. Dylan Baker held the RedHawks in check through four scoreless innings.

“[Baker] ran out of gas there, I just didn’t want to push him,” manager Joe Calfapietra said. “It was good that he got off to a good start.”

The RedHawks did not respond right away, as the bullpen duo of Brian Ellington and Kevin Lenik held the RedHawks scoreless with back-to-back shutout innings for the Monarchs.

In the seventh inning Fargo-Moorhead produced four runs to take the lead in the ball game. John Silviano reached on an error and Leobaldo Pena drew a walk from Monarchs reliever Jameson McGrane. Alex Boxwell had one of his three hits on the night to drive in the first run for the RedHawks. Sam Dexter then tied the game with an RBI single off McGrane. With two outs, Jordan George hit a clutch double to drive in two more runs and the lead was 4-2 in favor of Fargo.

Playing catch up in the bottom of the seventh, Kansas City cut the lead to 4-3 with a fielder’s choice RBI to first base from Morgan McCullough.

Fargo-Moorhead came right back scoring three runs in the top of the eighth inning. Kevin Krause hit an RBI single driving in one run and another run came home on an error on the throw back to the infield. The RedHawks added another run in the inning and led the game 7-3.

Kansas City picked up a run in the bottom of the eighth but could not get any closer in the game. John Silviano hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth to make it 8-4 in favor of the RedHawks.

Fargo-Moorhead held the Monarchs to three hits as Bret Helton (1-0) picked up the win going six innings while the loss went to McGrane (0-1).

“What’s getting me by surprise is the strikeouts; we’re not making enough contact. The power is there but not putting the ball in play, that doesn’t help, and when you make more errors than base hits, that’s tough to win” Calfapietra said.

The Monarchs will look to claim the series tomorrow afternoon at Legends Field with first pitch set for 1 p.m. Sunday. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 12:35 p.m. and the video stream will air on aabaseball.tv.

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

• Story from Dan Vaughan, Kansas City Monarchs

For the first time since 1965, a professional team known as the Kansas City Monarchs notched a win of a regular season game.

The Monarchs blasted three home runs against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks to go on to a historic 9-4 win.

Coming into the Friday night game, the Monarchs had only six runs across two games. However, the Monarchs came out swinging, scoring six runs in just the bottom of the fifth.

Right-handed pitcher Brian Glowicki got the start on the mound, pitching for five innings, recording five strikeouts, and allowing only one walk and two runs.

The Monarchs came alive in the bottom of the third, with Morgan McCullough scoring, thanks to a double by outfielder Darnell Sweeney. The RedHawks sped past the Monarchs in the top of the fourth with two RBI recorded by Leobaldo Pina and Alex Boxwell.

Kansas City rallied back on top in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to a two-run homer by infielder Will Kengor, allowing him and fellow infielder Casey Gillaspie to come home. It was a strong offensive performance in the bottom of the fifth for the Kansas City Monarchs as outfielder Johnny Field hit a two-run homer, bringing Sweeney home.

Outfielder Jan Hernandez reached on an error, then a wild pitch by the RedHawks’ right-handed pitcher Brent Jones got Hernandez to second. Hernandez then punched in a run after an RBI double to right field by Casey Gillaspie, extending the Monarchs’ lead 6-2.

Kengor then followed with another double to left field, bringing Gillaspie home for another run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Colin Willis then brought Kengor home on a two-run homer to right, putting the Monarchs on top 9-2, closing out the inning.

Right-handed pitcher Kevin Lenik stepped on the mound at the top of the sixth inning, pitching one scoreless inning, recording two strikeouts, and allowing one walk and no runs.

Newcomer right-handed pitcher Dean Deetz came in during the seventh inning, allowing three walks in his first inning but managed to escape unscored on in the inning.

The RedHawks loaded the bases in the eighth forcing Deetz from the game after a bases-loaded walk to Jordan George.

Right-handed pitcher Jameson McGrane relieved Dietz in the top of the eighth. He tallied one strikeout, one hit and no walks or runs while allowing and inherited run to score on an RBI single from Manuel Boscan to make it 9-4 in favor of Kansas City.

McGrane struck out Prime to finish out the top of the eighth inning leaving the bases loaded to extinguish any threat from the RedHawks.

Right-handed pitcher Robinson Martinez finished off pitching for the night, coming in at the top of the ninth and recording one strikeout, two hits and no walks to finish the game for the Monarchs.

The Kansas City Monarchs will continue the series against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks Saturday night, with first pitch set for 7 p.m., and the gates opening at 5 p.m. at Legends Field in KCK.

The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:35 p.m. and the video stream will air on aabaseball.tv. The game can also be heard locally on 1510 ESPN Kansas City.

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

• Story from Dan Vaughan, Kansas City Monarchs