HOT START LIFTS MONARCHS PAST BIRDS
Sioux Falls, SD – Kansas City blasted three homeruns before the Canaries took their first swings as the Monarchs topped Sioux Falls 8-3 on Saturday.
Darnell Sweeney homered on the first pitch of the game and Kevin Santa followed with a triple. After back-to-back strikeouts had the Birds on the verge of getting out of the inning, Jan Hernandez belted a two-run homerun. Casey Gillaspie followed with a solo shot a batter later. The Monarchs added four more runs in the third inning, capitalizing an RBI single and a bases-loaded triple.
Gavin LaValley clobbered his sixth homerun of the season with two outs in the fourth to get Sioux Falls on the board. Two innings later Jabari Henry doubled home Wyatt Ulrich before another run scored on an error. Each team’s bullpen would lock it down the rest of the way as Kansas City evened the series at one game apiece.
Six different Canaries recorded a hit in the contest and Tony Lanier struck out six in three scoreless innings of relief. Sioux Falls is now 12-27 and will close their six-game homestand Sunday afternoon at 1:05pm.
