The Hays Monarchs American Legion baseball team stretched their winning streak to seven with a pair of run-rule wins over Larned Monday night at the TMP Field. The Monarch score four in the fifth to win the first game 8-0 then use a seven-run fourth to take game two 11-2. Both were called after five innings.
Kameron Schmidt picks up the win in the opener, holding Larned to three hits while striking out four and walking one. Ryan Schippers, Dick Hockett and Kameron Schmidt all had two hits. Schippers tripled in the third for the Monarchs only extra base hit of the game. Jordon Gottschalk drove in two with a first inning single.
In the second game, Braiden Werth allowed just one run on two hits over 4 1/3 innings, striking out one and walking one and picks up the win. The Monarchs scored two in the first then tallied single runs in the second and third before blowing it open in the fourth. Ryan Ruder and Ryan Schippers both had RBI singles. Jordan Gottschallk drove in a run with a double. Dick Hockett drew a bases loaded walk and Kameron Schmidt hit a two-run single.
The Monarchs are now 11-3 on the season. They play two at Pratt tomorrow.
By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer
Jeremy Guthrie pitched into the eighth inning, Jarrod Dyson drove in two runs off Zack Greinke and the Kansas City Royals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 on Monday night to end a four-game losing streak.
Guthrie (5-6) allowed two runs and seven hits while winning his third straight start. He was buoyed by an offense that had only scored eight runs total during its recent slide.
Dyson, the Royals’ No. 9 hitter, went 3 for 3 and stole two bases. Salvador Perez hit a solo home run, and Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar — two of the players acquired by the Royals in the trade that sent Greinke to Milwaukee in December 2010 — drove in a run apiece.
Greg Holland served up a homer to Adrian Gonzalez in the ninth before earning his 22nd save.
Hanley Ramirez drove in the other two runs for the Dodgers, who are visiting Kansas City for the first time since they were swept in a three-game set in 2005.
In his third start against his former team, Greinke (9-4) was battered for a season-high five runs and 11 hits in 5 2-3 innings. He had allowed just two runs over 15 1-3 innings in his previous two starts against the Royals, one with the Brewers and the other with the Los Angeles Angels.
The Royals pounded Greinke almost from the start, Perez belting the first pitch of the second inning over the wall in left field for a 1-0 lead. Then with two outs, Escobar singled and went to second on a wild pitch before heading home when Dyson dumped a single into left field.
Dyson made it 3-0 in the fifth when he scored on Cain’s single to right.
The Royals finally knocked Greinke from the game in the fifth, this time after Perez started the inning with a double. Greinke fought back to get two outs, but Escobar hit a triple into the right-field corner and Dyson tacked on another RBI single to make it 5-0.
That hit ended Greinke’s night. As he departed the mound, fans showered him with a chorus of boos, clearly recalling how the right-hander once demanded to be traded from their team.
Meanwhile, those same fans were waiting to give Guthrie a standing ovation.
The right-hander faced the minimum number of hitters through four innings, needing just four pitches in the second and five in the fourth. Gonzalez and Matt Kemp finally hit consecutive singles to start the fifth, but Guthrie calmly wiggled out of that jam.
It wasn’t until Miguel Rojas and Justin Turner hit singles and Ramirez one-hopped a double over the outfield wall to make it 5-2 in the eighth that Guthrie finally left the game.
Wade Davis finished the inning, and Holland cleaned up the ninth to preserve the win.
NOTES: LHP Clayton Kershaw was the NL player of the week after his no-hitter against Colorado. He starts for Los Angeles on Tuesday against Royals LHP Danny Duffy. … Kemp extended his hitting streak to 11 games with his single. … Guthrie struck out five without a walk. … The Dodgers had won seven straight interleague games.
The Hays Larks will have to wait until Tuesday to try and end their three-game losing streak after their series finale in Derby Sunday was suspended due to rain. The Larks were one strike away from the win when the game was stopped play because of lightning.
DJ Carr had a 3-2 count on the Twins Jerrod Flax and Hays leading 7-6 in the bottom of the sixth inning. The game will resume from the point of stoppage on July 18th prior to the start of the Twins three-game series at Larks Park.
Hays had raced out to a 6-0 lead, scoring three in the first, highlighted by a Tyler Detmer two-run homer. Evan Gruener added a solo homer in the second to make it 4-0. Cooper Langley drove in a run in the third on a sac fly and Detmer added an RBI single in the fourth.
The Twins got a solo homer from Tyler Eager in the fourth then a bases loaded double from Eagar an inning later. Aaron Cornell broke the 6-6 tie with an RBI single in the top of the sixth.
The Larks play six of their next seven at home beginning Tuesday night against Dodge City.
Steve Anson, , Washburn head baseball coach since 1980, died in a tree-trimming accident on his property outside Topeka Sunday afternoon.
Anson is survived by his wife, Dena Anson, the University Relations Director at Washburn.
“We are shocked and saddened to hear the news,” athletic director Loren Ferre’ said Sunday. “Steve was so loyal to the program and well known around the community. It’s hard to put into words right now what we’re feeling as a program.”
Anson coached 1,645 games in his 35 years at Washburn. He compiled an 844-798-3 (.520) record with the Ichabods. He coached his 800th win in 2012 as he guided the Ichabods to one of their most successful seasons in recent years. They went 27-24 and finished fourth in the MIAA.
“On behalf of the Board of Regents, administration and faculty, as well as the athletic department and students, we mourn the loss of Steve Anson,” Bill Sneed, chair of the Washburn Board of Regents said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Dena and their entire family.”
“This is a huge loss not only for the team and the athletic program, but for the countless number of lives he has touched in his career,” Ferre’ said. “He’s been so well-known and liked throughout the baseball community. It is a tragic loss for all of us.”
Anson has coach three players to five different All-America awards. Two players have been selected in the MLB Draft and two have gone on to play in the Majors. Most recently, shortstop Jerad Head signed as an amateur free agent with Cleveland in 2005 and made it to the Majors in 2011.
Anson has coached 18 all-region players, 12 all-MIAA first-teamers and 96 total all-MIAA selections. His players have also excelled in the classroom with two players earning the highest honors. Andy Petz was named first team Capital One Academic All-America in 2011 and Pat Colley earned a second team honor in 2000 and a third team honor in 2001.
Anson started his career when Washburn was still a member of the NAIA and Central States Intercollegiate Conference. He led the team to five NAIA tournament appearances and was CSIC coach of the year in 1989. He earned the MIAA coach of the year honor in 1994 as his squad won the MIAA North Division title and finished runner-up at the conference postseason tournament.
Anson joined the Washburn staff in 1979 after one season as head coach at Wayne State (Neb.). While at Wayne State, the Wildcats were 23-22 and Anson was picked as NAIA Area III coach of the year.
As a member of the Washburn athletics staff, Anson has also served as men’s basketball assistant coach and assistant athletic director. Current head basketball coach Bob Chipman hired him as an assistant.
“He’s an unbelievable friend,” Chipman said. “I’m so glad he was my first hire. Without his loyalty and great love of coaching, who knows if I’d still be coaching. His loyalty is incredible and he’s one of the greatest and nicest guys I know.”
Chipman also echoed how much of an impact Anson had on the players he has coached. “He’s done so much for the players, while they were here and after their college careers. He was a great role model and he will be hard to replace.”
A native of Mishawaka, Indiana, Anson was a true student-athlete for Kansas State University. On the field, he was a four-year letterman who won the Big Eight batting title in 1974 (.439) and earned first team all-conference honors.
Anson graduated cum laude in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. He earned his master’s in education in 1978. Anson was named to the Wildcats all-Century team, one of 21 former players to be named to the team. He holds the K-State career record with 19 triples.
Assistant coach Harley Douglas played for Anson from 1997-00 and has been his assistant coach since 2012. “I admired him when I was a player and as a coach since I’ve come here. He’s been a father figure and a friend,” Douglas said. “He would bend over backward for any of us. I’m just one player in the hundreds he’s coached and he’d do it for any of us.”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) —Rookie Roenis Elias pitched neatly into the seventh inning, Mike Zunino homered and the Seattle Mariners defeated the Kansas City Royals 2-1 on Sunday for a three-game sweep.
Royals starters Yordano Ventura takes the loss as the Royals drop their fourth straight Sunday (Courtesy Kansas City Royals and Chris Vleisides).
After winning 10 straight to move into first place in the AL Central, the Royals have dropped four in a row, three of them by 2-1 scores.
Elias (7-5), a 25-year-old left-hander from Cuba, limited the Royals to one run and five singles over 6 2-3 innings. He struck out five, walked two and improved to 4-1 in June.
Zunino hit his ninth home run, tops among AL catchers. He connected off Yordano Ventura (5-6) leading off the seventh to break a 1-all tie.
Zunino led off the fifth with a double and scored on Willie Bloomquist’s two-out double.
Fernando Rodney, pitching for the fourth straight day, earned his 21st save in 23 chances.
Rodney got saves in all three games at Kansas City. He last worked in four consecutive games on May 27-30, 2013, for Tampa Bay.
Ventura (5-6) had won his previous three starts.
The Royals scored their run in the second, which Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez opened with singles. Justin Maxwell’s sacrifice fly brought home Gordon.
Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar left in the seventh with a bruised left shin. He was hit in the second by a pitch. X-rays were negative.
The Mariners won a challenge in the seventh when Pedro Ciriaco was ruled safe at first for a bunt single. After a reliever that took over 3 minutes, the call was overturned and Ciriaco was out.
NOTES: Royals 3B Danny Valencia, who missed 19 games with a muscle strain in his left hand, was activated from the disabled list. The Royals optioned RHP Louis Coleman to Triple-A Omaha as they opted to go with a 12-man staff. … Mariners ace RHP Felix Hernandez, who starts Monday against Boston, is 4-1 with a 1.33 ERA in his past seven starts. The lone loss was 1-0 on June 18 at Texas when he allowed three hits, walked none and struck out 10.
The Hays Larks drop a 9-5 decision at Derby Saturday night. They have now lost seven of their last nine and fall to 10-7 on the season and 7-7 in the Jayhawk League. Derby has won a season-best six straight and improves to 13-5 overall and 9-4 in the Jayhawk League.
The Larks loaded the bases but managed just one run in the top of the first. Dylan Dillard, who hit two home runs in the series opener Friday, hit a two-run shot off of Jake Fromson in the bottom of the first to give the Twins a 2-1 lead. It would stay that way until the third when the Larks used back to back one-out doubles from Ty Leffler and Tyler Detmer to tie the game at 2-2. Aaron Cornell then belted a two-run homer to give the Larks a 4-2 lead.
Twins catcher Austin Orth hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning to tie the game. The Larks respond with a two-out solo homer from Detmer in the fourth to take a 5-4 lead.
The Twins scored three in the sixth then add two more insurance runs in the eighth.
The two teams close out the series with a 7pm game Sunday. The Larks then return home to play six of their next seven at home.
The Colorado 115’s used a one-out triple followed by a single to break a scoreless tie in the fifth inning and defeat the Hays Eagles Senior American Legion 3-0 at the Battle of Omaha tournament Saturday. Colorado loaded the bases with two outs and inning earlier but failed to score. They added two more runs in the sixth.
The Eagles were held to just five hits, two of them from leadoff hitter Kaden Rohr, while striking out 10 times.
Kade Parker takes the loss, allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out three and walking two.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Dustin Ackley delivered the clutch hit, while Chris Young baffled the Kansas City Royals batters.
Ackley drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out ninth inning single as the Seattle Mariners beat the Royals 2-1 on Saturday.
His single to right on a 2-2 count scored Kyle Seager, who doubled with two outs to start the game-winning rally. Seager moved to third on Stefen Romero’s infield single before Ackley’s hit. Ackley is 5-for-10 off Jason Vargas (7-3), who took the loss.
“It was basically a battling at-bat,” Ackley said. “I got behind early and I know he’s a guy who will throw any pitch in any count. I fouled a couple of pitches off and fortunately I was able to get the barrel on it and get it into the outfield.”
Vargas said he jammed Ackley with a fastball.
“He was just able to get it over the infield,” Vargas said.
The Mariners are only 7-12 in one-run games, while the Royals have dropped three in a row, all one-run decisions.
“If you want to have a good winning season, you have to win games like this,” Ackley said.
After retiring the first dozen Royals, Young yielded a home run to Alex Gordon to leadoff the fifth to tie the score at 1.
“I made a mistake,” Young said. “He can hit it out, but I can live with it because it’s a solo homer.”
Young gave up back-to-back singles to Salvador Perez and Justin Maxwell after Gordon’s team-leading ninth home run. Perez, however, was out trying to stretch his into a double.
“He’s really tough to pick the ball up,” said Eric Hosmer, who went 0-for-4. “He’s throwing 84-85 miles per hour, but he has such a long arm and his release point is so close to you that’s it really hard to pick up. He’s been real consistent for those guys.”
The Mariners bunched three hits leading off the third with Cole Gillespie’s single to center scoring Brad Miller, who began the inning with a bunt single and stopped at second on James Jones’ single.
Young, a 35-year-old right-hander who has had three shoulder surgeries including one last June, did not did not sign with the Mariners until March 27 after the Washington Nationals released him in spring training. He was pulled after seven innings, allowing only the run on Gordon’s blast and three hits.
“He’s an amazing story,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “His fastball is 85 to 88 (mph) and is straight, but nobody sees it. There is an amount of deception the hitters tell you. They’re on it and they’re not.”
Yoervis Medina (4-1) replaced Young and worked a flawless eighth, striking out two to pick up the victory. He has not allowed a run and only three hits in his past 10 outings, covering 10 1/3 innings.
Fernando Rodney worked the ninth for his 20th save in 22 opportunities, getting Hosmer to ground into a game ending double play.
“Chris pitched extremely well,” Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. “He just had the one fastball that came back over the middle of the plate to Gordon. He probably got a little bit tired with the heat, but the bullpen did a good job.”
Courtesy Kansas City Royals (Chris Vleisides)
Vargas gave up 10 hits and two runs in 8 2/3 innings, losing for the first time since May 19. Yost came out to the mound after Seager’s double, but let him in.
“He just asked me if I could get him, and I said, `Yeah.’ There wasn’t a whole lot more than that,” Vargas said. “I felt great in the ninth inning. Just a little bit of bad luck got us and I think we all know what happened after that.”
NOTES: The Royals purchased the contract of OF Justin Maxwell from Triple-A Omaha and placed OF Nori Aoki on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left groin. The Royals transferred LHP Bruce Chen, who has a bulging disc, from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL. … Fred VanVleet, Ron Baker and Tekele Cotton, who helped Wichita State reach the NCAA Final Four in 2013 and to an undefeated regular season in 2013-14, took part of the ceremonial first pitch. … The Mariners have won nine of their past 10 day games.
The Derby Twins used three home runs to grab the early lead and never looked back as they defeat the Hays Larks 14-3 in their series opener Friday night at Panther Stadium in Derby. The Larks have now dropped six of their last eight and fall to 10-6 overall and 7-6 in the Jayhawk League. The Twins improve to 12-5 and 8-4 in league play.
After Derby starter Drew Milligan struck out the side to open the game, the Twins used a leadoff triple and a bunt single to grab the early lead. They would score two in the second on a Brian Choi two-run homer then add four in the third highlighted by a solo homer from Dylan Dillard and a three-run blast from Central Missouri’s Colin Nevil.
The Twins added three more in the fourth and led 10-0 before the Larks scored on a throwing error in the fifth. The Larks loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, but Fort Hays State’s Gus Strunk was able to get his college teammate Cooper Langley to pop out and Evan Gruener to fly out to keep the Larks off the board.
The Twins then scored four in the seventh to blow the game away. Derek Birginske and Michael Burns both hit solo homers in the eighth and ninth respectively for the final margin.
Nick Goza takes the loss for the Larks, allowing 10 runs on 13 hits while striking out six and walking one over four innings. His Delta State teammate, Drew Milligan gets the win, allowing four runs on five hits while striking out two and walking one.
The Larks and Twins play again Saturday at 7pm before wrapping up the series Sunday with another 7pm game.
Elsewhere in the Jayhawk League Friday… Liberal handed Wellington their first loss 3-2 and El Dorado knocked off Dodge City 5-0… The Heat lead Derby 2 1/2 games in the Jayhawk League with the Larks 4 games back and Liberal 5 1/2.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Brad Miller homered off Royals closer Greg Holland to break a ninth-inning tie, and the Seattle Mariners beat Kansas City 7-5 despite blowing an early five-run lead Friday night.
Charlie Furbush (1-4) inherited a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the eighth, but the Mariners reliever calmly retired Mike Moustakas on a lazy popup to shallow right field. Furbush then struck out Alcides Escobar to silence a sellout crowd of 38,475 and keep the game tied 5-all.
Miller’s homer off Holland (0-2) came on the fifth pitch of his at-bat, and just skirted the foul pole in right field. Logan Morrison drove in another run later in the ninth.
Fernando Rodney allowed two singles in the ninth, but the veteran bounced back to retire pinch-hitter Nori Aoki on a groundout and Alex Gordon swinging to earn his 19th save.
Morrison hit a two-run homer for Seattle, which overcame a subpar start from Hisashi Iwakuma to end the Royals’ five-game winning streak at Kauffman Stadium. Mike Zunino added a solo shot and Robinson Cano drove in two runs, extending his hitting streak to 21 games.
Moustakas hit a two-run shot to lead the Royals, who have dropped two in a row after winning 10 straight. Salvador Perez homered and drove in two runs for Kansas City.
Iwakuma went eight shutout innings in each of his two starts against Kansas City this season, and the right-hander was headed that way again with four scoreless frames to start the game. Along the way, Iwakuma struck out the side in the first inning on just 12 pitches.
Meanwhile, his offense was staking him to a 5-0 lead.
Cano, who has dominated James Shields throughout his career, drove in a run off him in the first inning and another during a three-run fifth that was capped by Morrison’s homer. Zunino’s solo shot came in the fourth inning, a no-doubt rocket over the bullpen in left.
The Royals finally broke through when Perez homered on a meaty 0-2 pitch in the fifth.
They didn’t stop there, either. Lorenzo Cain followed with a double, and Moustakas belted his eighth homer of the season over the wall in right to trim the Royals’ deficit to 5-3.
Iwakuma escaped the inning, but he quickly ran into more trouble in the sixth. Consecutive singles by Billy Butler and Gordon knocked him from the game, and reliever Dominic Leone gave up the lead when Perez hit an RBI single and Moustakas an RBI groundout to make it 5-all.
Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon burned through three relievers in the inning.
Iwakuma allowed nine hits and a walk in five-plus innings. It was his shortest start since July 9, 2013, when he allowed six runs and eight hits in three innings against the Red Sox.
Shields went seven innings and still has not lost since May 2, a span of nine starts.
NOTES: Royals right-handed batters were 0 for 23 against Iwakuma this season before Butler’s single in the second. Butler had three hits. … Gordon returned after missing a game to illness. … Mariners RHP Chris Young faces Royals LHP Jason Vargas on Saturday.
The Hays Eagles Senior American Legion baseball team used a couple of big innings to defeat La Cueva, N.M. 15-1 in a game called after five innings due to run-rule at the Battle of Omaha tournament Friday afternoon. The Eagles improve to 11-4 on the season and are now 2-1 in pool play.
The Eagles strike for six runs in the second and seven in the third in building a 14-1 lead. Connor Rule led the 15-hit attack going 3-for-4 with and seven RBIs. His three-run triple highlighted the Eagles big second inning. Kaden Rohr went 3-for-3 at the plate and drove in two and scored three times. Layne Downing also tripled and knocked in two.
Cole Schumacher picks up the win, allowing just the one run on five hits while striking out three and walking none over four innings.
The Eagles close out pool play with two games Saturday. At 11:30am they play the Colorado 115’s then at 2pm meet the OKC Bulls.
The Hays Larks open a three-game series in Derby Friday night. Since their 8-0 start, the Larks have lost five of seven and sit in third place in the Jayhawk League, a half-game back of the Twins and four behind first-place Wellington.
The Larks should be getting some much needed help for their ailing pitching staff. Blake Roley and Spencer Applebach have been added to the roster and should be with the team in Derby. Roley just wrapped up his sophomore season at Carl Albert (Okla.) State College where he went 2-4 with one save and a 2.66 ERA. Applebach just finished his sophomore season at Chandler-Gilbert (Ariz.) CC, going 2-4 with a 5.97 ERA.
The Larks have also added catcher Joe Hallock who just finished his sophomore season at North Iowa Area CC. Starting catcher Tanner DeVinny is out until late July with a broken finger suffered in the Larks final home game with Wellington this past Sunday.
The Larks had only 18 in uniform for their two games in Liberal this week, which they split, winning 12-3 on Tuesday and loisng 11-10 in 12 innings Wednesday.
Following their weekend games in Derby, the Larks return home for six of their next seven beginning with Dodge City on Tuesday (6/24)..
In the Jayhawk League Thursday night… Wellington remains unbeaten with a 4-3, 14 inning victory over El Dorado. The Heat are now 17-0 overall and 10-0 in league play. Dodge City beat Liberal 11-4 for their league victory… In addition to the Larks at Derby this weekend, Dodge City plays at El Dorado and Liberal at Wellington.
The Hays Eagles Senior American Legion split their first two games at the Battle of Omaha Thursday, losing to Papillion, Nebraska 7-3 then beating Montevideo, Minnesota 12-5.
Papillion was up 2-0 when they scored three in the fourth and two in the fifth. The Eagles got a run in the sixth on a Connor Rule fielders choice and and two in the seventh on a Rule single. Brady Bieker takes the loss, allowing seven runs on 10 hits walking two and striking out none.
The Eagles bounced back in the second game against Montevideo, scoring in every inning but one. They led 1-0 when they put up a five-spot in the third then added two in the fourth for an 8-0 lead. Zack Leglieiter went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and a triple and drove in four. Kade Parker added two hits and knocked in three. Layne Downing gets the win, allowing one earned run on five hits over 4 1/3 innings, striking out six and walking five.
The Eagles are now 10-4 on the season and will play the La Cueva Bears out of New Mexico Friday morning. They wrap up pool play against The Colorado 115’s and the OKC Bulls.
