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