Category: Sports

by Adam Cook, Monarchs

The Kansas City Monarchs (52-31) completed the three-game sweep of the Winnipeg Goldeyes (46-37) by a score of 7-2 Thursday night at Shaw Park in Winnipeg.

Some injuries in the rotation and awkward timing of starts required Kansas City’s Jordan Martinson to make his first start of the season, and Martinson took the opportunity by storm as he went six innings of one-run ball, only allowing two hits in the process.

Kansas City’s usual back-end bullpen arm Martinson began the game on the mound for the first time this season, and his phenomenal showing played a large part in keeping the match a low-scoring one. The game started quietly, with the first two innings with only seven batters seeing the plate each inning.

It wasn’t until the third inning that the first run was scored as, after a 1-2-3 top half, Winnipeg second baseman Kevin Lachance belted a leadoff home run, spoiling Martinson’s perfect start. Eric Rivera later smacked a two-out double to center field, but Martinson retired the next batter, only allowing one run through three innings.

As usual for the 2022 Monarchs offense, this opposing score was soon met by the Monarchs scoring a run of their own. Darnell Sweeney reached on a single and Jan Hernandez was hit by a pitch by Alex Manasa. Casey Gillaspie then delivered with a double to right field, scoring Sweeney and evening the game at one. In the bottom half, Martinson settled back into his groove and retired the side in order.

In the fifth, Kansas City once again put a run on the board with two outs when Ryan Grotjohn stepped up to the plate after the first two batters of the inning were sat down. Grotjohn extended the inning and the Monarchs’ run total with a solo home run to right field, giving Kansas City its first lead of the game, 2-1. In the bottom half, Martinson made it seven straight outs when he retired the side in order.

The Monarchs led the top of the sixth off with back-to-back singles, which chased Goldeyes starter Alex Manasa from the game. After relief pitcher Travis Seabrooke got Gillaspie to fly out for the second out of the inning, J.C. Escarra doubled to right field and moved Jan Hernandez to third base.

Pete Kozma then hit a single that scored Hernandez and lengthened the KC lead to 3-1, but Escarra was thrown out on a close play at the plate to end the half-inning.

In the bottom half, Martinson allowed back-to-back walks after retiring the first batter of the inning. He then induced a 1-4-3 double play, ending the inning.

In the top of the seventh, Ryan Grotjohn blasted another solo homer, extending the Monarchs lead to 4-1.
In the bottom half, Jeremy Rhoades entered to begin the inning, ending the stellar night for Martinson. Rhoades struck out two of the four batters he faced, keeping the score 4-1 Monarchs.

Bryan Blanton came in for the top of the eighth and limited the Monarchs to nothing but a Jan Hernandez walk and stolen base. Rhoades remained on for the Monarchs in the eighth and recorded a 1-2-3 inning.

Kozma stepped up to the plate in the top of the ninth as the beginning of the Monarchs’ last chance to add on to their lead. Kozma then delivered with a leadoff single. Two batters later, Grotjohn hit a single, putting runners at first and second. With two outs on the board, Matt Adams hit a three-run bomb, giving the Monarchs a late 7-1 lead. After a pitching change and a pair of free bags, a Gillaspie strikeout ended the half-inning.

Jacob Lindgren relieved Rhoades in the ninth and walked the first batter, which then was followed by an infield single, and then another walk, loading the bases with no outs. Frank Rubio came on for the Monarchs and struck out the first batter he saw. The next batter, Logan Hill, hit a sacrifice fly to left, leaving the Goldeyes with one last chance to make up the now five-run deficit. A ground ball from Kevin Lachance ended those hopes, making the final score 7-2 Monarchs for the final game of the three-game sweep.

The Monarchs begin a three-game weekend series at 7:05 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, against the Lincoln Saltdogs at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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 G.M.W. Vaughan

The Kansas City Monarchs (51-31) went fishing in Canada, and came home with plenty, sending the Goldeyes (46-36) home with another loss at their own pond, 7-3 the final score.

Game two of the series with the Goldeyes started rather slowly. With Alex Hart on the bump for the Goldeyes and Brock Gilliam for the Monarchs, the first, second and third innings ended without any action from either team.

In the top of the fourth, however, an early walk for Matt Adams got the action started for the Monarchs.

Casey Gillaspie followed with a base hit, and a bunt from Kevin Santa advanced him to second on an error by the pitcher, Hart, and scored Adams, giving the Monarchs the first lead of the game, 1-0.

Gio Brusa followed with a base hit that moved Santa to third, and an Alexis Olmeda base hit brought in Santa, adding to the Monarchs lead, 3-0.

Darnell Sweeney advanced to first on an error by first baseman David Washington, scoring Brusa and ending the inning with a 4-0 lead over the Goldeyes.

After a pitching change for the Goldeyes, Adams started the fifth with a towering home run off John Vargas who came in for Hart, adding to the Monarchs lead 5-0.

In the home half of the fifth inning, a Jacob Rhinesmith walk followed by Logan Hill homerun got the Goldeyes on the board, 5-2. It was only the second hit allowed by Gilliam on the night.

The Basehor, Kansas, native went six innings with two hits and two earned runs and picked up his sixth win of the year.

Jeremy Rhoades took the bump for the Monarchs in the home half of the seventh and kept the Goldeyes’ bats silent. Rhoades struck out Deon Stafford Jr. with two on and two outs to preserve the Monarchs 5-3 lead.

Reliever Zac Ryan came in for Winnipeg in the top of the eighth and shut down the Monarchs.

Ryan Glowicki then came in for the Monarchs and walked Eric Rivera followed by a base hit for Ian Sagdal. With the big bat of Max Murphy batting the tying run, a pop fly deep to right field moved Rivera to third and Sagdal to second. David Washington came to the plate, hoping to tie up the game. Glowicki’s final strike got him out, but a wild pitch brought in a run, making the score 5-3.

Finally, Will McAffer took the mound for the Goldeyes, hoping to keep the Monarchs bats quiet in the ninth, but Mallex Smith started the inning with a base hit, followed with another base hit by Sweeney that moved Smith to third. Jacob Robson walked, loading the bases with no outs. The power bat of Adams stepped up next, and he hit a chopper to left, bringing home Smith and scoring Sweeney on a bad throw to first, and buying some insurance, 7-3 the score.

As Brandon Koch came in to close in the bottom of the ninth, the Goldeyes hoped to cut into the Monarchs’ lead, but Koch quickly struck out the first batter, Jacob Rhinesmith. Logan Hill followed with a double.

But the defensive glove of Smith got Deon Stafford Jr. out. Rivera struck out to end the hopes for the Goldeyes as the Monarchs took game two, 7-3.

The winning pitcher was Gilliam (6-2) and the loser Hart (0-1).

The Kansas City Monarchs and Winnipeg Goldeyes will play the final game of the three game series at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 18, in Winnipeg.

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.