By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6xxZhYqYxJihAvosGC6TnZ?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

KFEQ Morning Sports

Several area high school boys and girls basketball teams will once again travel to St. Joseph's Civic Arena for the 4th annual Holiday Hoops hosted by the St. Joseph Sports Commission this December.&nbsp;

Holiday Hoops features seven Buchanan County high schools along with other area and regional teams of interest competing in a boys and girls doubleheader classic style format just before the Christmas holiday.&nbsp;&nbsp;The classic features 17 games over three days and begins on Thursday, December 18 with Bishop LeBlond squaring off against Macon followed by Lafayette taking on Park Hill South in a doubleheader.&nbsp; 

Day two begins with Platte Valley taking on West Platte who will appear in Holiday Hoops for the first time.&nbsp; The days second doubleheader features Central High School taking on Savannah while the nightcap features the Class 4 State Runner Up Benton High School girls taking on Oak Park.&nbsp; 

The first of four doubleheaders on day three features St. Joseph Christian taking on Class 1 Boys &amp; Girls District Champion Rock Port.&nbsp; North Platte appears in Holiday Hoops for the fourth consecutive season taking on Cameron as well in the second doubleheader of the day, the Panther girls were Class 2 District Champions a season ago.&nbsp; &nbsp;They will be followed by East Buchanan’s return to the event as they take on Maysville.&nbsp; The Bulldog boys were class 3 District Champions in 2025.&nbsp; The final matchups of the event features Mid-Buchanan taking on Maryville who makes their first Holiday Hoops appearance.&nbsp; The Dragon girls were class 3 District Champions a season ago.

Holiday Hoops also enhances the profile and awareness of the St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame of which the 2025 induction class was recently announced.  Enshrinement is set for Sunday, August 24.

Ticket information will be released in late fall in which all sales will be facilitated online and through the Civic Arena Box Office.  Sponsorship opportunities for the event are available by contacting the sports commission.

7:00 PM – Lafayette vs. Park Hill South (G)

8:30 PM – Lafayette vs. Park Hill South (B)

2:30 PM – Platte Valley vs. West Platte (G)

4:00 PM – Platte Valley vs. West Platte (B)

10:00 AM – St. Joseph Christian vs. Rock Port (G)

11:30 AM – St. Joseph Christian vs. Rock Port (B)

5:30 PM – East Buchanan vs. Maysville (B)

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

By MATT PIKESeveral area high school boys and girls basketball teams will once again travel to St. Joseph's Civic Arena for the 4th annual Holiday Hoops hosted by the St. Joseph Sports Commission this December.&nbsp;Holiday Hoops features seven Buchanan County high schools along with other area and regional teams of interest competing in a boys and girls doubleheader classic style format just before the Christmas holiday.&nbsp;&nbsp;The classic features 17 games over three days and begins on Thursday, December 18 with Bishop LeBlond squaring off against Macon followed by Lafayette taking on Park Hill South in a doubleheader.&nbsp; Day two begins with Platte Valley taking on West Platte who will appear in Holiday Hoops for the first time.&nbsp; The days second doubleheader features Central High School taking on Savannah while the nightcap features the Class 4 State Runner Up Benton High School girls taking on Oak Park.&nbsp; The first of four doubleheaders on day three features St. Joseph Christian taking on Class 1 Boys &amp; Girls District Champion Rock Port.&nbsp; North Platte appears in Holiday Hoops for the fourth consecutive season taking on Cameron as well in the second doubleheader of the day, the Panther girls were Class 2 District Champions a season ago.&nbsp; &nbsp;They will be followed by East Buchanan’s return to the event as they take on Maysville.&nbsp; The Bulldog boys were class 3 District Champions in 2025.&nbsp; The final matchups of the event features Mid-Buchanan taking on Maryville who makes their first Holiday Hoops appearance.&nbsp; The Dragon girls were class 3 District Champions a season ago.Holiday Hoops also enhances the profile and awareness of the St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame of which the 2025 induction class was recently announced. Enshrinement is set for Sunday, August 24.Ticket information will be released in late fall in which all sales will be facilitated online and through the Civic Arena Box Office. Sponsorship opportunities for the event are available by contacting the sports commission.The full schedule looks like this:&nbsp;Thursday, December 184:00 PM – LeBlond vs. Macon (G)5:30 PM – LeBlond vs. Macon (B)7:00 PM – Lafayette vs. Park Hill South (G)8:30 PM – Lafayette vs. Park Hill South (B)Friday, December 192:30 PM – Platte Valley vs. West Platte (G)4:00 PM – Platte Valley vs. West Platte (B)5:30 PM – Central vs. Savannah (G)7:00 PM – Central vs. Savannah (B)8:30 PM – Benton vs. Oak Park (G)Saturday, December 2010:00 AM – St. Joseph Christian vs. Rock Port (G)11:30 AM – St. Joseph Christian vs. Rock Port (B)1 PM – North Platte vs. Cameron (G)2:30 PM - North Platte vs. Cameron (B)4 PM – East Buchanan vs. Maysville (G)5:30 PM – East Buchanan vs. Maysville (B)7 PM – Mid-Buchanan vs. Maryville (G)You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Field announced for 4th annual Holiday Hoops classic at Civic Arena

The St. Joseph Mustangs pitching staff gave up just two hits, and allowed just four baserunners total, as the offense put up another dominant performance in a 12-0 shutout win over the NEMO Craze at Phil Welch Stadium.&nbsp;

Mustangs starting pitcher Jaren Guck of Northwest Missouri State threw five innings, giving up just one hit and walking one, striking out five, lowering his season ERA to 0.90, per the MINK Leagues stats.&nbsp; Michael Infraca walked one on an inning of relief and Austin Nace gave up the other hit in relief, as St. Joseph pitchers combined for nine strikeouts overall.&nbsp;

St. Joseph put up runs in five consecutive innings, first scoring three runs in the second frame.&nbsp; Justin George scored the opening run on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Gundelfinger.&nbsp; Later in the inning, Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen drove in Lafayette alum Jayden Little and&nbsp;Easton Phillipe with a two RBI single.&nbsp; Two more runs scored in the third inning, both on wild pitches as Jack Mosh and Benton alum Chris Coy each scored on a wild pitch, pushing the lead to 5-0.

Another two runs scored in the fourth inning, a sacrifice fly by Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart driving in Bodenhausen.&nbsp; Darius Freeman came home to score in the inning on a balk.&nbsp; In the fifth, Bodenhausen drove in another run with a single, bringing home Gundelfinger.&nbsp; Then in the sixth, another two runs scored, a sacrifice fly by Coy scoring George and a double by Little driving in Phillipe extending the Mustangs lead to 10-0.&nbsp;

The final two runs of the game scored in the eighth inning as George scored his third run of the game on a single from&nbsp;Phillipe, who also later scored, unearned, on a wild pitch.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Little led the way at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, and one RBI.&nbsp; George was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, and a walk with three runs scored.&nbsp;&nbsp;Phillipe was also perfect at the plate going 2-for-2 with three walks, scoring three runs and driving one run in.&nbsp;

The Mustangs are now 14-2 on the season, 9-1 in the MINK League, and remain at home tomorrow to take on the Jefferson City Renegades.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7pm, gates open at 5:30 at Phil Welch Stadium,&nbsp;

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750391881178.jpeg" alt="Justin George had a night going 2-for-4 with three runs scored, a double, a triple, and a walk as the St. Joseph Mustangs beat the NEMO Craze 12-0, Photo from June 14th/ Photo courtesy of the St. Joseph Mustangs-&nbsp;Aaron Hare" />
 <figcaption>Justin George had a night going 2-for-4 with three runs scored, a double, a triple, and a walk as the St. Joseph Mustangs beat the NEMO Craze 12-0, Photo from June 14th/ Photo courtesy of the St. Joseph Mustangs-&nbsp;Aaron Hare</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKEThe St. Joseph Mustangs pitching staff gave up just two hits, and allowed just four baserunners total, as the offense put up another dominant performance in a 12-0 shutout win over the NEMO Craze at Phil Welch Stadium.&nbsp;Mustangs starting pitcher Jaren Guck of Northwest Missouri State threw five innings, giving up just one hit and walking one, striking out five, lowering his season ERA to 0.90, per the MINK Leagues stats.&nbsp; Michael Infraca walked one on an inning of relief and Austin Nace gave up the other hit in relief, as St. Joseph pitchers combined for nine strikeouts overall.&nbsp;St. Joseph put up runs in five consecutive innings, first scoring three runs in the second frame.&nbsp; Justin George scored the opening run on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Gundelfinger.&nbsp; Later in the inning, Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen drove in Lafayette alum Jayden Little and&nbsp;Easton Phillipe with a two RBI single.&nbsp; Two more runs scored in the third inning, both on wild pitches as Jack Mosh and Benton alum Chris Coy each scored on a wild pitch, pushing the lead to 5-0.Another two runs scored in the fourth inning, a sacrifice fly by Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart driving in Bodenhausen.&nbsp; Darius Freeman came home to score in the inning on a balk.&nbsp; In the fifth, Bodenhausen drove in another run with a single, bringing home Gundelfinger.&nbsp; Then in the sixth, another two runs scored, a sacrifice fly by Coy scoring George and a double by Little driving in Phillipe extending the Mustangs lead to 10-0.&nbsp;The final two runs of the game scored in the eighth inning as George scored his third run of the game on a single from&nbsp;Phillipe, who also later scored, unearned, on a wild pitch.&nbsp;&nbsp;Little led the way at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, and one RBI.&nbsp; George was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, and a walk with three runs scored.&nbsp;&nbsp;Phillipe was also perfect at the plate going 2-for-2 with three walks, scoring three runs and driving one run in.&nbsp;The Mustangs are now 14-2 on the season, 9-1 in the MINK League, and remain at home tomorrow to take on the Jefferson City Renegades.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7pm, gates open at 5:30 at Phil Welch Stadium,&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Mustangs allow just two hits in 12-0 shutout over NEMO Craze

The St. Louis Cardinals swept a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday after rain postponed their game on Wednesday, winning game one 5-4 and game two 8-6 in 10 innings.&nbsp;

St. Louis did have to rally back in the opener to the day but took the lead in the first inning, loading the bases with walks to Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson and a single by&nbsp;Iván Herrera, before Winn scored on a sacrifice fly by Willson Contreras.&nbsp;

The White Sox tied up the game in the fifth, Josh Rojas reaching on a throwing error by Winn, scoring Miguel Vargas, and then took the lead in the fifth on an RBI single by Vargas driving in Andrew Benintendi.&nbsp; 

St. Louis did tie the game back up in the top of the sixth, a bases loaded walk to Lars Nootbaar bringing home Herrera, but in the bottom half the White Sox took the lead again with two runs.&nbsp; Lenyn Sosa struck out against Cardinals starter Erick Fedde, but reached first on a wild pitch, and scored as Michael A Taylor hit a two run home run to give Chicago a 4-2 lead.&nbsp;

The Cardinals rallied though in the eighth inning, first tying things up after Burleson singled and then scored as Contreras hit a two run home run.&nbsp; Following the home run Nolan Gorman reached on a fielding error, and later scored the go ahead run, and ultimately winning run, on a single by Yohel Pozo.&nbsp;

Andre Granillo earned the win in relief, his first of the season now 1-0, pitching just 1/3 of an inning.&nbsp; Ryan Helsley earned his 14th save.&nbsp; At the plate, Burleson was 2-for-3.&nbsp; Herrera was 2-for-4, while Contreras was 1-for-4 with 3 RBI's.&nbsp;

In the second game, the Cardinals were dominating the White Sox early, looking like the opposite of the opener, but a late rally by Chicago forced St. Louis to win in extra innings.&nbsp;

After Ryan Noda gave the White Sox the lead in the second inning with a solo home run, the Cardinals scored six unanswered runs over the next two innings.&nbsp; In the third inning, Victor Scott II singled and Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch before Alec Burleson blasted the Redbirds ahead with a three run home run.&nbsp; St. Louis went back to back as Nolan Arenado hit a solo home run to extend the lead in the third, the 350th home run of his career, giving the Cardinals a 4-1 lead.&nbsp;

With the home run, Arenado became the seventh player in Major League baseball history to hit 350 or more career home runs and also have 10 or more Gold Gloves.&nbsp;

The Cardinals added two more runs in the fourth inning.&nbsp; Nolan Gorman led the inning off with a double and&nbsp;Pedro Pagés singled, before both scored as Contreras doubled with two outs, driving both in, giving Contreras five RBI's on the doubleheader after driving in three in the opener.&nbsp;

In the seventh inning though, the White Sox rallied to tie up the game against the St. Louis bullpen.&nbsp; Lenyn Sosa led the inning off with a single, and moved to third on a single by Austin Slater.&nbsp; Sosa scored on a single by&nbsp;Mike Tauchman, and then Kyle Leahy loaded the bases walking&nbsp;Chase Meidroth.&nbsp; With the bases loaded, Andrew Benintendi hit a grand slam to right center, tying up the game.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The game remained tied until the 10th inning when Arenado singled home Jordan Walker, who pinch ran for Contreras at second base to open the inning.&nbsp; Arenado ended up thrown out trying to advance to second base, but the Cardinals still got some insurance in the next at bat as Lars Nootbaar hit a solo home run to right center field.&nbsp; With the two run lead, St. Louis brought&nbsp;Andre Granillo on for the save, getting the first two outs easily before walking Noda, but coming back and striking out Slater for his first save.&nbsp;

JoJo Romero earned the win in relief, improving to 3-3, pitching one inning and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, Arenado was 3-for-5 with the home run and two RBI's.&nbsp; Burleson was 2-for-5 with three RBI's.&nbsp;

St. Louis returns home next to take on Cincinatti.&nbsp; Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.83 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Brady Singer (7-4, 4.34 ERA) for the Reds.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:15pm, pregame will be joined around 6:05 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe St. Louis Cardinals swept a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday after rain postponed their game on Wednesday, winning game one 5-4 and game two 8-6 in 10 innings.&nbsp;St. Louis did have to rally back in the opener to the day but took the lead in the first inning, loading the bases with walks to Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson and a single by&nbsp;Iván Herrera, before Winn scored on a sacrifice fly by Willson Contreras.&nbsp;The White Sox tied up the game in the fifth, Josh Rojas reaching on a throwing error by Winn, scoring Miguel Vargas, and then took the lead in the fifth on an RBI single by Vargas driving in Andrew Benintendi.&nbsp; St. Louis did tie the game back up in the top of the sixth, a bases loaded walk to Lars Nootbaar bringing home Herrera, but in the bottom half the White Sox took the lead again with two runs.&nbsp; Lenyn Sosa struck out against Cardinals starter Erick Fedde, but reached first on a wild pitch, and scored as Michael A Taylor hit a two run home run to give Chicago a 4-2 lead.&nbsp;The Cardinals rallied though in the eighth inning, first tying things up after Burleson singled and then scored as Contreras hit a two run home run.&nbsp; Following the home run Nolan Gorman reached on a fielding error, and later scored the go ahead run, and ultimately winning run, on a single by Yohel Pozo.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Willson Contreras just CRUSHED that baseball! Send him to the All-Star game: <a href="https://t.co/H9MeQwBo86">https://t.co/H9MeQwBo86</a>! <a href="https://t.co/m7jfLWSsts">pic.twitter.com/m7jfLWSsts</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1935797977295339844?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Pozo pokes it perfectly! <a href="https://t.co/UeYwo6F9Yg">pic.twitter.com/UeYwo6F9Yg</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1935799919719096534?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Andre Granillo earned the win in relief, his first of the season now 1-0, pitching just 1/3 of an inning.&nbsp; Ryan Helsley earned his 14th save.&nbsp; At the plate, Burleson was 2-for-3.&nbsp; Herrera was 2-for-4, while Contreras was 1-for-4 with 3 RBI's.&nbsp;In the second game, the Cardinals were dominating the White Sox early, looking like the opposite of the opener, but a late rally by Chicago forced St. Louis to win in extra innings.&nbsp;After Ryan Noda gave the White Sox the lead in the second inning with a solo home run, the Cardinals scored six unanswered runs over the next two innings.&nbsp; In the third inning, Victor Scott II singled and Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch before Alec Burleson blasted the Redbirds ahead with a three run home run.&nbsp; St. Louis went back to back as Nolan Arenado hit a solo home run to extend the lead in the third, the 350th home run of his career, giving the Cardinals a 4-1 lead.&nbsp;With the home run, Arenado became the seventh player in Major League baseball history to hit 350 or more career home runs and also have 10 or more Gold Gloves.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Three-run Burly Bomb! 🌮 <a href="https://t.co/DLzb5Orgj1">pic.twitter.com/DLzb5Orgj1</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1935825991865143387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Nolan Arenado becomes just the 7th player in Major League history with 350+ career home runs and 10+ Gold Gloves! <a href="https://t.co/F24vmUR7l6">pic.twitter.com/F24vmUR7l6</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1935827644232482841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Cardinals added two more runs in the fourth inning.&nbsp; Nolan Gorman led the inning off with a double and&nbsp;Pedro Pagés singled, before both scored as Contreras doubled with two outs, driving both in, giving Contreras five RBI's on the doubleheader after driving in three in the opener.&nbsp;In the seventh inning though, the White Sox rallied to tie up the game against the St. Louis bullpen.&nbsp; Lenyn Sosa led the inning off with a single, and moved to third on a single by Austin Slater.&nbsp; Sosa scored on a single by&nbsp;Mike Tauchman, and then Kyle Leahy loaded the bases walking&nbsp;Chase Meidroth.&nbsp; With the bases loaded, Andrew Benintendi hit a grand slam to right center, tying up the game.&nbsp;&nbsp;The game remained tied until the 10th inning when Arenado singled home Jordan Walker, who pinch ran for Contreras at second base to open the inning.&nbsp; Arenado ended up thrown out trying to advance to second base, but the Cardinals still got some insurance in the next at bat as Lars Nootbaar hit a solo home run to right center field.&nbsp; With the two run lead, St. Louis brought&nbsp;Andre Granillo on for the save, getting the first two outs easily before walking Noda, but coming back and striking out Slater for his first save.&nbsp;JoJo Romero earned the win in relief, improving to 3-3, pitching one inning and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, Arenado was 3-for-5 with the home run and two RBI's.&nbsp; Burleson was 2-for-5 with three RBI's.&nbsp;St. Louis returns home next to take on Cincinatti.&nbsp; Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.83 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Brady Singer (7-4, 4.34 ERA) for the Reds.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:15pm, pregame will be joined around 6:05 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Cards sweep doubleheader, series against White Sox

The Kansas City Royals swept the Texas Rangers behind three home runs, two of them by top prospect Jac Caglianone who finally showed off his power, winning 4-1 on Thursday afternoon at Globe Life Field.&nbsp;

Kansas City first got on the board in the first inning on a two run home run by Vinnie Pasquantino.&nbsp; After Bobby Witt Jr walked with one out in the inning, and Maikel Garcia flied out for the second out, Pasquantino stepped in and hit a home run to right field, his 11th of the year just inside the foul pole, to give the Royals a 2-0 lead.&nbsp;

In the second inning, as Jacob Latz replaced Shawn Armstrong in a bullpen game for the Rangers, he was greeted on his first pitch by the Royals top prospect as Caglilanone took a pitch at his shoulders and put it into the Rangers bullpen for his first major league home run, showing off the promised power after struggling since being called up and not homering in his first 52 at bats.&nbsp;

The Rangers cut into the lead in the sixth inning, Wyatt Langford singling and then scoring on a double by Marcus Semien, but Kanas City shut Texas down the rest of the way, and added one more insurance run in the ninth as Caglianone added to his day, also hitting his first MLB multi home run game, this time going over the Rangers bullpen for the 4-1 lead.&nbsp;

Caglianone is the fourth Royals player in history to hit his first two home runs in the same game, joining the likes of&nbsp;Mark Quinn, U.L. Washington, and Jim Rooker (7/7/69).&nbsp;

Michael Wacha earned the win, improving to 4-6 on the year, giving up just two hits and one run, while striking out five and walking two.&nbsp; John Schreiber, Angel Zerpa, and&nbsp;Carlos Estévez combined to give up just one hit and struck out two, with&nbsp;Estévez earning his 21st save.&nbsp; At the plate,&nbsp; Caglianone was 2-for-4 with the two home runs.&nbsp; Witt Jr was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.&nbsp;

Kansas City continues the road trip next heading to San Diego.&nbsp; Michael Lorenzen (4-7, 4.91 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals while the Padres starter is currently listed as TBD.&nbsp; First pitch is at 8:40pm, pregame will begin at 8 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe Kansas City Royals swept the Texas Rangers behind three home runs, two of them by top prospect Jac Caglianone who finally showed off his power, winning 4-1 on Thursday afternoon at Globe Life Field.&nbsp;Kansas City first got on the board in the first inning on a two run home run by Vinnie Pasquantino.&nbsp; After Bobby Witt Jr walked with one out in the inning, and Maikel Garcia flied out for the second out, Pasquantino stepped in and hit a home run to right field, his 11th of the year just inside the foul pole, to give the Royals a 2-0 lead.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Pasquatch power! 💥 <a href="https://t.co/rL4c6O8ITZ">pic.twitter.com/rL4c6O8ITZ</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1935772872435265711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In the second inning, as Jacob Latz replaced Shawn Armstrong in a bullpen game for the Rangers, he was greeted on his first pitch by the Royals top prospect as Caglilanone took a pitch at his shoulders and put it into the Rangers bullpen for his first major league home run, showing off the promised power after struggling since being called up and not homering in his first 52 at bats.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">First Cags crush in the books. 💪 <a href="https://t.co/rP7FSzEdAV">pic.twitter.com/rP7FSzEdAV</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1935776308556108102?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Rangers cut into the lead in the sixth inning, Wyatt Langford singling and then scoring on a double by Marcus Semien, but Kanas City shut Texas down the rest of the way, and added one more insurance run in the ninth as Caglianone added to his day, also hitting his first MLB multi home run game, this time going over the Rangers bullpen for the 4-1 lead.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The rookie’s raking! <a href="https://t.co/vByHTxAQRq">pic.twitter.com/vByHTxAQRq</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1935803868287205867?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Caglianone is the fourth Royals player in history to hit his first two home runs in the same game, joining the likes of&nbsp;Mark Quinn, U.L. Washington, and Jim Rooker (7/7/69).&nbsp;Michael Wacha earned the win, improving to 4-6 on the year, giving up just two hits and one run, while striking out five and walking two.&nbsp; John Schreiber, Angel Zerpa, and&nbsp;Carlos Estévez combined to give up just one hit and struck out two, with&nbsp;Estévez earning his 21st save.&nbsp; At the plate,&nbsp; Caglianone was 2-for-4 with the two home runs.&nbsp; Witt Jr was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.&nbsp;Kansas City continues the road trip next heading to San Diego.&nbsp; Michael Lorenzen (4-7, 4.91 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals while the Padres starter is currently listed as TBD.&nbsp; First pitch is at 8:40pm, pregame will begin at 8 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Caglianone blasts first two MLB home runs in Royals 4-1 win

After making the move from Kansas City earlier this year, the St. Joseph Goats arena league football team is proud to call St. Joseph home. 

While they've only had one home game thus far, the St. Joseph Goats have been a hit in their first year in St. Joseph, selling out their home opener at Civic Arena.  

Team President and General Manager Ted Sweeney says since making the move, he's loved every second of being in St. Joseph 

"Being in Kansas City last year, not having a place to play, we had looked at St. Joseph before we even moved to Kansas City, so we were very familiar with St. Joe, but we had no idea that this place was so crazy about football," Sweeney says.  "It's been insane." 

Sweeney says never in his tenure has he seen the type of crowd that turned out during that opener.  

Sweeney says he already sees some differences between playing in Kansas City and St. Joseph that are beneficial  

"Kansas City is a larger community so although we had support, it wasn't crazy like it's starting to get here," Sweeney explains.  "And the arena is tailor made for arena football, there's no bad seats, you know Municipal (Auditorium) is a beautiful, historic building, but it also seats 12,000 people, Civic Arena, 3,200 and they're all great seats and it gets very loud." 

Sweeney says that despite a loss and some technical issues during the home opener, the crowd on hand was still very positive and one of the best he's seen and hopes to see another good crowd on hand Saturday. 

Sweeney says for those who have not experienced arena league football, you're in for a lot of action 

"It's high speed, the collisions are something to see, obviously the walls come into play quite a bit, they're going into them, they're going over them," Sweeney says. 

And the Goats also bring a roster full of close to National Football League talent 

"We have a gentleman we just picked up who was in the Washington Commanders camp. We have some Missouri Tigers, a Jayhawk, Ole Miss, and you're watching these guys play, depending on your seat, from five feet away," Sweeney says. 

The roster also features some local flares with former Missouri Western safety Antonio Taylor on the roster as well.  

The Goats are back at Civic Arena on Saturday, taking on the Iowa Woo, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year.  Kickoff is at 7pm; tickets are still available. 

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750352286325.jpeg" alt="The St. Joseph Goats had a good crowd on hand for their home opener, and hope to see the same Saturday as they return to Civic Arena/ Photo courtesy of the St. Joseph Goats Facebook" />
 <figcaption>The St. Joseph Goats had a good crowd on hand for their home opener, and hope to see the same Saturday as they return to Civic Arena/ Photo courtesy of the St. Joseph Goats Facebook</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post After making the move from Kansas City earlier this year, the St. Joseph Goats arena league football team is proud to call St. Joseph home. While they've only had one home game thus far, the St. Joseph Goats have been a hit in their first year in St. Joseph, selling out their home opener at Civic Arena. Team President and General Manager Ted Sweeney says since making the move, he's loved every second of being in St. Joseph "Being in Kansas City last year, not having a place to play, we had looked at St. Joseph before we even moved to Kansas City, so we were very familiar with St. Joe, but we had no idea that this place was so crazy about football," Sweeney says. "It's been insane." Sweeney says never in his tenure has he seen the type of crowd that turned out during that opener. Sweeney says he already sees some differences between playing in Kansas City and St. Joseph that are beneficial "Kansas City is a larger community so although we had support, it wasn't crazy like it's starting to get here," Sweeney explains. "And the arena is tailor made for arena football, there's no bad seats, you know Municipal (Auditorium) is a beautiful, historic building, but it also seats 12,000 people, Civic Arena, 3,200 and they're all great seats and it gets very loud." Sweeney says that despite a loss and some technical issues during the home opener, the crowd on hand was still very positive and one of the best he's seen and hopes to see another good crowd on hand Saturday. Sweeney says for those who have not experienced arena league football, you're in for a lot of action "It's high speed, the collisions are something to see, obviously the walls come into play quite a bit, they're going into them, they're going over them," Sweeney says. And the Goats also bring a roster full of close to National Football League talent "We have a gentleman we just picked up who was in the Washington Commanders camp. We have some Missouri Tigers, a Jayhawk, Ole Miss, and you're watching these guys play, depending on your seat, from five feet away," Sweeney says. The roster also features some local flares with former Missouri Western safety Antonio Taylor on the roster as well. The Goats are back at Civic Arena on Saturday, taking on the Iowa Woo, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year. Kickoff is at 7pm; tickets are still available. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Goats personnel say move to St. Joseph has been successful  

Northwest Missouri State University outfielder Ashton Neuman has been named to the 2025 ABCA NCAA Div. II Central Region All-Defensive team.

The teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. II All-America &amp; Coach of the Year Committee.

Neuman held a .993 fielding percentage in the outfield with 130 putouts and eight assists with one error in 139 total chances. Neuman tallied third-team All-MIAA honors in his lone season with the Bearcats and was also selected to the MIAA Gold Glove team.

Neuman set a new single season school record with 60 walks and tied for the nation's lead in that category. Neuman belted a team-high 12 home runs—tying for the 10th-most in a single season in program history. He drove in 53 runs in 181 at-bats with a .298 average and a .558 slugging percentage. Neuman scored a team-best 61 runs - tying the single-season Northwest record. Neuman tallied 15 multi-RBI games, including four games of four-RBI performances. He recorded 11 multi-hit outings. One of two Bearcats to start all 52 games, Neuman also contributed on the mound, making seven starts and eight appearances with a 1-3 record and 14 strikeouts across 26 2/3 innings.).

Players selected to the ABCA NCAA Div. II Region All-Defensive teams were eligible for ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove honors. The 2025 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners in all divisions were announced Wednesday, June 18.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750349932375.jpeg" alt="Ashton Neuman/ Photo courtesy of Northwest Missouri Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Ashton Neuman/ Photo courtesy of Northwest Missouri Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKENorthwest Missouri State University outfielder Ashton Neuman has been named to the 2025 ABCA NCAA Div. II Central Region All-Defensive team.The teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. II All-America &amp; Coach of the Year Committee.Neuman held a .993 fielding percentage in the outfield with 130 putouts and eight assists with one error in 139 total chances. Neuman tallied third-team All-MIAA honors in his lone season with the Bearcats and was also selected to the MIAA Gold Glove team.Neuman set a new single season school record with 60 walks and tied for the nation's lead in that category. Neuman belted a team-high 12 home runs—tying for the 10th-most in a single season in program history. He drove in 53 runs in 181 at-bats with a .298 average and a .558 slugging percentage. Neuman scored a team-best 61 runs - tying the single-season Northwest record. Neuman tallied 15 multi-RBI games, including four games of four-RBI performances. He recorded 11 multi-hit outings. One of two Bearcats to start all 52 games, Neuman also contributed on the mound, making seven starts and eight appearances with a 1-3 record and 14 strikeouts across 26 2/3 innings.).Players selected to the ABCA NCAA Div. II Region All-Defensive teams were eligible for ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove honors. The 2025 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners in all divisions were announced Wednesday, June 18.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

NWMSU OF Neuman named to ABCA Central Region All Defensive team

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/1EEAWycbag934HHNHqeMVf?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

The Kansas City Royals appear to have put the offensive slump of the poor homestand behind them, winning back to back games to start their road trip after beating the Texas Rangers 6-3 last night at Globe Life Field.&nbsp;

The win by Kansas City wasn't without a little drama as the Royals fell behind early in the first inning after Sam Haggerty tripled and Wyatt Langford doubled to lead off the inning with a run.&nbsp; Langford later scored on a single by Adolis Garcia as the Rangers got to Kris Bubic early in the game, but Bubic settled in after that, not giving up another run until the fourth inning.&nbsp;

The Royals took the lead though in the third inning, putting up four runs.&nbsp; Freddy Fermin walked to open the inning, but would end up out at second on a Kyle Isbel force out.&nbsp; Isbel went on to steal second base and scored on a single by Jonathan India.&nbsp; Bobby Witt Jr followed with a single of his own and India advanced to third, and after review the call stood that he was safe after a risky slide, and Maikel Garcia blasted Kansas City ahead with a three run home run to left field.&nbsp;

Back to back doubles by Josh Jung and Jake Burger plated the final run for the Rangers in the fourth inning.&nbsp; The Royals added their final two runs of insurance in the eighth inning, Witt Jr walking to open the inning and scoring on a triple by Garcia, before Garcia came home on a sacrifice bunt by John Rave.&nbsp;

Bubic earned the win, improving to 6-4 on the season, pitching 5 1/3 innings and giving up all three runs on nine hits, striking out six and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, Garcia was 3-for-4 with a triple and the home run, coming a double shy of the cycle, while driving in four runs.&nbsp; Four other Royals had one hit each.&nbsp;

Kansas City and Texas wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Wacha (3-6, 3.38 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals while the Rangers starter is currently listed as TBD.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:35pm, with pregame coverage beginning at 1 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe Kansas City Royals appear to have put the offensive slump of the poor homestand behind them, winning back to back games to start their road trip after beating the Texas Rangers 6-3 last night at Globe Life Field.&nbsp;The win by Kansas City wasn't without a little drama as the Royals fell behind early in the first inning after Sam Haggerty tripled and Wyatt Langford doubled to lead off the inning with a run.&nbsp; Langford later scored on a single by Adolis Garcia as the Rangers got to Kris Bubic early in the game, but Bubic settled in after that, not giving up another run until the fourth inning.&nbsp;The Royals took the lead though in the third inning, putting up four runs.&nbsp; Freddy Fermin walked to open the inning, but would end up out at second on a Kyle Isbel force out.&nbsp; Isbel went on to steal second base and scored on a single by Jonathan India.&nbsp; Bobby Witt Jr followed with a single of his own and India advanced to third, and after review the call stood that he was safe after a risky slide, and Maikel Garcia blasted Kansas City ahead with a three run home run to left field.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Maikel blasts a 3-run bomb to the bullpen! <a href="https://t.co/hGcMb6i4aE">pic.twitter.com/hGcMb6i4aE</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1935503494074568910?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Back to back doubles by Josh Jung and Jake Burger plated the final run for the Rangers in the fourth inning.&nbsp; The Royals added their final two runs of insurance in the eighth inning, Witt Jr walking to open the inning and scoring on a triple by Garcia, before Garcia came home on a sacrifice bunt by John Rave.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Insurance in the 8th. 🤙 <a href="https://t.co/hj60oONZXR">pic.twitter.com/hj60oONZXR</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1935527824640881047?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Bubic earned the win, improving to 6-4 on the season, pitching 5 1/3 innings and giving up all three runs on nine hits, striking out six and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, Garcia was 3-for-4 with a triple and the home run, coming a double shy of the cycle, while driving in four runs.&nbsp; Four other Royals had one hit each.&nbsp;Kansas City and Texas wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Wacha (3-6, 3.38 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals while the Rangers starter is currently listed as TBD.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:35pm, with pregame coverage beginning at 1 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Royals offense continues rolling in 6-3 win over Rangers

Inclement weather postponed the finale of the St. Joseph Mustangs four game road trip against the Chillicothe Mudcats on Wednesday.&nbsp;

The two teams will now make up the game on Tuesday, June 24th as a doubleheader with two seven inning games on the road at Chillicothe, which will be the end of a three game road trip next week.&nbsp;

The Mustangs now return to Phil Welch Stadium on Thursday to start a three game homestand.&nbsp; The first game will be against the NEMO Craze with first pitch at 6:30pm, gates opening at 5:15.&nbsp; It's Star in your own Trading Card night at the ballpark.&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEInclement weather postponed the finale of the St. Joseph Mustangs four game road trip against the Chillicothe Mudcats on Wednesday.&nbsp;The two teams will now make up the game on Tuesday, June 24th as a doubleheader with two seven inning games on the road at Chillicothe, which will be the end of a three game road trip next week.&nbsp;The Mustangs now return to Phil Welch Stadium on Thursday to start a three game homestand.&nbsp; The first game will be against the NEMO Craze with first pitch at 6:30pm, gates opening at 5:15.&nbsp; It's Star in your own Trading Card night at the ballpark.&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Mustangs and Mudcats postponed due to weather; doubleheader June 24th

The matchup between the White Sox and Cardinals at Rate Field was postponed due to rain, with the contest being made up as part of a straight doubleheader tomorrow.

Thunderstorms began around lunch time in Chicago, and while the rain had somewhat slowed down as the 6:40 p.m. first pitch time approached, the forecast was for continued precipitation until late in the evening.

Tomorrow's first game is scheduled to begin at 1:10 p.m., with pregame at 1 on KY 102 (102.5 FM) which was the originally set time for the series finale. Game 2 will begin approximately 30-45 minutes following the conclusion of the opener.&nbsp;

Game 1 of the doubleheader will feature Erick Fedde for the Cardinals against Sean Burke for the White Sox, while&nbsp;Game 2 will see Michael McGreevy on the mound for the Redbirds taking on Mike Vasil for Chicago

Fedde will make his first start against the White Sox since Chicago traded him to the Cardinals last July as part of a three-team deal that netted the Dodgers Tommy Edman. The White Sox signed Fedde after he spent the 2023 season pitching in the KBO in South Korea. Since joining the Cardinals, the right-hander has posted a 3.68 ERA over 24 starts.

McGreevy, ranked by MLB Pipeline as St. Louis’ No. 10 prospect, will be called up to serve as the team’s 27th man for the doubleheader. He’s made six appearances (four starts) with the Cardinals since 2024, going 4-1 with a 2.34 ERA. He last started against the Dodgers on June 8, allowing four earned runs over six innings in the first loss of his big league career. The 24-year-old is in the middle of a strong season with the Redbirds, posting a 2.51 ERA and a 7-1 record over 12 starts.

Burke, who was scheduled to start for the White Sox on Wednesday, gets the call in Game 1 of the doubleheader. Fellow South Side rookie right-hander Vasil starts the nightcap.&nbsp; Over three trips to the mound from May 23 to June 5, Burke posted a 2.37 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 19 innings. In his last start on June 11 at Houston, Burke gave up seven runs on eight hits and one walk over 3 2/3 innings.

Thursday will mark the Cardinals’ sixth doubleheader this season, and their second in the past two weeks. Despite the influx of schedule disruptions, St. Louis has held its own in twin bills, boasting a 6-4 record this year while sweeping its doubleheaders against the Reds on April 30 and the Mets on May 4.&nbsp; Although the White Sox have dealt with a handful of extended rain delays, Wednesday marked their first postponement and Thursday will be their first doubleheader of the 2025 season.&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe matchup between the White Sox and Cardinals at Rate Field was postponed due to rain, with the contest being made up as part of a straight doubleheader tomorrow.Thunderstorms began around lunch time in Chicago, and while the rain had somewhat slowed down as the 6:40 p.m. first pitch time approached, the forecast was for continued precipitation until late in the evening.Tomorrow's first game is scheduled to begin at 1:10 p.m., with pregame at 1 on KY 102 (102.5 FM) which was the originally set time for the series finale. Game 2 will begin approximately 30-45 minutes following the conclusion of the opener.&nbsp;Game 1 of the doubleheader will feature Erick Fedde for the Cardinals against Sean Burke for the White Sox, while&nbsp;Game 2 will see Michael McGreevy on the mound for the Redbirds taking on Mike Vasil for ChicagoFedde will make his first start against the White Sox since Chicago traded him to the Cardinals last July as part of a three-team deal that netted the Dodgers Tommy Edman. The White Sox signed Fedde after he spent the 2023 season pitching in the KBO in South Korea. Since joining the Cardinals, the right-hander has posted a 3.68 ERA over 24 starts.McGreevy, ranked by MLB Pipeline as St. Louis’ No. 10 prospect, will be called up to serve as the team’s 27th man for the doubleheader. He’s made six appearances (four starts) with the Cardinals since 2024, going 4-1 with a 2.34 ERA. He last started against the Dodgers on June 8, allowing four earned runs over six innings in the first loss of his big league career. The 24-year-old is in the middle of a strong season with the Redbirds, posting a 2.51 ERA and a 7-1 record over 12 starts.Burke, who was scheduled to start for the White Sox on Wednesday, gets the call in Game 1 of the doubleheader. Fellow South Side rookie right-hander Vasil starts the nightcap.&nbsp; Over three trips to the mound from May 23 to June 5, Burke posted a 2.37 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 19 innings. In his last start on June 11 at Houston, Burke gave up seven runs on eight hits and one walk over 3 2/3 innings.Thursday will mark the Cardinals’ sixth doubleheader this season, and their second in the past two weeks. Despite the influx of schedule disruptions, St. Louis has held its own in twin bills, boasting a 6-4 record this year while sweeping its doubleheaders against the Reds on April 30 and the Mets on May 4.&nbsp; Although the White Sox have dealt with a handful of extended rain delays, Wednesday marked their first postponement and Thursday will be their first doubleheader of the 2025 season.&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Cardinals-White Sox game postponed; twin bill Thursday

In anticipation of the Missouri State High School Girls Volleyball Championships coming to St. Joseph this fall, the St. Joseph Sports Commission will host an inaugural showcase of some of top high school volleyball teams in the area.&nbsp;

16 teams consisting of local, regional and statewide representation from all five classes of Missouri Girls High School Volleyball in which each team will play two games per day, four games total in a unique three court set-up in the arena during the&nbsp; Inaugural Pony Express State High School Volleyball Preview Tournament presented by John Anderson Shelter Insurance Agency, taking place August 29th &amp; 30th at Civic Arena.

&nbsp;The field features an impressive mix of small, medium and large class teams.&nbsp; Three 2024 state final four teams are entered in the field including Class 4 State Champion St. Pius Festus, Class 3 3rd&nbsp;Place Odessa, and local favorite Class 2 State Runner-Up Bishop LeBlond.&nbsp; District Champions in the field include Class 4 Webb City and Notre Dame De Sion, Class 3 Savannah, Class 2 Adrian, Class 1 Rock Port, and Plattsburg.&nbsp; The rest of the field includes Class 5 participants Liberty North, Central, Class 3's Oak Grove, Maryville, and Cameron, as well as Class 2's Mid-Buchanan and West Platte.

&nbsp;“We are honored and extremely excited to get the opportunity to host the MSHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championship this coming November and in our continuing effort to create/attract events that fill fit and niche locally but also can engage participants, regionally, statewide and nationally, the creation of this event was an obvious fit and we are excited to see some high level volleyball the first weekend of the season in downtown St. Joseph,” stated Brett Esely, Executive Director of the St. Joseph Sports Commission says in a news release.

&nbsp;Action begins at Civic Arena on Friday afternoon August 29 at 2:30 PM and concludes on day one at 8:45 PM.&nbsp; Games continue on Saturday, August 30 at 10 AM with the final game beginning at 4:15 PM.&nbsp; In all, 32 games will be contested.&nbsp; The schedule will look like this:&nbsp;

5:00 PM – Central vs. Notre Dame De Sion

6:15 PM – St. Pius Festus vs. Liberty North

7:30 PM – Oak Grove vs. Notre Dame De Sion

8:45 PM – St. Pius Festus vs. Webb City

10:00 AM – Notre Dame De Sion vs. Maryville

11:15 AM – St. Pius Festus vs. Savannah

1:45 PM – St. Pius Festus vs. Notre Dame De Sion

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt .&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750289956019.jpeg" alt="The St. Joseph Sports Commission announced the Inaugural Pony Express State High School Girls Volleyball Preview in anticipation of the MSHSAA Girls Volleyball Championships coming to St. Joseph this year/ Photo courtesy of the St. Joseph Sports Commission" />
 <figcaption>The St. Joseph Sports Commission announced the Inaugural Pony Express State High School Girls Volleyball Preview in anticipation of the MSHSAA Girls Volleyball Championships coming to St. Joseph this year/ Photo courtesy of the St. Joseph Sports Commission</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKEIn anticipation of the Missouri State High School Girls Volleyball Championships coming to St. Joseph this fall, the St. Joseph Sports Commission will host an inaugural showcase of some of top high school volleyball teams in the area.&nbsp;16 teams consisting of local, regional and statewide representation from all five classes of Missouri Girls High School Volleyball in which each team will play two games per day, four games total in a unique three court set-up in the arena during the&nbsp; Inaugural Pony Express State High School Volleyball Preview Tournament presented by John Anderson Shelter Insurance Agency, taking place August 29th &amp; 30th at Civic Arena.&nbsp;The field features an impressive mix of small, medium and large class teams.&nbsp; Three 2024 state final four teams are entered in the field including Class 4 State Champion St. Pius Festus, Class 3 3rd&nbsp;Place Odessa, and local favorite Class 2 State Runner-Up Bishop LeBlond.&nbsp; District Champions in the field include Class 4 Webb City and Notre Dame De Sion, Class 3 Savannah, Class 2 Adrian, Class 1 Rock Port, and Plattsburg.&nbsp; The rest of the field includes Class 5 participants Liberty North, Central, Class 3's Oak Grove, Maryville, and Cameron, as well as Class 2's Mid-Buchanan and West Platte.&nbsp;“We are honored and extremely excited to get the opportunity to host the MSHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championship this coming November and in our continuing effort to create/attract events that fill fit and niche locally but also can engage participants, regionally, statewide and nationally, the creation of this event was an obvious fit and we are excited to see some high level volleyball the first weekend of the season in downtown St. Joseph,” stated Brett Esely, Executive Director of the St. Joseph Sports Commission says in a news release.&nbsp;Action begins at Civic Arena on Friday afternoon August 29 at 2:30 PM and concludes on day one at 8:45 PM.&nbsp; Games continue on Saturday, August 30 at 10 AM with the final game beginning at 4:15 PM.&nbsp; In all, 32 games will be contested.&nbsp; The schedule will look like this:&nbsp;Friday, August 29Court 1:2:30 PM – Central vs. Maryville3:45 PM – Rock Port vs. West Platte5:00 PM – Plattsburg vs. West Platte6:15 PM – Oak Grove vs. Maryville7:30 PM – LeBlond vs. Mid-Buchanan8:45 PM – LeBlond vs. AdrianCourt 2:2:30 PM – Plattsburg vs. Cameron3:45 PM – Liberty North vs. Savannah5:00 PM – Central vs. Notre Dame De Sion6:15 PM – St. Pius Festus vs. Liberty North7:30 PM – Oak Grove vs. Notre Dame De Sion8:45 PM – St. Pius Festus vs. Webb CityCourt 3:5:00 PM – Rock Port vs. Cameron6:15 PM – Webb City vs. Savannah7:30 PM – Odessa vs. Adrian8:45 PM – Mid Buchanan vs. OdessaSaturday, August 30Court 1:10:00 AM – Notre Dame De Sion vs. Maryville11:15 AM – St. Pius Festus vs. Savannah12:30 PM – Plattsburg vs. Rock Port1:45 PM – Odessa vs. Savannah3:00 PM – Rock Port vs Mid Buchanan4:15 PM – Oak Grove vs. CentralCourt 2:10:00 AM – Plattsburg vs. Adrian11:15 AM – LeBlond vs Odessa12:30 PM – Mid Buchanan vs. Adrian1:45 PM – Central vs. Cameron3:00 PM – LeBlond vs. Webb CityCourt 3:10:00 AM – Cameron vs. West Platte11:15 AM – Liberty North vs. Webb City12:30 PM – Maryville vs. West Platte1:45 PM – St. Pius Festus vs. Notre Dame De Sion3:00 PM – Liberty North vs. Oak GroveYou can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt .&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Inagural High School Volleyball showcase at Civic Arena this fall

The NFL has announced&nbsp; dates for rookies and veterans to report to training camp for the Kansas City Chiefs as well as the rest of the league.&nbsp;

Chiefs rookies and veterans are scheduled to report to Missouri Western on July 21st according to the NFL.&nbsp; The Chiefs are currently in the midst of a three-day mandatory minicamp in Kansas City that wraps up Thursday.

The Chiefs and Missouri Western State University have not officially announced an updated contract for training camp after the current deal expired following last years camp.

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723743620442.jpeg" alt="Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gets ready to take a snap from center Creed Humprey during Training Camp in St. Joseph/ Photo by Alexis Starks" />
 <figcaption>Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gets ready to take a snap from center Creed Humprey during Training Camp in St. Joseph/ Photo by Alexis Starks</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKEThe NFL has announced&nbsp; dates for rookies and veterans to report to training camp for the Kansas City Chiefs as well as the rest of the league.&nbsp;Chiefs rookies and veterans are scheduled to report to Missouri Western on July 21st according to the NFL.&nbsp; The Chiefs are currently in the midst of a three-day mandatory minicamp in Kansas City that wraps up Thursday.The Chiefs and Missouri Western State University have not officially announced an updated contract for training camp after the current deal expired following last years camp.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

NFL announces report dates for Chiefs rookies and veterans at MWSU

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/45FjeNuuOKK70ftUi7lmCA?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

The St. Joseph Mustangs trailed through the first five innings, but rallied late to beat the Sedalia Bombers 7-3 on the road, continuing their stellar season against MINK league opponents.&nbsp;

Sedalia took the lead in the fourth inning on a solo home run by&nbsp;Dalton Miller, a lead they would hold until the Mustangs scored four runs in the sixth inning, a lead that St. Joseph would end up holding onto for good.&nbsp;

 St. Joseph first tied up the game on a bases loaded walk to&nbsp;Easton Phillipe, scoring Jack Mosh, and took the lead in the next at bat on thanks to a sacrifice fly by Justin George which drove in Dom Felix.&nbsp; An RBI single by Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith brought home Benton alum Chris Coy to extend the lead, before Phillipe scored the final run of the inning on another bases loaded walk to Trevor McCollum.&nbsp;

In the seventh inning, the Mustangs added three more runs.&nbsp; A sacrifice fly by George plated Felix for the first run.&nbsp; Later in the inning Logan Miller drove in two more runs with a single, bringing home&nbsp;Phillipe and Griffith for the final Mustangs runs.&nbsp; In the ninth the bombers put on their final two runs to narrow the gap,&nbsp;Lance Vickers singling home&nbsp;Sam Russo and&nbsp;Carter Rice reaching first on an error to score Vickers unearned.&nbsp;

Landon Reith earned the win pitching five innings and giving up one run on four hits, striking out five and walking two.&nbsp; At the plate, Felix led the way going 2-for-3 with double, a walk, and two runs scored.&nbsp; Coy was 2-for-5 with a run while Griffith was 2-for-5 with an RBI.

The Mustangs are now 12-2 on the season, 9-1 in the MINK league, and wrap up their road trip tomorrow in Chillicothe, before returning to Phil Welch Stadium for a three game homestand on Thursday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750220174303.jpeg" alt="Dom Felix was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored&nbsp; in the Mustangs 7-3 win over the Sedalia Bombers/ Photo courtesy of the St. Joseph Mustangs" />
 <figcaption>Dom Felix was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored&nbsp; in the Mustangs 7-3 win over the Sedalia Bombers/ Photo courtesy of the St. Joseph Mustangs</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKEThe St. Joseph Mustangs trailed through the first five innings, but rallied late to beat the Sedalia Bombers 7-3 on the road, continuing their stellar season against MINK league opponents.&nbsp;Sedalia took the lead in the fourth inning on a solo home run by&nbsp;Dalton Miller, a lead they would hold until the Mustangs scored four runs in the sixth inning, a lead that St. Joseph would end up holding onto for good.&nbsp; St. Joseph first tied up the game on a bases loaded walk to&nbsp;Easton Phillipe, scoring Jack Mosh, and took the lead in the next at bat on thanks to a sacrifice fly by Justin George which drove in Dom Felix.&nbsp; An RBI single by Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith brought home Benton alum Chris Coy to extend the lead, before Phillipe scored the final run of the inning on another bases loaded walk to Trevor McCollum.&nbsp;In the seventh inning, the Mustangs added three more runs.&nbsp; A sacrifice fly by George plated Felix for the first run.&nbsp; Later in the inning Logan Miller drove in two more runs with a single, bringing home&nbsp;Phillipe and Griffith for the final Mustangs runs.&nbsp; In the ninth the bombers put on their final two runs to narrow the gap,&nbsp;Lance Vickers singling home&nbsp;Sam Russo and&nbsp;Carter Rice reaching first on an error to score Vickers unearned.&nbsp;Landon Reith earned the win pitching five innings and giving up one run on four hits, striking out five and walking two.&nbsp; At the plate, Felix led the way going 2-for-3 with double, a walk, and two runs scored.&nbsp; Coy was 2-for-5 with a run while Griffith was 2-for-5 with an RBI.The Mustangs are now 12-2 on the season, 9-1 in the MINK league, and wrap up their road trip tomorrow in Chillicothe, before returning to Phil Welch Stadium for a three game homestand on Thursday.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Mustangs score late to top Sedalia 7-3 on the road

&nbsp;Salvador Perez continued making his mark in the history books as the Kansas City Royals snapped a six game losing streak with a 6-1 win over the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.&nbsp;

The Royals got on the board early, putting up three runs in the first inning, in large part thanks to Perez.&nbsp; Maikel Garcia drove in the first run with an RBI single, scoring Bobby Witt Jr, before Perez hit a two run home run to right field.&nbsp;

Perez drove in another run in the fourth inning with an RBI double, bringing home Vinnie Pasquantino.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning the Rangers scored their lone run of the game on a single by&nbsp;Alejandro Osuna that drove in&nbsp;Corey Seager, who led the inning off with a double.&nbsp;

In the fifth inning, the Royals got their second home run of the game, from the hometown kid as Bobby Witt Jr hit a solo home run to left field.&nbsp; In the sixth inning, Perez hit his second home run of the game for the final run, marking his 18th career multi home run game putting him past George Brett's 17 for the most in Royals history.

Perez led the way at the plate in the win, going&nbsp; 3-for-4 with four RBIs, two home runs and a double. Witt Jr and Garcia were both 2-for-4 with an RBI as well. On the mound, Seth Lugo earned the win, improving to 4-5 on the season, pitching six innings and giving up one run on three hits, striking out nine and walking one.&nbsp;

Kansas City and Texas continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Kris Bubic (5-4, 1.92 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against&nbsp;Patrick Corbin (4-5, 3.66 ERA) for the Rangers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7:05pm, pregame will begin at 6:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKE&nbsp;Salvador Perez continued making his mark in the history books as the Kansas City Royals snapped a six game losing streak with a 6-1 win over the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.&nbsp;The Royals got on the board early, putting up three runs in the first inning, in large part thanks to Perez.&nbsp; Maikel Garcia drove in the first run with an RBI single, scoring Bobby Witt Jr, before Perez hit a two run home run to right field.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A Salvy smash caps off a 3-run inning! <a href="https://t.co/oGdedNyoUe">pic.twitter.com/oGdedNyoUe</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1935131243294638182?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Perez drove in another run in the fourth inning with an RBI double, bringing home Vinnie Pasquantino.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning the Rangers scored their lone run of the game on a single by&nbsp;Alejandro Osuna that drove in&nbsp;Corey Seager, who led the inning off with a double.&nbsp;In the fifth inning, the Royals got their second home run of the game, from the hometown kid as Bobby Witt Jr hit a solo home run to left field.&nbsp; In the sixth inning, Perez hit his second home run of the game for the final run, marking his 18th career multi home run game putting him past George Brett's 17 for the most in Royals history.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The hometown kid sends one outta here. <a href="https://t.co/rqwuIZieK5">pic.twitter.com/rqwuIZieK5</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1935146271733359088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">One just wasn’t enough for the Captain. 🫡 <a href="https://t.co/YkOQiTJA3w">pic.twitter.com/YkOQiTJA3w</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1935150391676613015?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Perez led the way at the plate in the win, going&nbsp; 3-for-4 with four RBIs, two home runs and a double. Witt Jr and Garcia were both 2-for-4 with an RBI as well. On the mound, Seth Lugo earned the win, improving to 4-5 on the season, pitching six innings and giving up one run on three hits, striking out nine and walking one.&nbsp;Kansas City and Texas continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Kris Bubic (5-4, 1.92 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against&nbsp;Patrick Corbin (4-5, 3.66 ERA) for the Rangers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7:05pm, pregame will begin at 6:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Salvy makes history as Royals snap losing streak with 6-1 win 

The St. Louis Cardinals bounced back from a rough series with the Milwaukee Brewers, opening up their series with the Chicago White Sox with a dominating 12-2 win at Rate Field.&nbsp;

After the White Sox opened the scoring in the first inning on an RBI single by&nbsp;Edgar Quero, driving in Miguel Vargas, the Cardinals put up five runs in the second inning.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pedro Pagés reached first on a sacrifice bunt and advanced to second base, thanks to a throwing error by Vargas, scoring Nolan Arenado.&nbsp; A single by Brendan Donovan drove in Lars Nootbaar.&nbsp;

Masyn Winn's groundout extended the scoring run for the Redbirds bringing home&nbsp;Pagés, before&nbsp;Iván Herrera drove in the final two runs of the inning with a two RBI single, scoring Victor Scott II and Donovan for the 5-1 Cardinals lead.&nbsp;

St. Louis added another run in the fifth inning as Willson Contreras stole home base, the play was challenged and the call was overturned with Contrereas safe at home.&nbsp; The White Sox scored their only other run in the bottom half of the inning, a sacrifice fly by Vinny Capra driving in Lenyn Sosa for the score.&nbsp;

Herrera drove in two more runs in the sixth inning with another two RBI single, scoring Donovan and Winn.&nbsp; A home run by Alec Burleson in the seventh inning extended the lead even more, before the Cardinals added another run in the eighth inning, again thanks to Burleson with an RBI single, driving in Winn.&nbsp; St. Louis scored the final two runs of the game in the ninth inning on a two run home run by Scott II, scoring&nbsp;Pagés.

Matthew Liberatore earned the win for the Cardinals, improving to 4-6 on the season, pitching six innings and giving up both runs on five hits, striking out four.&nbsp; At the plate, Donovan led the way going 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored.&nbsp; Burleson was 3-for-5 with the home run and two RBIs.

St. Louis continues their series with Chicago tomorrow.&nbsp; Sonny Gray (7-2, 3.84 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Sean Burke (3-7, 4.71 ERA) for the White Sox.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:40pm, pregame wlll be joined at 6:30 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe St. Louis Cardinals bounced back from a rough series with the Milwaukee Brewers, opening up their series with the Chicago White Sox with a dominating 12-2 win at Rate Field.&nbsp;After the White Sox opened the scoring in the first inning on an RBI single by&nbsp;Edgar Quero, driving in Miguel Vargas, the Cardinals put up five runs in the second inning.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pedro Pagés reached first on a sacrifice bunt and advanced to second base, thanks to a throwing error by Vargas, scoring Nolan Arenado.&nbsp; A single by Brendan Donovan drove in Lars Nootbaar.&nbsp;Masyn Winn's groundout extended the scoring run for the Redbirds bringing home&nbsp;Pagés, before&nbsp;Iván Herrera drove in the final two runs of the inning with a two RBI single, scoring Victor Scott II and Donovan for the 5-1 Cardinals lead.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Donnie and Herrera helped spark a 5-run inning! ⚡️ Give them an All-Star vote at <a href="https://t.co/H9MeQwAQiy">https://t.co/H9MeQwAQiy</a>! <a href="https://t.co/gTQlffF5Gv">pic.twitter.com/gTQlffF5Gv</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1935130528035881197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>St. Louis added another run in the fifth inning as Willson Contreras stole home base, the play was challenged and the call was overturned with Contrereas safe at home.&nbsp; The White Sox scored their only other run in the bottom half of the inning, a sacrifice fly by Vinny Capra driving in Lenyn Sosa for the score.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">After review: Willson steals home! <a href="https://t.co/Fsj8ID9yMW">pic.twitter.com/Fsj8ID9yMW</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1935142321957245228?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Herrera drove in two more runs in the sixth inning with another two RBI single, scoring Donovan and Winn.&nbsp; A home run by Alec Burleson in the seventh inning extended the lead even more, before the Cardinals added another run in the eighth inning, again thanks to Burleson with an RBI single, driving in Winn.&nbsp; St. Louis scored the final two runs of the game in the ninth inning on a two run home run by Scott II, scoring&nbsp;Pagés.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Look where Alec Burleson hit this pitch to bring home our 10th run of the night! <a href="https://t.co/h2hFuLVWkK">pic.twitter.com/h2hFuLVWkK</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1935154863303807045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Victor Scott II makes it an even dozen! <a href="https://t.co/Yvu8llh6ev">pic.twitter.com/Yvu8llh6ev</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1935158106796736637?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Matthew Liberatore earned the win for the Cardinals, improving to 4-6 on the season, pitching six innings and giving up both runs on five hits, striking out four.&nbsp; At the plate, Donovan led the way going 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored.&nbsp; Burleson was 3-for-5 with the home run and two RBIs.St. Louis continues their series with Chicago tomorrow.&nbsp; Sonny Gray (7-2, 3.84 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Sean Burke (3-7, 4.71 ERA) for the White Sox.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:40pm, pregame wlll be joined at 6:30 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Cardinals power past White Sox for big 12-2 victory

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4mWsSaIn9fXK0oWyNNLP0R?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

The St. Joseph Mustangs bounced back from their first MINK League loss in a big way, throttling the Nevada Griffons 13-0 in a seven inning run rule victory on the road.&nbsp;

The Mustangs poured things on in the first inning, scoring six runs, loading the bases before&nbsp;Easton Phillipe singled to drive in Benton alum Chris Coy for the first score.&nbsp; Three consecutive bases loaded walks added runs, the first to Trevor Mccollum scoring Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart, then Lafayette alum Jayden Little was walked bringing home Justin George, and Tyler Gundelfinger walked driving in&nbsp;Phillipe.&nbsp; 

Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen grounded out, scoring McCollum before in his second at bat of the inning Coy walked to bring home Little for the 6-0 lead at the end of the first inning.&nbsp; St. Joseph added one more run in the fourth inning on a single by Gundelfinger, scoring McCollum.

In the fifth inning, three more runs scored for the Mustangs as they continue to pour on the runs.&nbsp; A double by George scored Luikart, and George later scored on a single by McCollum.&nbsp;&nbsp;Phillipe added the final run of the inning on a groundout by Little, pushing the Mustangs lead up to 10-0.&nbsp;

A double by Logan Miller drove in Bodenhausen for the lone run in the sixth inning, before the Mustangs added the final two runs they needed for the run rule win in the seventh.&nbsp;&nbsp;Phillipe scored the first run in the seventh on a wild pitch, with McCollum advancing to third base.&nbsp; McCollum scored on a sacrifice fly by Gundelfinger.&nbsp;

East Buchanan alum Bronco Whitt made his starting debut on the mound and earned the win, pitching five innings and giving up two hits while striking out two.&nbsp; McCollum led the way hitting going 3-for-3 at the plate with a walk and two RBI's scoring three runs.&nbsp; George was 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, scoring two runs.

The Mustangs are now 12-2, 8-1 in the MINK League, and stay on the road traveling tomorrow to Sedalia to take on the Sedalia Bombers.&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe St. Joseph Mustangs bounced back from their first MINK League loss in a big way, throttling the Nevada Griffons 13-0 in a seven inning run rule victory on the road.&nbsp;The Mustangs poured things on in the first inning, scoring six runs, loading the bases before&nbsp;Easton Phillipe singled to drive in Benton alum Chris Coy for the first score.&nbsp; Three consecutive bases loaded walks added runs, the first to Trevor Mccollum scoring Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart, then Lafayette alum Jayden Little was walked bringing home Justin George, and Tyler Gundelfinger walked driving in&nbsp;Phillipe.&nbsp; Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen grounded out, scoring McCollum before in his second at bat of the inning Coy walked to bring home Little for the 6-0 lead at the end of the first inning.&nbsp; St. Joseph added one more run in the fourth inning on a single by Gundelfinger, scoring McCollum.In the fifth inning, three more runs scored for the Mustangs as they continue to pour on the runs.&nbsp; A double by George scored Luikart, and George later scored on a single by McCollum.&nbsp;&nbsp;Phillipe added the final run of the inning on a groundout by Little, pushing the Mustangs lead up to 10-0.&nbsp;A double by Logan Miller drove in Bodenhausen for the lone run in the sixth inning, before the Mustangs added the final two runs they needed for the run rule win in the seventh.&nbsp;&nbsp;Phillipe scored the first run in the seventh on a wild pitch, with McCollum advancing to third base.&nbsp; McCollum scored on a sacrifice fly by Gundelfinger.&nbsp;East Buchanan alum Bronco Whitt made his starting debut on the mound and earned the win, pitching five innings and giving up two hits while striking out two.&nbsp; McCollum led the way hitting going 3-for-3 at the plate with a walk and two RBI's scoring three runs.&nbsp; George was 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, scoring two runs.The Mustangs are now 12-2, 8-1 in the MINK League, and stay on the road traveling tomorrow to Sedalia to take on the Sedalia Bombers.&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Mustangs bounce back from first MINK league loss, throttle Nevada 13-0

In just their second road tilt of the season, the St. Joseph Mustangs dropped their first MINK League matchup, fighting back but falling to the Clarinda A's 4-3 in Clarinda, Iowa.&nbsp;

The A's took the lead in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by&nbsp;Kane Wilson, scoring&nbsp;Micha Nicholson.&nbsp; In the fourth inning the Mustangs tied up the game behind Benton alum Chris Coy's RBI single, scoring Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart, tying the game up at 1-1.&nbsp;

Clarinda took the lead back in the sixth inning on another sacrifice fly, this time by&nbsp;Tayvon Homolar driving in&nbsp;Cooper Knight.&nbsp; Again though, in the very next inning, St. Joseph rallied to tie the game up with an RBI single by Trevor McCollum, bringing home Tyler Gundelfinger.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the seventh, the A's scored two runs on RBI singles, the first by&nbsp;Drake Cobb scoring Nicholson, and another by Knight driving in&nbsp;Brady Dobson.

Trailing 4-2, the Mustangs scored a run in the ninth inning, Jack Mosh driving in Luikart on a groundout, advancing Darius Freeman as the tying run to third base.&nbsp; Freeman though wound up stranded at third base as Coy popped out to first base to end the game.&nbsp;

East Buchanan alum Gage Busby took the loss in relief pitching two innings and giving up three runs on four hits, striking out four.&nbsp; At the plate, Coy was 2-for-5 with an RBI.&nbsp; Luikart was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored, while Dom Felix was also 2-for-4.&nbsp;

The Mustangs are now 11-2, 7-1 in the MINK League.&nbsp; They stay on the road next and travel to face the Nevada Griffons.&nbsp;&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEIn just their second road tilt of the season, the St. Joseph Mustangs dropped their first MINK League matchup, fighting back but falling to the Clarinda A's 4-3 in Clarinda, Iowa.&nbsp;The A's took the lead in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by&nbsp;Kane Wilson, scoring&nbsp;Micha Nicholson.&nbsp; In the fourth inning the Mustangs tied up the game behind Benton alum Chris Coy's RBI single, scoring Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart, tying the game up at 1-1.&nbsp;Clarinda took the lead back in the sixth inning on another sacrifice fly, this time by&nbsp;Tayvon Homolar driving in&nbsp;Cooper Knight.&nbsp; Again though, in the very next inning, St. Joseph rallied to tie the game up with an RBI single by Trevor McCollum, bringing home Tyler Gundelfinger.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the seventh, the A's scored two runs on RBI singles, the first by&nbsp;Drake Cobb scoring Nicholson, and another by Knight driving in&nbsp;Brady Dobson.Trailing 4-2, the Mustangs scored a run in the ninth inning, Jack Mosh driving in Luikart on a groundout, advancing Darius Freeman as the tying run to third base.&nbsp; Freeman though wound up stranded at third base as Coy popped out to first base to end the game.&nbsp;East Buchanan alum Gage Busby took the loss in relief pitching two innings and giving up three runs on four hits, striking out four.&nbsp; At the plate, Coy was 2-for-5 with an RBI.&nbsp; Luikart was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored, while Dom Felix was also 2-for-4.&nbsp;The Mustangs are now 11-2, 7-1 in the MINK League.&nbsp; They stay on the road next and travel to face the Nevada Griffons.&nbsp;&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Mustangs drop first MINK league contest 4-3 to Clarinda

The St. Louis Cardinals continued to slide down the National League Central standings, dropping a divisional series with the Milwaukee Brewers with a 3-2 loss on Sunday afternoon on the road.&nbsp;

The Cardinals opened the scoring first in the top of the fourth inning, Brendan Donovan scoring on a groundout by Willson Contreras.&nbsp; But in the bottom half of the inning, the Brewers took the lead, first tying the game on a leadoff home run by Christian Yelich, before later in the inning getting the lead on a sacrifice fly by Drew Avans bringing home Rhys Hoskins for the 2-1 lead.&nbsp;

A groundout by Sal Frelick in the seventh inning drove in Caleb Durbin for the final run the Brewers needed in the game.&nbsp; The Cardinals did try to rally back, getting a solo home run by&nbsp;Iván Herrera in the eighth inning.&nbsp; Alec Burleson followed the home run with a ground rule double, but the inning ended on a strike out by Contreras.&nbsp; In the ninth, St. Louis got back to back singles by Nolan Arenado and Nolan Gorman, but then Jordan Walker, Victor Scott, and Masyn Winn all struck out to end the game.&nbsp;

Miles Mikolas took the loss, falling to 4-4 on the season, pitching six innings and giving up two runs on six hits, striking out seven and walkign one.&nbsp; At the plate, Herrera was 2-for-4 with the home run.&nbsp; Donovan and Gorman were also 2-for-4.&nbsp;

St. Louis is off on Monday.&nbsp; They travel to Chicago on Tuesday to face the White Sox.&nbsp; Matthew LIberatore (3-6, 4.17 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Shane Smith (3-3, 2.37 ERA) for the White Sox.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:40pm, pregame will be joined at 6:30 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe St. Louis Cardinals continued to slide down the National League Central standings, dropping a divisional series with the Milwaukee Brewers with a 3-2 loss on Sunday afternoon on the road.&nbsp;The Cardinals opened the scoring first in the top of the fourth inning, Brendan Donovan scoring on a groundout by Willson Contreras.&nbsp; But in the bottom half of the inning, the Brewers took the lead, first tying the game on a leadoff home run by Christian Yelich, before later in the inning getting the lead on a sacrifice fly by Drew Avans bringing home Rhys Hoskins for the 2-1 lead.&nbsp;A groundout by Sal Frelick in the seventh inning drove in Caleb Durbin for the final run the Brewers needed in the game.&nbsp; The Cardinals did try to rally back, getting a solo home run by&nbsp;Iván Herrera in the eighth inning.&nbsp; Alec Burleson followed the home run with a ground rule double, but the inning ended on a strike out by Contreras.&nbsp; In the ninth, St. Louis got back to back singles by Nolan Arenado and Nolan Gorman, but then Jordan Walker, Victor Scott, and Masyn Winn all struck out to end the game.&nbsp;Miles Mikolas took the loss, falling to 4-4 on the season, pitching six innings and giving up two runs on six hits, striking out seven and walkign one.&nbsp; At the plate, Herrera was 2-for-4 with the home run.&nbsp; Donovan and Gorman were also 2-for-4.&nbsp;St. Louis is off on Monday.&nbsp; They travel to Chicago on Tuesday to face the White Sox.&nbsp; Matthew LIberatore (3-6, 4.17 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Shane Smith (3-3, 2.37 ERA) for the White Sox.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:40pm, pregame will be joined at 6:30 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Cardinals drop NL Central series with Brewers in 3-2 loss

Following Saturday's loss to the Athletics, the locker room of the Kansas City Royals stayed closed as the players held a players only meeting, having a moment to say that things needed to change and they needed to play better.&nbsp;

Despite that meeting, the Royals fell to the Athletics 3-2 on Sunday afternoon, making the team whose temporary home is in Sacramento, California the only team besides the New York Yankees to sweep the Royals, moving the Kansas City losing streak to six games.&nbsp;

The loss was to no fault of St. Joseph's Noah Cameron, who started the game and bounced back from a rough start to the Yankees, pitching five shutout innings, giving up four hits and walking one while striking out seven batters, lowering his ERA back below 2.00 to 1.91.&nbsp;

Cameron left the game with a 2-0 lead, which the Royals gave him in the third inning.&nbsp; Kyle Isbel led the inning off with a double, and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Maikel Garcia before scoring on a double by Bobby Witt Jr, who snapped a streak of four hitless games.&nbsp; Witt Jr moved to third on a balk by A's starter Jeffrey Springs, and then scored on a single by Vinnie Pasquantino.

Cameron though, ended up with a no decision, after being replaced by John Schreiber in the sixth inning.&nbsp; Schreiber gave up a single to Jacob Wilson but got Brent Rooker to line out to right field for the first out.&nbsp; In the next at bat though, Austin Wynns hit his fifth home run of the season to right field, driving in Wilson, to tie up up the game.

The game remained tied until the ninth inning after shutdown efforts by Angel Zerpa and Lucas Erceg from the bullpen before&nbsp;Carlos Estévez was called on in the ninth.&nbsp;&nbsp;Estévez surrendered a leadoff home run to rookie Nick Kurtz, giving the A's the 3-2 lead.&nbsp; After getting out of the inning, the Royals pinch hit Drew Waters, who got on first with a single, but could not push him across with three straight outs following the hit to end the game.&nbsp;

With his five shutout innings, Cameron became the first pitcher in MLB history to record at least five innings pitched and allow no more than one run in six of his first seven career games.&nbsp; The previous record was five, done by 13 others, including Christy Mathewson and Kerry Wood.

With the loss, Estévez falls to 2-2 on the year, pitching one inning giving up the one hit, walking one and striking out one.&nbsp; At the plate, Witt Jr was 2-for-4 with an RBI.&nbsp; Pasquantino was also 2-for-4 with an RBI while Freddy Fermin was 2-for-3.

Kansas City is off on Monday.&nbsp; They travel to Arlington, Texas on Tuesday to take on the Rangers.&nbsp; Seth Lugo (3-5, 3.18 ERA) is set to take the mound for the Royals against Jack Leiter (4-3, 3.88 ERA)&nbsp; for the Rangers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7:05pm, pregame will begin at 6:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

By MATT PIKEFollowing Saturday's loss to the Athletics, the locker room of the Kansas City Royals stayed closed as the players held a players only meeting, having a moment to say that things needed to change and they needed to play better.&nbsp;Despite that meeting, the Royals fell to the Athletics 3-2 on Sunday afternoon, making the team whose temporary home is in Sacramento, California the only team besides the New York Yankees to sweep the Royals, moving the Kansas City losing streak to six games.&nbsp;The loss was to no fault of St. Joseph's Noah Cameron, who started the game and bounced back from a rough start to the Yankees, pitching five shutout innings, giving up four hits and walking one while striking out seven batters, lowering his ERA back below 2.00 to 1.91.&nbsp;Cameron left the game with a 2-0 lead, which the Royals gave him in the third inning.&nbsp; Kyle Isbel led the inning off with a double, and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Maikel Garcia before scoring on a double by Bobby Witt Jr, who snapped a streak of four hitless games.&nbsp; Witt Jr moved to third on a balk by A's starter Jeffrey Springs, and then scored on a single by Vinnie Pasquantino.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Bob and Vinnie strike for a pair! <a href="https://t.co/jeAiPxtPBg">pic.twitter.com/jeAiPxtPBg</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1934327300796874800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Cameron though, ended up with a no decision, after being replaced by John Schreiber in the sixth inning.&nbsp; Schreiber gave up a single to Jacob Wilson but got Brent Rooker to line out to right field for the first out.&nbsp; In the next at bat though, Austin Wynns hit his fifth home run of the season to right field, driving in Wilson, to tie up up the game.The game remained tied until the ninth inning after shutdown efforts by Angel Zerpa and Lucas Erceg from the bullpen before&nbsp;Carlos Estévez was called on in the ninth.&nbsp;&nbsp;Estévez surrendered a leadoff home run to rookie Nick Kurtz, giving the A's the 3-2 lead.&nbsp; After getting out of the inning, the Royals pinch hit Drew Waters, who got on first with a single, but could not push him across with three straight outs following the hit to end the game.&nbsp;With his five shutout innings, Cameron became the first pitcher in MLB history to record at least five innings pitched and allow no more than one run in six of his first seven career games.&nbsp; The previous record was five, done by 13 others, including Christy Mathewson and Kerry Wood.With the loss, Estévez falls to 2-2 on the year, pitching one inning giving up the one hit, walking one and striking out one.&nbsp; At the plate, Witt Jr was 2-for-4 with an RBI.&nbsp; Pasquantino was also 2-for-4 with an RBI while Freddy Fermin was 2-for-3.Kansas City is off on Monday.&nbsp; They travel to Arlington, Texas on Tuesday to take on the Rangers.&nbsp; Seth Lugo (3-5, 3.18 ERA) is set to take the mound for the Royals against Jack Leiter (4-3, 3.88 ERA)&nbsp; for the Rangers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7:05pm, pregame will begin at 6:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Despite player's coming together for looking for change, Royals fall 3-2 to A's 

The St. Louis Cardinals battled hard to snap a losing skid, but came up short against the Milwaukee Brewers, losing 3-2 on Friday evening as their losing streak moved to six games and the Redbirds fell another game behind the Brew Crew in the NL Central standings.&nbsp;

The Brewers opened the scoring in the fourth inning.&nbsp; Sal Frelick singled to open the inning and after Jackson Chourio flew out to center field, William Contreras, the brother of Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras, doubled to score Frelick.&nbsp; The Cardinals tied the game up in the fifth inning on back to back doubles by Alec Burleson and Nolan Arenado.

Milwaukee retook the lead in the sixth inning, Contreras driving in another run on a sacrifice fly that scored Frelick who had singled to open the inning.&nbsp; Christian Yelich reached first on a fielders choice as Nolan Gorman attempted to throw Chourio out at home, but failed as the Brewers extended their lead 3-1.&nbsp;

In the ninth inning, the Cardinals set themselves up to tie the game after Gorman doubled and was driven in on a single by Victor Scott II.&nbsp; Scott stole second base with two outs, but with the tying run in scoring position, Lars Nootbaar struck out for the fourth time in the game, ending the rally and the game.&nbsp;

Erick Fedde took the loss, falling to 3-6 on the season, pitching 5 1/3 innings and giving up three runs on four hits, striking out five and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, Burleson led the way going 2-for-4 with a run scored.&nbsp; Scott was 1-for-1 with the RBI after coming in as a defensive replacement in the seventh, while Arenado was 1-for-4 with the double and an RBI.

St. Louis hopes to end their losing streak as they continue their series with Milwaukee on Saturday.&nbsp;&nbsp;Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.75 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Jose Quintana (4-1, 2.66 ERA) for the Brewers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 3:10pm, pregame will be joined at 3 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).

By MATT PIKEThe St. Louis Cardinals battled hard to snap a losing skid, but came up short against the Milwaukee Brewers, losing 3-2 on Friday evening as their losing streak moved to six games and the Redbirds fell another game behind the Brew Crew in the NL Central standings.&nbsp;The Brewers opened the scoring in the fourth inning.&nbsp; Sal Frelick singled to open the inning and after Jackson Chourio flew out to center field, William Contreras, the brother of Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras, doubled to score Frelick.&nbsp; The Cardinals tied the game up in the fifth inning on back to back doubles by Alec Burleson and Nolan Arenado.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Just keep swimming 🐠 <a href="https://t.co/YC0mHHvyuI">pic.twitter.com/YC0mHHvyuI</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1933694755780677937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Milwaukee retook the lead in the sixth inning, Contreras driving in another run on a sacrifice fly that scored Frelick who had singled to open the inning.&nbsp; Christian Yelich reached first on a fielders choice as Nolan Gorman attempted to throw Chourio out at home, but failed as the Brewers extended their lead 3-1.&nbsp;In the ninth inning, the Cardinals set themselves up to tie the game after Gorman doubled and was driven in on a single by Victor Scott II.&nbsp; Scott stole second base with two outs, but with the tying run in scoring position, Lars Nootbaar struck out for the fourth time in the game, ending the rally and the game.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Vic makes it a one-run game in the 9th! <a href="https://t.co/dQ5EAO9iqx">pic.twitter.com/dQ5EAO9iqx</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1933717616817778725?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Erick Fedde took the loss, falling to 3-6 on the season, pitching 5 1/3 innings and giving up three runs on four hits, striking out five and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, Burleson led the way going 2-for-4 with a run scored.&nbsp; Scott was 1-for-1 with the RBI after coming in as a defensive replacement in the seventh, while Arenado was 1-for-4 with the double and an RBI.St. Louis hopes to end their losing streak as they continue their series with Milwaukee on Saturday.&nbsp;&nbsp;Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.75 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Jose Quintana (4-1, 2.66 ERA) for the Brewers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 3:10pm, pregame will be joined at 3 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Cardinals fall to Brewers 3-2 moving losing skid to six games

The Kansas City Royals started to rally back, but fell short in the final inning against the Athletics, losing 6-4 on Friday evening at Kauffman Stadium on the day the Royals enshrined left fielder Alex Gordon into the Royals Hall of Fame.&nbsp;

With a pine tar stripe across their names, like the pine tar that adorned the back of Gordon most games, the Royals took the field following a ceremony for the eight time gold glover who spent his entire career in Kansas City.&nbsp; And the Royals opened the game with the lead, scoring in the bottom of the first inning as Salvador Perez doubled to drive in Maikel Garcia.&nbsp;

Austin Wynns though hit a solo home run in the second inning, tying up the game, and the Athletics went on to take the lead in the third inning on a single by rookie Nick Kurtz, scoring Jacob Wilson for the go ahead run.&nbsp; A third straight run scored in the fourth inning to extend the lead on another solo home run, this time by&nbsp;Luis Urías.&nbsp;

Holding the 3-1 lead, the Athletics pushed ahead even more in the sixth inning scoring their final three runs of the game.&nbsp; With the bases loaded, reliever Steven Cruz walked Tyler Soderstrom to score Denzel Clarke and in the next at bat surrendered a two run single to Max Muncy, bringing home Lawrence Butler and Wilson.&nbsp;

The Royals did start to rally back in the final inning.&nbsp; Back to back walks to Perez and Jac Caglianone opened the inning and Nick Loftin drove both in with his second triple of the season.&nbsp; Loftin scored on a sacrifice fly by John Rave for the final run, before Kyle Isbel struck out and Drew Waters popped out to end the game.&nbsp;

Michael Wacha took the loss, falling to 3-6 on the season, pitching 5 1/3 innings and giving up five runs on nine hits, walking two and striking out five.&nbsp; At the plate, Garcia led the way going 3-for-4 with a run scored.&nbsp; Loftin was 1-for-4 with an RBI while Perez was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.&nbsp;

Kansas City and the Athletics continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Lorenzen (4-6, 4.94 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against&nbsp;Jacob Lopez (0-4, 6.00 ERA) for the Athletics.&nbsp; First pitch is at 3:10pm, pregame coverage beginning at 2:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1749875516464.jpeg" alt="Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr talks with former Royals utility player Whit Merrifield following the Royals Hall of Fame ceremony for Alex Gordon.&nbsp; Royals players wore jerseys with a pine tar streak across the name to honor Gordon, an idea that came from Witt Jr, during Friday's game against the Athletics/ Photo courtesy of Matt Foster of KSHB 41 News on X" />
 <figcaption>Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr talks with former Royals utility player Whit Merrifield following the Royals Hall of Fame ceremony for Alex Gordon.&nbsp; Royals players wore jerseys with a pine tar streak across the name to honor Gordon, an idea that came from Witt Jr, during Friday's game against the Athletics/ Photo courtesy of Matt Foster of KSHB 41 News on X</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKEThe Kansas City Royals started to rally back, but fell short in the final inning against the Athletics, losing 6-4 on Friday evening at Kauffman Stadium on the day the Royals enshrined left fielder Alex Gordon into the Royals Hall of Fame.&nbsp;With a pine tar stripe across their names, like the pine tar that adorned the back of Gordon most games, the Royals took the field following a ceremony for the eight time gold glover who spent his entire career in Kansas City.&nbsp; And the Royals opened the game with the lead, scoring in the bottom of the first inning as Salvador Perez doubled to drive in Maikel Garcia.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Start us off, Captain. 🫡 <a href="https://t.co/zoVeVpdbQK">pic.twitter.com/zoVeVpdbQK</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1933684948583502242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Austin Wynns though hit a solo home run in the second inning, tying up the game, and the Athletics went on to take the lead in the third inning on a single by rookie Nick Kurtz, scoring Jacob Wilson for the go ahead run.&nbsp; A third straight run scored in the fourth inning to extend the lead on another solo home run, this time by&nbsp;Luis Urías.&nbsp;Holding the 3-1 lead, the Athletics pushed ahead even more in the sixth inning scoring their final three runs of the game.&nbsp; With the bases loaded, reliever Steven Cruz walked Tyler Soderstrom to score Denzel Clarke and in the next at bat surrendered a two run single to Max Muncy, bringing home Lawrence Butler and Wilson.&nbsp;The Royals did start to rally back in the final inning.&nbsp; Back to back walks to Perez and Jac Caglianone opened the inning and Nick Loftin drove both in with his second triple of the season.&nbsp; Loftin scored on a sacrifice fly by John Rave for the final run, before Kyle Isbel struck out and Drew Waters popped out to end the game.&nbsp;Michael Wacha took the loss, falling to 3-6 on the season, pitching 5 1/3 innings and giving up five runs on nine hits, walking two and striking out five.&nbsp; At the plate, Garcia led the way going 3-for-4 with a run scored.&nbsp; Loftin was 1-for-4 with an RBI while Perez was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.&nbsp;Kansas City and the Athletics continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Lorenzen (4-6, 4.94 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against&nbsp;Jacob Lopez (0-4, 6.00 ERA) for the Athletics.&nbsp; First pitch is at 3:10pm, pregame coverage beginning at 2:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;