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.