Category: Kansas City Monarchs

by Dan Vaughan Jr., Monarchs

The Kansas City Monarchs (58-34) were one strike away from securing a win before the Sioux Falls Canaries (32-60) tied the game in the bottom of the ninth.

Kansas City did not waste the extra innings as the Monarchs scored two runs in the top of the 10th to send their winning streak to four games in a 3-1 thriller.

Brock Gilliam was outstanding for the Monarchs in getting a no decision. The Basehor, Kansas, native tossed 5.2 shutout innings while allowing only two hits; he left in the sixth with a 1-0 lead.

The Canaries got a great effort as well from their starter Neal Lang. The left-hander went 5.1 innings, giving up one earned run with six strikeouts.

The game was tied at 0 until the sixth although the Monarchs did threaten in the second and the fourth innings with a runner at third, but could not push across a run. That all changed in the top of the sixth.

Jacob Robson worked a walk from Lang, then a fielder’s choice from Jan Hernandez forced out Robson at second for out number one. Casey Gillaspie singled to put runners at first and second and chase Lang to the showers.

Gio Brusa singled to load the bases for the Monarchs. Pete Kozma hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Hernandez for a 1-0 lead.

The Canaries got two on with two outs in the home half of the sixth, but Alex Valdez was able to get the final out of the inning to keep the game 1-0.

Valdez struck out strikeout the side in the seventh, and left-hander Jordan Martinson allowed two hits but worked around them in the eighth, including getting Jabari Henry to fly out to left with two outs.

Jameson McGrane came in for Kansas City after a scoreless top of the ninth for KC. He struck out the first batter, Trey Michalczewski, but walked Connor Blair. He then struck out Kona Squiggle for the second out of the inning. John Nester worked a full count walk to put runners at first and second. Angelo Altavilla singled to left to tie the game at one in the bottom of the ninth. McGrane struck out Nick Gotta to send the game to extra innings.

In the top of the 10th the Monarchs started with Mallex Smith at second base, facing Mitchell Walters, who worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the Canaries. Ryan Grotjohn hit an infield single to put runners at the corners. Walters then stumbled in his delivery, did not deliver a pitch and was called for a balk to score Smith and move Grotjohn to second, giving the Monarchs a 2-1 lead.

Kevin Santa walked and then Robson struck out for out number one. Hernandez was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Walters uncorked a wild pitch to score Grotjohn for a 3-1 lead. Walters then got back-to-back punch outs on Gillaspie and Brusa to take the game to the bottom of the 10th.

The Canaries started Gotta at second as the zombie runner. McGrane hit Ozzie Martinez with a pitch to put runners at first and second. Wyatt Ulrich hit a ground ball to short, but with Martinez running on the pitch, Monarchs shortstop Kozma threw home to get Gotta by a mile for out number one.

The Monarchs summoned Brian Glowicki into the game and he got a big strikeout of Henry and then a ground ball to second off the bat of Michalczewski that Santa threw to Kozma to force out Ulrich to close the door on the Birds.

The Monarchs and Canaries will wrap up their three-game series at 1:05 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28, in Sioux Falls.

The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 12:35 p.m. and the video stream airing on aa baseball.tv.

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

By G.M.W. Vaughan, Monarchs

The Kansas City Monarchs (56-34) won the final game of the four-game series against the Winnipeg Goldeyes (49-41) 7-4 Thursday night at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas.

It was the Monarchs’ 33rd win at home this season and their seventh against the Goldeyes in nine games.

With Matt Hall on the mound for the Monarchs and Jhon Vargas for the Goldeyes, both teams’ offenses fired up early. Winnipeg got on the board first with Raul Navarro’s single.

Ian Sagdal followed with another single, but the wild pitch to Max Murphy allowed the Goldeyes to score, starting the game with an early Winnipeg lead 1-0.

The Goldeyes’ lead didn’t last long, however, as Mallex Smith, Ryan Grotjohn and Darnell Sweeny all got free passes, loading the bases off Vargas.

Jacob Robson slammed a triple to left field, clearing the bases to take back the lead, 3-1. The Monarchs’ bats stayed hot as Jan Hernandez hit a single up the middle that brought in Robson, followed by a single from Gio Brusa and a double from Pete Kozma that scored both Hernandez and Gio Brusa, bringing the lead to 6-1 at the end of the first inning.

The second inning remained quiet, but Winnipeg’s bats fired up in the third. Reggie Pruitt Jr. started the inning with a base hit, followed by another from Navarro. A double by Sagdal brought in Pruitt and a Murphy fielder’s choice scored Navarro as the Goldeyes cut into the Monarchs lead, 6-3.

The Goldeyes’ Ryan Blanton came in for Vargas and managed to hold the Monarchs scoreless in the bottom of the third.

The fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings remained scoreless, but Winnipeg started to threaten in the top of the eighth as Murphy advanced to first on a hit-by-a-pitch by Jeremy Rhoades. David Washington followed with a walk; then Jacob Rhinesmith advanced to first on a single, bringing in Murphy and cutting into the Monarchs’ lead, 6-4.

In the home half of the eighth, Alexis Olmeda hit a solo home run bomb to right field off Tasker Strobel, and the Monarchs took the run back.

Brandon Koch came in for the save in the ninth inning, striking out the side and ending the game with a 7-4 win for the Monarchs.

The Monarchs begin a three-game series at 7:05 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, against the Sioux Falls Canaries in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

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 aa baseball.tv.

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

by Dan Vaughan Jr., Monarchs

The Winnipeg Goldeyes (49-40) looked to be well on their way to a third straight win over the Kansas City Monarchs (55-34) Wednesday night at Legends Field in Kansas City, holding a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning. Then the Monarchs’ bats awoke with three lightning strikes in a three home run bottom half of the fourth inning, to propel KC to a 10-7 win.

The Goldeyes jumped out early to a 2-0 lead thanks to a two-run home run from Ian Sagdal in the top of the first off Monarchs starter Matt Hartman (6-5).

In the second, Reggie Pruitt Jr. drove another run home with an RBI single to make it 3-0. In the top of the fourth Raul Navarro added another RBI single to make it 4-0 in favor of the “Manitobans.”

The home half of the fourth was a game changer. Ryan Grotjohn and Darnell Sweeney both reached on singles off Luis Ramirez, who had allowed just one hit and one walk until that point.

Jacob Robson hit a three-run homer to left to cut the lead to 4-3. Jan Hernandez followed with a solo shot over the hometown pen to tie the game at four. Ramirez was able to get a ground out on Casey Gillaspie but could not solve J.C. Escarra.

The Monarchs’ catcher hit a solo homer to right field to give Kansas City the lead 5-4. It was the fourth time this season the Monarchs have had a three-home run inning.

The Goldeyes evened the game in the top of the fifth on a Logan Hill RBI double, but the Monarchs came back to take the lead for good in the bottom of the stanza. Grotjohn worked a walk off R.J. Martinez (8-5) and flew around the sacks on a Sweeney RBI double down the left field line to grab the 6-5 advantage.

Kansas City hit its fourth long ball of the night in the sixth inning. Pete Kozma singled off Bryan Blanton. The Winnipeg right hander had held opponents to a .118 average, but the Monarchs came through with a walk of Mallex Smith and a three-run blast for Grotjohn to push the lead to 9-5.

Winnipeg then picked up a pair of runs in the seventh off Monarchs reliever Brian Glowicki. Kevin Lachance drove in a run on a sacrifice fly and Logan Hill added another run on a triple to cut the lead to 9-7.

The Monarchs got their final marker in the home half of the eighth on an RBI single off the bat of Kozma. Jameson McGrane picked up the save and got a game-ending double play after a one-out walk off the bat of Lachance.

The Monarchs picked up their 37th multi home run game and have homered in 70 of their 89 games. While the team continues to add to their American Association record of home runs with 154, the Monarchs are eight shy of a franchise mark of 162 set in the old Northern League in 2010.

The Monarchs and Goldeyes will wrap up the four-game series at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25.

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 aa baseball.tv.

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