The Kansas City Royals trailed for most of the game, but came up big in the seventh inning to earn a series split with the Seattle Mariners, avoiding wasting a quality start by Seth Lugo, winning 3-2 on Thursday night at T-Mobile Park.

Jorge Polanco hit a solo home run for the Mariners in the fourth inning, giving Seattle a 1-0 lead, a lead which they would hold until the seventh inning.&nbsp; The Royals did threaten in the sixth, after Salvador Perez doubled and John Rave walked, but Nick Loftin flew out to end that threat, setting Kansas City up to take the lead the very next inning.&nbsp;

In the seventh, after Freddy Fermin lined out to open the inning, Kyle Isbel and Jonathan India got back to back walks bringing Bobby Witt Jr to the plate as the Mariners brought on reliever Carlos Vargas.&nbsp; Witt Jr greeted Vargas with a single into center field, tying the game up driving in Isbel and moving India to third.&nbsp; After Witt Jr stole second base, his 24th stolen base of the season, Vinnie Pasquantino singled into right field bringing home India and also Witt Jr as the Royals star shortstop made a sliding play at home plate, swimming around the catcher to avoid the tag to score.&nbsp;

In the bottom of the ninth inning, against Royals closer&nbsp;Carlos Estévez,&nbsp;Dominic Canzone hit a solo home run to cut the lead to one.&nbsp;&nbsp;Miles Mastrobuoni pinch hit and got a single, and after Estévez struckout Cole Young, J.P Crawford singled, putting the closer in danger.&nbsp; Mastrobuoni and Crawford both moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, but&nbsp;Estévez struck out Julio Rodriguez and then got Cal Raleigh to groundout to end the game, earning his 24th save.&nbsp;

Lugo earned the win, improving to 6-5 on the season, pitching 6 1/3 innings and giving up one run on six hits, striking out seven and walking two.&nbsp; At the plate, Witt Jr. was 1-for-5 with a stolen base and an RBI while Pasquantino was 1-for-4 with two RBI's as Kansas City had just five hits.&nbsp;

Kansas City now travels to Arizona for a weekend series, starting with an Independence Day matchup.&nbsp; Kris Bubic (6-6, 2.25 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals in the opener against&nbsp;Eduardo Rodriguez (3-4, 5.13 ERA) for the Diamondbacks.&nbsp; First pitch is at 8:40pm, pregame begins at 8 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

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

By MATT PIKEThe Kansas City Royals trailed for most of the game, but came up big in the seventh inning to earn a series split with the Seattle Mariners, avoiding wasting a quality start by Seth Lugo, winning 3-2 on Thursday night at T-Mobile Park.Jorge Polanco hit a solo home run for the Mariners in the fourth inning, giving Seattle a 1-0 lead, a lead which they would hold until the seventh inning.&nbsp; The Royals did threaten in the sixth, after Salvador Perez doubled and John Rave walked, but Nick Loftin flew out to end that threat, setting Kansas City up to take the lead the very next inning.&nbsp;In the seventh, after Freddy Fermin lined out to open the inning, Kyle Isbel and Jonathan India got back to back walks bringing Bobby Witt Jr to the plate as the Mariners brought on reliever Carlos Vargas.&nbsp; Witt Jr greeted Vargas with a single into center field, tying the game up driving in Isbel and moving India to third.&nbsp; After Witt Jr stole second base, his 24th stolen base of the season, Vinnie Pasquantino singled into right field bringing home India and also Witt Jr as the Royals star shortstop made a sliding play at home plate, swimming around the catcher to avoid the tag to score.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Bobby outrageous! 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/mbafn4tP2o">pic.twitter.com/mbafn4tP2o</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1940985709466472537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In the bottom of the ninth inning, against Royals closer&nbsp;Carlos Estévez,&nbsp;Dominic Canzone hit a solo home run to cut the lead to one.&nbsp;&nbsp;Miles Mastrobuoni pinch hit and got a single, and after Estévez struckout Cole Young, J.P Crawford singled, putting the closer in danger.&nbsp; Mastrobuoni and Crawford both moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, but&nbsp;Estévez struck out Julio Rodriguez and then got Cal Raleigh to groundout to end the game, earning his 24th save.&nbsp;Lugo earned the win, improving to 6-5 on the season, pitching 6 1/3 innings and giving up one run on six hits, striking out seven and walking two.&nbsp; At the plate, Witt Jr. was 1-for-5 with a stolen base and an RBI while Pasquantino was 1-for-4 with two RBI's as Kansas City had just five hits.&nbsp;Kansas City now travels to Arizona for a weekend series, starting with an Independence Day matchup.&nbsp; Kris Bubic (6-6, 2.25 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals in the opener against&nbsp;Eduardo Rodriguez (3-4, 5.13 ERA) for the Diamondbacks.&nbsp; First pitch is at 8:40pm, pregame begins at 8 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Royals offense storms back to steal series split from Mariners with 3-2 win

The St. Joseph Mustangs avenged a road loss to the Chillicothe Mudcats on Tuesday, clobbering the Mudcats at Phil Welch Stadium on Thursday night for a seven inning run rule victory, winning 16-5 to open a three game homestand.&nbsp;

After&nbsp;Jarian Pickney scored the opening run for the Mudcats in the first inning on a passed ball, the Mustangs, who scored just three runs on Tuesday, scored eight unanswered runs to take the lead, first scoring twice in the bottom of the first as Jack Mosh singled home Trevor McCollum and Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart scored on a throwing error by right fielder Jordi Ventura.

Another two runs scored in the second inning for the Mustangs, Darius Freeman singling home Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith, and then as Freeman stole second base, Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen came home on a throwing error by catcher Bruce Boucher.&nbsp; In the third inning, another four runs scored, first with an RBI single by Benton alum Chris Coy driving in Mosh.&nbsp; Coy scored later in the inning on a groundout by Bodenhausen, and another two runs came in with a single from Freeman, driving in Griffith and Lafayette alum Jayden Little.&nbsp;

Chillicothe did add a run to the board in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Boucher, bringing home&nbsp;John Spoto, but the Mustangs got that run back in the bottom half of the inning on another single by Coy, driving in Luikart to push the Mustangs lead to 9-2, ahead of a big five run inning in the fifth by St. Joseph, an inning that started with yet another RBI single by Freeman driving in Griffith.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Continuing to pour it on in the fifth inning, Luikart drove in his first runs of the game with a two RBI double, bringing home Bodenhausen and Freeman, before scoring himself, along with McCollum, to end the scoring in the frame on a double by Dom Felix.&nbsp; Luikart added another RBI in the sixth inning with a bases loaded walk, bringing home Bodenhausen, and Felix added another RBI as well in the inning with a sacrifice fly scoring Freeman to give the Mustangs a 16-2 lead.&nbsp;

With their backs against the wall facing the run rule defeat entering the seventh, the Mudcats attempted to make a push to get out of&nbsp; the deficit, Pickney reaching on a fielders choice and bringing home Boucher for an unearned run.&nbsp; The final two runs scored on a two RBI single by pinch hitter&nbsp;Derin Doucet, driving in Pickney and&nbsp;Ethan Murakoshi, but needing at least two more runs, with the bases loaded after back to back walks to Ventura and&nbsp;Tanner Sears, Mustangs reliever Jase Johnson struck out the final two batters to end the game.

Austin Nance earned the win for the Mustangs, pitching five innings and giving up two runs on four hits, striking out four and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, Luikart was 3-for-3 with a double, a stolen base, two walks, and three RBI's.&nbsp; Freeman was 4-for-5 with a double and four RBI's.&nbsp;

The Mustangs are now 21-5 on the season, 16-4 in the MINK League, and they stay home next to play the Sedalia Bombers at Phil Welch Stadium with first pitch at 7pm.&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe St. Joseph Mustangs avenged a road loss to the Chillicothe Mudcats on Tuesday, clobbering the Mudcats at Phil Welch Stadium on Thursday night for a seven inning run rule victory, winning 16-5 to open a three game homestand.&nbsp;After&nbsp;Jarian Pickney scored the opening run for the Mudcats in the first inning on a passed ball, the Mustangs, who scored just three runs on Tuesday, scored eight unanswered runs to take the lead, first scoring twice in the bottom of the first as Jack Mosh singled home Trevor McCollum and Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart scored on a throwing error by right fielder Jordi Ventura.Another two runs scored in the second inning for the Mustangs, Darius Freeman singling home Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith, and then as Freeman stole second base, Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen came home on a throwing error by catcher Bruce Boucher.&nbsp; In the third inning, another four runs scored, first with an RBI single by Benton alum Chris Coy driving in Mosh.&nbsp; Coy scored later in the inning on a groundout by Bodenhausen, and another two runs came in with a single from Freeman, driving in Griffith and Lafayette alum Jayden Little.&nbsp;Chillicothe did add a run to the board in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Boucher, bringing home&nbsp;John Spoto, but the Mustangs got that run back in the bottom half of the inning on another single by Coy, driving in Luikart to push the Mustangs lead to 9-2, ahead of a big five run inning in the fifth by St. Joseph, an inning that started with yet another RBI single by Freeman driving in Griffith.&nbsp;&nbsp;Continuing to pour it on in the fifth inning, Luikart drove in his first runs of the game with a two RBI double, bringing home Bodenhausen and Freeman, before scoring himself, along with McCollum, to end the scoring in the frame on a double by Dom Felix.&nbsp; Luikart added another RBI in the sixth inning with a bases loaded walk, bringing home Bodenhausen, and Felix added another RBI as well in the inning with a sacrifice fly scoring Freeman to give the Mustangs a 16-2 lead.&nbsp;With their backs against the wall facing the run rule defeat entering the seventh, the Mudcats attempted to make a push to get out of&nbsp; the deficit, Pickney reaching on a fielders choice and bringing home Boucher for an unearned run.&nbsp; The final two runs scored on a two RBI single by pinch hitter&nbsp;Derin Doucet, driving in Pickney and&nbsp;Ethan Murakoshi, but needing at least two more runs, with the bases loaded after back to back walks to Ventura and&nbsp;Tanner Sears, Mustangs reliever Jase Johnson struck out the final two batters to end the game.Austin Nance earned the win for the Mustangs, pitching five innings and giving up two runs on four hits, striking out four and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, Luikart was 3-for-3 with a double, a stolen base, two walks, and three RBI's.&nbsp; Freeman was 4-for-5 with a double and four RBI's.&nbsp;The Mustangs are now 21-5 on the season, 16-4 in the MINK League, and they stay home next to play the Sedalia Bombers at Phil Welch Stadium with first pitch at 7pm.&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Mustangs avenge road loss with run rule victory over Chillicothe

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/75nsy32WMEUc67svA82WLD?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

The Kansas City Royals bullpen blew a solid start from St. Joseph's Noah Cameron, as the Royals dropped the third game of their series with the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park 3-2, setting up the finale tomorrow searching for a series split.&nbsp;

The Royals jumped out in front in the first inning for Cameron, with Salvador Perez singling home Bobby Witt Jr who singled earlier in the inning and stole second base.&nbsp; With the lead, Cameron pitched 4 2/3 shutout innings before he was replaced by John Schreiber with two runners in scoring position in the fifth inning.&nbsp;

Schreiber escaped that jam, but in the sixth surrendered a game tying home run to Randy Arozarena, his fourth home run of the series.&nbsp; Schreiber was replaced later in the inning by Angel Zerpa, and Zerpa went on to give up the lead in the seventh inning as Julio Rodriguez singled home Ben Williamson off Steven Cruz who replaced Zerpa in the seventh, the run being charged to Zerpa.&nbsp; Cole Young, another runner left on by Zerpa, scored on a sacrifice fly by Arozarena in the inning as well.&nbsp;

Perez drove in another run in the eighth inning for Kansas City with another single, bringing home Witt Jr again.&nbsp; But in the ninth inning, Mariners closer&nbsp;Andrés Muñoz retired the Royals 1-2-3 for his 19th save of the season.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Zerpa took the loss, falling to 3-1 on the season, pitching 2/3 of an inning and giving up two runs on one hit.&nbsp; At the plate for the Royals, Witt Jr was 2-for-2 with a stolen base and two walks, scoring two runs.&nbsp; Perez was 2-for-4 with two RBI's.&nbsp;

Kansas City and Seattle wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Seth Lugo (5-5, 2.74 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against&nbsp;Bryan Woo (7-4, 2.93 ERA) for the Mariners.&nbsp; First pitch is at 9:10pm, pregame begins at 8:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;

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

By MATT PIKEThe Kansas City Royals bullpen blew a solid start from St. Joseph's Noah Cameron, as the Royals dropped the third game of their series with the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park 3-2, setting up the finale tomorrow searching for a series split.&nbsp;The Royals jumped out in front in the first inning for Cameron, with Salvador Perez singling home Bobby Witt Jr who singled earlier in the inning and stole second base.&nbsp; With the lead, Cameron pitched 4 2/3 shutout innings before he was replaced by John Schreiber with two runners in scoring position in the fifth inning.&nbsp;Schreiber escaped that jam, but in the sixth surrendered a game tying home run to Randy Arozarena, his fourth home run of the series.&nbsp; Schreiber was replaced later in the inning by Angel Zerpa, and Zerpa went on to give up the lead in the seventh inning as Julio Rodriguez singled home Ben Williamson off Steven Cruz who replaced Zerpa in the seventh, the run being charged to Zerpa.&nbsp; Cole Young, another runner left on by Zerpa, scored on a sacrifice fly by Arozarena in the inning as well.&nbsp;Perez drove in another run in the eighth inning for Kansas City with another single, bringing home Witt Jr again.&nbsp; But in the ninth inning, Mariners closer&nbsp;Andrés Muñoz retired the Royals 1-2-3 for his 19th save of the season.&nbsp;&nbsp;Zerpa took the loss, falling to 3-1 on the season, pitching 2/3 of an inning and giving up two runs on one hit.&nbsp; At the plate for the Royals, Witt Jr was 2-for-2 with a stolen base and two walks, scoring two runs.&nbsp; Perez was 2-for-4 with two RBI's.&nbsp;Kansas City and Seattle wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Seth Lugo (5-5, 2.74 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against&nbsp;Bryan Woo (7-4, 2.93 ERA) for the Mariners.&nbsp; First pitch is at 9:10pm, pregame begins at 8:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Royals bullpen blows solid start from Cameron as Kansas City falls 3-2

It was just one series ago the St. Louis Cardinals swept the Cleveland Guardians in a three game series, outscoring the Guardians 21-6. 

But, in a series in Pittsburgh against their NL Central foes the Pirates, the Cardinals offense went ice cold, not scoring a single run over three games and falling in their series finale on Wednesday afternoon 5-0 at PNC Park as the Pirates outscored the Redbirds 13-0 over the three games.&nbsp;

Sonny Gray could not follow up his brilliant one hit complete game shutout performance where he struckout 11 Guardians against the Pirates, giving up a run in the second inning as former Cardinal Tommy Pham singled to drive in Oneil Cruz who doubled to lead off the inning and had stolen third base for his 28th stolen base of the year.&nbsp;

Gray seemed to settle in after the run however, retiring the next 14 batters, until the seventh inning when he walked Nick Gonzales, who later scored on a single again by Pham, driving in his second RBI of the day, and advancing Ke'Bryan Hayes to second base.&nbsp; Riley O'Brien replaced Gray on the mound and forced Henry Davis into a groundout that moved both Pham and Hayes another 90 feet, setting up two runners in scoring positon for Isiah Kiner-Falefa who singled to drive both in.&nbsp; Then on a single by Spencer Horwitz, Kiner-Falefa, who had advanced to second base on a wild pitch, came home to score the final run.&nbsp;

Gray took the loss, falling to 8-3 on the year, pitching 6 1/3 innings and giving up four runs on five hits while striking out six and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, Alec Burleson was 1-for-2 with two walks for the Cardinals.&nbsp; Five other Redbirds had one hit each.&nbsp;

St. Louis is off tomorrow and travel to Chicago on the Fourth of July.&nbsp; Miles Mikolas (4-5, 4.76 ERA) will take the mound for the Cardinals in the Independence Day matchup while the Cubs starter is listed as TBD.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:20pm, coverage will be joined near the start at 1:10 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).

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

By MATT PIKEIt was just one series ago the St. Louis Cardinals swept the Cleveland Guardians in a three game series, outscoring the Guardians 21-6. But, in a series in Pittsburgh against their NL Central foes the Pirates, the Cardinals offense went ice cold, not scoring a single run over three games and falling in their series finale on Wednesday afternoon 5-0 at PNC Park as the Pirates outscored the Redbirds 13-0 over the three games.&nbsp;Sonny Gray could not follow up his brilliant one hit complete game shutout performance where he struckout 11 Guardians against the Pirates, giving up a run in the second inning as former Cardinal Tommy Pham singled to drive in Oneil Cruz who doubled to lead off the inning and had stolen third base for his 28th stolen base of the year.&nbsp;Gray seemed to settle in after the run however, retiring the next 14 batters, until the seventh inning when he walked Nick Gonzales, who later scored on a single again by Pham, driving in his second RBI of the day, and advancing Ke'Bryan Hayes to second base.&nbsp; Riley O'Brien replaced Gray on the mound and forced Henry Davis into a groundout that moved both Pham and Hayes another 90 feet, setting up two runners in scoring positon for Isiah Kiner-Falefa who singled to drive both in.&nbsp; Then on a single by Spencer Horwitz, Kiner-Falefa, who had advanced to second base on a wild pitch, came home to score the final run.&nbsp;Gray took the loss, falling to 8-3 on the year, pitching 6 1/3 innings and giving up four runs on five hits while striking out six and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, Alec Burleson was 1-for-2 with two walks for the Cardinals.&nbsp; Five other Redbirds had one hit each.&nbsp;St. Louis is off tomorrow and travel to Chicago on the Fourth of July.&nbsp; Miles Mikolas (4-5, 4.76 ERA) will take the mound for the Cardinals in the Independence Day matchup while the Cubs starter is listed as TBD.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:20pm, coverage will be joined near the start at 1:10 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Pirates sweep Cardinals with 5-0 win  as Redbirds offense goes ice cold

A new class will be enshrined forever into the St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame next month, a class that St. Joseph Sports Commission Executive Director Brett Esely says has a lot of depth 

Esely points out this class has a legendary broadcaster, the Hall of Fame’s first professional boxer, a personal trainer and power lifter, and two NFL athletes 

Esely says one name that stands out is the late Don Tabor 

"That stint that he coached at Benton in the early 90's, considering that team was in the state playoffs all four of those years he coached the only 11-man football team to ever play in a state championship game from St. Joseph," Esely tells KFEQmunnity host Brent Martin.  "Which I think is significant, given all seven state title games are here in St. Joe this year." 

Tabor is also a member of the Missouri Coaches Hall of Fame and the Bishop LeBlond Athletics Hall of Fame.  

Esely says another name on this year's list honors St. Joseph's rich history of men's fast pitch softball; one thing he felt was a focus when launching the Hall of Fame.  

Esely says when it comes to the best in St. Joseph, Chris Miljavac, is about as close as it gets 

"Chris, his resume speaks for itself, he's going into the USA Softball National Hall of Fame this fall, so just a very, very accomplished player," Esely says.  "And again on that very short list in a city that's got a ton of history of men's fastpitch softball, it's an honor to have him as part of this class." 

Esely says this class, like all of the Hall of Fame classes, is very deep touching many aspects of sport, from broadcasting to the first boxer, to golf, to coaching.  

A ceremony will be held August 24th at the Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center to honor the class of nine individuals, one team, and a special Olympian of the year.  

Esely says the crowds that come out to these ceremonies are always outstanding 

"We've had a couple of standing room only crowds, as I look at this class, I think there will be a ton of interest, and that's why I say don't wait," Esely explains.  "I set our capacity at 500 in that room, that's probably an overflow room, but at the same time I like to make sure family, friends, VIP's, people that have a tie to this class have an opportunity and so don't delay get those tickets now." 

Tickets to this year’s ceremony can be purchased online or by visiting the Sports commission offices at the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau. 

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

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post A new class will be enshrined forever into the St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame next month, a class that St. Joseph Sports Commission Executive Director Brett Esely says has a lot of depth Esely points out this class has a legendary broadcaster, the Hall of Fame’s first professional boxer, a personal trainer and power lifter, and two NFL athletes Esely says one name that stands out is the late Don Tabor "That stint that he coached at Benton in the early 90's, considering that team was in the state playoffs all four of those years he coached the only 11-man football team to ever play in a state championship game from St. Joseph," Esely tells KFEQmunnity host Brent Martin. "Which I think is significant, given all seven state title games are here in St. Joe this year." Tabor is also a member of the Missouri Coaches Hall of Fame and the Bishop LeBlond Athletics Hall of Fame. Esely says another name on this year's list honors St. Joseph's rich history of men's fast pitch softball; one thing he felt was a focus when launching the Hall of Fame. Esely says when it comes to the best in St. Joseph, Chris Miljavac, is about as close as it gets "Chris, his resume speaks for itself, he's going into the USA Softball National Hall of Fame this fall, so just a very, very accomplished player," Esely says. "And again on that very short list in a city that's got a ton of history of men's fastpitch softball, it's an honor to have him as part of this class." Esely says this class, like all of the Hall of Fame classes, is very deep touching many aspects of sport, from broadcasting to the first boxer, to golf, to coaching. A ceremony will be held August 24th at the Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center to honor the class of nine individuals, one team, and a special Olympian of the year. Esely says the crowds that come out to these ceremonies are always outstanding "We've had a couple of standing room only crowds, as I look at this class, I think there will be a ton of interest, and that's why I say don't wait," Esely explains. "I set our capacity at 500 in that room, that's probably an overflow room, but at the same time I like to make sure family, friends, VIP's, people that have a tie to this class have an opportunity and so don't delay get those tickets now." Tickets to this year’s ceremony can be purchased online or by visiting the Sports commission offices at the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau. They cost $25 dollars.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

One month away from a new class being etched into St. Joseph sports history

Putting a rough June behind them, the Kansas City Royals got July off to a good start with some better luck, beating the Seattle Mariners 6-3 at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday night and evening up the series heading into game three on Wednesday.&nbsp;

After Jonathan India led off the game with a double, the Royals opened the scoring in the first inning as Maikel Garcia singled him home.&nbsp; Kansas City extended the lead in the second inning following Jac Caglianone's leadoff walk, Nick Loftin's RBI double driving in the Royals top prospect, before Loftin scored as Kyle Isbel grounded into a forceout.&nbsp; Seattle did cut into the lead in the bottom of the second inning, as Randy Arozarena hit a solo home run, after hitting two home runs in Monday's series opener.&nbsp;

In the fifth inning, the Royals again added to their lead.&nbsp; With Bobby Witt Jr and Vinnie Pasquantino on base, Salvador Perez hit a blast to right center field, which looked like it might have been a three run home run, but stayed in play for a two RBI double by the Kansas City captain.&nbsp; With the double, Perez passed Alex Gordon for the sixth most hits in Royals history.

The Mariners cut back into the lead in the bottom half of the inning, scoring their final two runs.&nbsp; Ben Williamson doubled home Luke Raley who had doubled himself to open the inning.&nbsp; Williamson later scored on a single by J.P Crawford.&nbsp; Kansas City added a final run of insurance in the ninth inning, Perez singling home Witt Jr who doubled earlier in the inning.&nbsp;&nbsp;Carlos Estévez came on in the ninth to close things out, earning his 23rd save for the Royals.&nbsp;

Lucas Erceg earned the win in relief for Kansas City, improving to 3-2, pitching one clean inning.&nbsp; Royals starter Michael Lorenzen in a no decision pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up three runs on six hits, striking out five.&nbsp; At the plate, Perez was 3-for-5 with three RBI's.&nbsp; Witt Jr was 2-for-5 batting with a stolen base and two runs scored.&nbsp;

With the series split, Kansas City looks to take game three against Seattle tomorrow.&nbsp; Noah Cameron (2-4, 2.79 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against Logan Gilbert (2-2, 3.55 ERA) for the Mariners.&nbsp; First pitch is again at 8:40pm, pregame coverage starts at 8 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEPutting a rough June behind them, the Kansas City Royals got July off to a good start with some better luck, beating the Seattle Mariners 6-3 at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday night and evening up the series heading into game three on Wednesday.&nbsp;After Jonathan India led off the game with a double, the Royals opened the scoring in the first inning as Maikel Garcia singled him home.&nbsp; Kansas City extended the lead in the second inning following Jac Caglianone's leadoff walk, Nick Loftin's RBI double driving in the Royals top prospect, before Loftin scored as Kyle Isbel grounded into a forceout.&nbsp; Seattle did cut into the lead in the bottom of the second inning, as Randy Arozarena hit a solo home run, after hitting two home runs in Monday's series opener.&nbsp;In the fifth inning, the Royals again added to their lead.&nbsp; With Bobby Witt Jr and Vinnie Pasquantino on base, Salvador Perez hit a blast to right center field, which looked like it might have been a three run home run, but stayed in play for a two RBI double by the Kansas City captain.&nbsp; With the double, Perez passed Alex Gordon for the sixth most hits in Royals history.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">With this two-run double, Salvador Perez has passed Alex Gordon for the 6th-most hits in Royals history. <a href="https://t.co/npZXnjD5k3">pic.twitter.com/npZXnjD5k3</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1940247197423165539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Mariners cut back into the lead in the bottom half of the inning, scoring their final two runs.&nbsp; Ben Williamson doubled home Luke Raley who had doubled himself to open the inning.&nbsp; Williamson later scored on a single by J.P Crawford.&nbsp; Kansas City added a final run of insurance in the ninth inning, Perez singling home Witt Jr who doubled earlier in the inning.&nbsp;&nbsp;Carlos Estévez came on in the ninth to close things out, earning his 23rd save for the Royals.&nbsp;Lucas Erceg earned the win in relief for Kansas City, improving to 3-2, pitching one clean inning.&nbsp; Royals starter Michael Lorenzen in a no decision pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up three runs on six hits, striking out five.&nbsp; At the plate, Perez was 3-for-5 with three RBI's.&nbsp; Witt Jr was 2-for-5 batting with a stolen base and two runs scored.&nbsp;With the series split, Kansas City looks to take game three against Seattle tomorrow.&nbsp; Noah Cameron (2-4, 2.79 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against Logan Gilbert (2-2, 3.55 ERA) for the Mariners.&nbsp; First pitch is again at 8:40pm, pregame coverage starts at 8 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Royals open new month with better luck, beating Mariners 6-3

The St. Joseph Mustangs tied up the game in the third inning against the Chillicothe Mudcats, but the Mudcats scored seven unanswered runs on way to a 10-3 win over the Mustangs, handing St. Joseph their second straight loss on Tuesday night.&nbsp;

The Mustangs opened the scoring in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Dom Felix, driving in Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning, the Mudcats took the lead scoring three runs on a three run home run by&nbsp;Tanner Sears that scored&nbsp;Garret Geenen and&nbsp;Jordi Ventura for a 3-1 lead.&nbsp;

An Easton Phillipe single drove in Trevor McCollum in the second inning, cutting the Mudcats lead to one, before the Mustangs tied the game up in the third inning on an RBI double by McCollum, bringing home Felix.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the third though, Chillicothe took the lead back for good,&nbsp;John Spoto doubling to drive in Geenan, advancing Sears to third base who scored on a wild pitch.&nbsp;&nbsp;Derin Doucet reached on a fielders choice&nbsp; and Spoto scored on an error by third baseman Tyler Gundelfinger

Chillicothe added two more runs in the fourth inning.&nbsp; &nbsp;Ventura singled with the bases loaded to drive in&nbsp;Ethan Murakoshi, keeping the bases loaded.&nbsp; Spoto reached on a fielders choice with the bases loaded and&nbsp;Jarian Pickney scored on another error by Gundelfinger.&nbsp; In the seventh inning, the final two runs scored, the first on a bases loaded walk to&nbsp;Rafael Calcano, scoring&nbsp;Bruce Boucher, before&nbsp;Clayton Eskra scored on a wild pitch.&nbsp;

Chillicothe got to left handed pitcher Landon Reith who had been stellar for the Mustangs this season, handing him the loss pitching four innings and giving up eight runs on nine hits, striking out six and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, Felix was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.&nbsp; McCollum was 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base, and an RBI.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Mustangs are now 20-5 on the season, and 15-4 in the MINK League, and are off on Wednesday.&nbsp; They return to Phil Welch Stadium on Thursday and will host Chillicothe, with first pitch at 7pm.&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe St. Joseph Mustangs tied up the game in the third inning against the Chillicothe Mudcats, but the Mudcats scored seven unanswered runs on way to a 10-3 win over the Mustangs, handing St. Joseph their second straight loss on Tuesday night.&nbsp;The Mustangs opened the scoring in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Dom Felix, driving in Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning, the Mudcats took the lead scoring three runs on a three run home run by&nbsp;Tanner Sears that scored&nbsp;Garret Geenen and&nbsp;Jordi Ventura for a 3-1 lead.&nbsp;An Easton Phillipe single drove in Trevor McCollum in the second inning, cutting the Mudcats lead to one, before the Mustangs tied the game up in the third inning on an RBI double by McCollum, bringing home Felix.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the third though, Chillicothe took the lead back for good,&nbsp;John Spoto doubling to drive in Geenan, advancing Sears to third base who scored on a wild pitch.&nbsp;&nbsp;Derin Doucet reached on a fielders choice&nbsp; and Spoto scored on an error by third baseman Tyler GundelfingerChillicothe added two more runs in the fourth inning.&nbsp; &nbsp;Ventura singled with the bases loaded to drive in&nbsp;Ethan Murakoshi, keeping the bases loaded.&nbsp; Spoto reached on a fielders choice with the bases loaded and&nbsp;Jarian Pickney scored on another error by Gundelfinger.&nbsp; In the seventh inning, the final two runs scored, the first on a bases loaded walk to&nbsp;Rafael Calcano, scoring&nbsp;Bruce Boucher, before&nbsp;Clayton Eskra scored on a wild pitch.&nbsp;Chillicothe got to left handed pitcher Landon Reith who had been stellar for the Mustangs this season, handing him the loss pitching four innings and giving up eight runs on nine hits, striking out six and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, Felix was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.&nbsp; McCollum was 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base, and an RBI.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Mustangs are now 20-5 on the season, and 15-4 in the MINK League, and are off on Wednesday.&nbsp; They return to Phil Welch Stadium on Thursday and will host Chillicothe, with first pitch at 7pm.&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Mustangs drop second game in a row, fall to Chillicothe 10-3

The Pittsburgh Pirates needed just one run to take down the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on Tuesday night, securing a series win, though a win against the Cardinals still avoided young Pirates ace Paul Skenes despite another brilliant start.&nbsp;

Skenes shut down the Cardinals over five innings of a pitchers duel, giving up five hits and striking out five while walking one, but was countered by an excellent start from St. Louis starter Andre Pallante who threw seven shutout innings, striking out three, walking two, and giving up just one hit to the Pirates.&nbsp;

It wasn't until reliever Phil Maton came on in the eighth inning that Pittsburgh was able to get on the board.&nbsp; Ke'Bryan Hayes singled off Maton to lead off the inning, and moved to third on a double by Adam Frazier, before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Henry Davis for the only run that the Pirates would need in the game.

Maton took the loss, falling to 1-3, pitching just the one inning and giving up one run on three hits, striking out one batter.&nbsp; At the plate, the Cardinals did get seven hits overall, but no batter had more than one.&nbsp; Brendan Donovan was 1-for-4 with a walk, while&nbsp;José Fermín was 1-for-3 with a walk.&nbsp;

St. Louis looks to avoid a sweep tomorrow as they wrap up their series with Pittsburgh.&nbsp; Sonny Gray (8-2, 3.36 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals, after most recently throwing a one hit complete game shutout against Cleveland, taking on Mitch Keller (2-10, 3.90 ERA) for the Pirates.&nbsp; First pitch is at 11:35am, coverage will be joined near the start at 11:25 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe Pittsburgh Pirates needed just one run to take down the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on Tuesday night, securing a series win, though a win against the Cardinals still avoided young Pirates ace Paul Skenes despite another brilliant start.&nbsp;Skenes shut down the Cardinals over five innings of a pitchers duel, giving up five hits and striking out five while walking one, but was countered by an excellent start from St. Louis starter Andre Pallante who threw seven shutout innings, striking out three, walking two, and giving up just one hit to the Pirates.&nbsp;It wasn't until reliever Phil Maton came on in the eighth inning that Pittsburgh was able to get on the board.&nbsp; Ke'Bryan Hayes singled off Maton to lead off the inning, and moved to third on a double by Adam Frazier, before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Henry Davis for the only run that the Pirates would need in the game.Maton took the loss, falling to 1-3, pitching just the one inning and giving up one run on three hits, striking out one batter.&nbsp; At the plate, the Cardinals did get seven hits overall, but no batter had more than one.&nbsp; Brendan Donovan was 1-for-4 with a walk, while&nbsp;José Fermín was 1-for-3 with a walk.&nbsp;St. Louis looks to avoid a sweep tomorrow as they wrap up their series with Pittsburgh.&nbsp; Sonny Gray (8-2, 3.36 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals, after most recently throwing a one hit complete game shutout against Cleveland, taking on Mitch Keller (2-10, 3.90 ERA) for the Pirates.&nbsp; First pitch is at 11:35am, coverage will be joined near the start at 11:25 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Pirates need just one run to take down Cardinals securing series win

The St. Joseph Mustangs will celebrate the Fourth of July all weekend long, starting early with Thursday with three days of fireworks extravaganzas at Phil Welch Stadium.  

General Manager and Owner Ky Turner says playing at a stadium within a community, it's unique to play at Phil Welch on the Fourth of July 

"Here's a ballpark and there's houses all around us, well what do those houses do around that holiday? They shoot off fireworks too, so it's really kind of like a 360 of fireworks when you're sitting there watching a baseball game," Turner says on the KFEQmunnity show.  "You know, they talk about the batter's eye and being able to pay attention to that pitch, I don't know how you do that when you've got fireworks going off all around you, but it makes for a great show for us in the stands." 

Fireworks extravaganza will highlight the end of each Mustangs home game during the holiday. Turner says there are also some other fun things going on as well 

"On the 3rd we are hosting Sluggerrr from the Kansas City Royals and Fredbird, thanks to Eagle Radio, from the St. Louis Cardinals, they'll be there for a meet and greet, we'll have pregame skydivers, notice I didn't say Sluggerrr and Fredbird are skydiving but they will be there," Turner says.  "And then the 4th we have a Mr. and Miss Mustangs competition which is a blast." 

On Saturday the 5th, the Mustangs will also honor area fire, police, and EMT personnel.  The pregame police versus fire softball game will also be held on that day.

Turner says the games will also be an opportunity to thank some of our nation’s heroes 

"On the 3rd all veterans and active military receive two free general admission tickets, we're going to honor some local military heroes for pregame that night, and then on the 4th all retired and active military can get two free party deck tickets, we do encourage people to reserve those in advance as they can sell out," Turner explains.  "But we're here to celebrate and honor America playing America's game, you know America's pastime is baseball, we've got fireworks, of course we've got the hot dogs." 

The Mustangs kick off things on Thursday against the Chillicothe Mudcats.  All games over the holiday begin at 7pm.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751389450759.jpeg" alt="The St. Joseph Mustangs will celebrate the Fourth of July holiday for three consecutive days at Phil Welch Stadium, starting on Thursday and going through Saturday/ Photo courtesy of the St. Joseph Mustangs Facebook" />
 <figcaption>The St. Joseph Mustangs will celebrate the Fourth of July holiday for three consecutive days at Phil Welch Stadium, starting on Thursday and going through Saturday/ Photo courtesy of the St. Joseph Mustangs Facebook</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE The St. Joseph Mustangs will celebrate the Fourth of July all weekend long, starting early with Thursday with three days of fireworks extravaganzas at Phil Welch Stadium. General Manager and Owner Ky Turner says playing at a stadium within a community, it's unique to play at Phil Welch on the Fourth of July "Here's a ballpark and there's houses all around us, well what do those houses do around that holiday? They shoot off fireworks too, so it's really kind of like a 360 of fireworks when you're sitting there watching a baseball game," Turner says on the KFEQmunnity show. "You know, they talk about the batter's eye and being able to pay attention to that pitch, I don't know how you do that when you've got fireworks going off all around you, but it makes for a great show for us in the stands." Fireworks extravaganza will highlight the end of each Mustangs home game during the holiday. Turner says there are also some other fun things going on as well "On the 3rd we are hosting Sluggerrr from the Kansas City Royals and Fredbird, thanks to Eagle Radio, from the St. Louis Cardinals, they'll be there for a meet and greet, we'll have pregame skydivers, notice I didn't say Sluggerrr and Fredbird are skydiving but they will be there," Turner says. "And then the 4th we have a Mr. and Miss Mustangs competition which is a blast." On Saturday the 5th, the Mustangs will also honor area fire, police, and EMT personnel. The pregame police versus fire softball game will also be held on that day.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751389710599.jpeg" alt="Fireworks over Phil Welch Stadium/ Photo courtesy of St. Joseph Mustangs" />
 <figcaption>Fireworks over Phil Welch Stadium/ Photo courtesy of St. Joseph Mustangs</figcaption>
 </figure>Turner says the games will also be an opportunity to thank some of our nation’s heroes "On the 3rd all veterans and active military receive two free general admission tickets, we're going to honor some local military heroes for pregame that night, and then on the 4th all retired and active military can get two free party deck tickets, we do encourage people to reserve those in advance as they can sell out," Turner explains. "But we're here to celebrate and honor America playing America's game, you know America's pastime is baseball, we've got fireworks, of course we've got the hot dogs." The Mustangs kick off things on Thursday against the Chillicothe Mudcats. All games over the holiday begin at 7pm.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fstjoemustangs%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0vfXmb8aPfutw5FibuSVnV7UZFJGDSzWwDpukgp2jgASDzmNFAbViXo7fugNFJJral&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="730" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Celebrate Fourth of July with the St. Joseph Mustangs 

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/3LT9D6EXjcFJijZq221EVx?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 offense again struggled to produce hits, and even get on base mustering just five total baserunners, falling to the Seattle Mariners in their series opener on Monday night 6-2 at T-Mobile Park, ending June with a record of 8-18 on the month.&nbsp;

The Royals opened the scoring in the top of the third inning with an RBI single by Bobby Witt Jr, driving in Kyle Isbel who singled earlier in the inning with two outs.&nbsp; Kansas City would not score again, or get another hit, until the eighth inning.&nbsp;

Seattle tied the game up in the fourth inning on a solo home run by Randy Arozarena.&nbsp; In the fifth inning, they took the lead with a four run frame, first getting a sacrifice fly by the American League leader in home runs Cal Raleigh, scoring Cole Young.&nbsp; Arozarena's second home run of the game drove in the other three runs, bringing home J.P Crawford and Julio Rodriguez.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In the seventh inning, Raleigh extended his home run lead hitting a solo home run for the final Mariners score, giving him 33 home runs on the season.&nbsp; The Royals scored their final run in the eighth inning on a force out by Witt Jr, with Jonathan India being thrown out at second, as John Rave scored.&nbsp;

Michael Wacha took the loss for the Royals, falling to 4-8 on the season, pitching five innings and giving up five runs on eight hits, striking out one and walking two.&nbsp; At the plate, Witt Jr was 1-for-4 with two RBI's.&nbsp; Isbel was 1-for-2 with the walk.&nbsp; India and Rave had the other two Kansas City hits.&nbsp;

Kansas City and Seattle continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Lorenzen (4-8, 4.91 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against&nbsp;Emerson Hancock (3-4, 5.30 ERA) for the Mariners.&nbsp; First pitch is at 8:40pm, pregame will begin at 8 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

By MATT PIKEThe Kansas City Royals offense again struggled to produce hits, and even get on base mustering just five total baserunners, falling to the Seattle Mariners in their series opener on Monday night 6-2 at T-Mobile Park, ending June with a record of 8-18 on the month.&nbsp;The Royals opened the scoring in the top of the third inning with an RBI single by Bobby Witt Jr, driving in Kyle Isbel who singled earlier in the inning with two outs.&nbsp; Kansas City would not score again, or get another hit, until the eighth inning.&nbsp;Seattle tied the game up in the fourth inning on a solo home run by Randy Arozarena.&nbsp; In the fifth inning, they took the lead with a four run frame, first getting a sacrifice fly by the American League leader in home runs Cal Raleigh, scoring Cole Young.&nbsp; Arozarena's second home run of the game drove in the other three runs, bringing home J.P Crawford and Julio Rodriguez.&nbsp;&nbsp;In the seventh inning, Raleigh extended his home run lead hitting a solo home run for the final Mariners score, giving him 33 home runs on the season.&nbsp; The Royals scored their final run in the eighth inning on a force out by Witt Jr, with Jonathan India being thrown out at second, as John Rave scored.&nbsp;Michael Wacha took the loss for the Royals, falling to 4-8 on the season, pitching five innings and giving up five runs on eight hits, striking out one and walking two.&nbsp; At the plate, Witt Jr was 1-for-4 with two RBI's.&nbsp; Isbel was 1-for-2 with the walk.&nbsp; India and Rave had the other two Kansas City hits.&nbsp;Kansas City and Seattle continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Lorenzen (4-8, 4.91 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against&nbsp;Emerson Hancock (3-4, 5.30 ERA) for the Mariners.&nbsp; First pitch is at 8:40pm, pregame will begin at 8 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Royals offense falters again in road opener against Mariners falling 6-2

Cardinals starting pitcher Erick Fedde struggled on the mound again, giving up seven runs for a second consecutive outing, as the Pittsburgh Pirates shutout St. Louis 7-0 to open the series at PNC Park on Monday night.&nbsp;

Spencer Horwitz opened the scoring for the Pirates in the first inning on the second pitch from Fedde, hitting a solo home run to right center field for his second home run of the season, putting Pittsburgh up 1-0 early on the Redbirds.&nbsp;

Fedde held the Pirates to that lead until the fifth inning, when Pittsburgh drove in the final six runs of the game, starting with another two RBI's by Horwitz on a double that scored Joey Bart and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.&nbsp; Nick Gonzales doubled to drive in Horwitz, advancing Bryan Reynolds to third after he singled.&nbsp; Then, after Fedde intentionally walked Oneil Cruz to load the bases, a single by&nbsp;Ke'Bryan Hayes brought home Reynolds and Gonzales.&nbsp; Former Cardinal Tommy Pham drove in the final run with a single, scoring Cruz.&nbsp;

Fedde fell to 3-8 on the season, taking the loss, giving up all seven runs on 10 hits and pitching five innings, walking three and getting no strikeouts.&nbsp; The Cardinals managed just four hits on the day, and five baserunners overall getting just one walk, with Masyn Winn, Willson Contreras, and Victor Scott II all going 1-for-3.&nbsp;&nbsp;José Fermín had the only other hit in the game for the Redbirds.&nbsp;

St. Louis and Pittsburgh continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; &nbsp;Andre Pallante (5-4, 4.43 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Paul Skenes (4-7, 2.12 ERA) for the Pirates.&nbsp; First pitch is at 5:40 pm, coverage will be joined near the start at 5:30 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKECardinals starting pitcher Erick Fedde struggled on the mound again, giving up seven runs for a second consecutive outing, as the Pittsburgh Pirates shutout St. Louis 7-0 to open the series at PNC Park on Monday night.&nbsp;Spencer Horwitz opened the scoring for the Pirates in the first inning on the second pitch from Fedde, hitting a solo home run to right center field for his second home run of the season, putting Pittsburgh up 1-0 early on the Redbirds.&nbsp;Fedde held the Pirates to that lead until the fifth inning, when Pittsburgh drove in the final six runs of the game, starting with another two RBI's by Horwitz on a double that scored Joey Bart and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.&nbsp; Nick Gonzales doubled to drive in Horwitz, advancing Bryan Reynolds to third after he singled.&nbsp; Then, after Fedde intentionally walked Oneil Cruz to load the bases, a single by&nbsp;Ke'Bryan Hayes brought home Reynolds and Gonzales.&nbsp; Former Cardinal Tommy Pham drove in the final run with a single, scoring Cruz.&nbsp;Fedde fell to 3-8 on the season, taking the loss, giving up all seven runs on 10 hits and pitching five innings, walking three and getting no strikeouts.&nbsp; The Cardinals managed just four hits on the day, and five baserunners overall getting just one walk, with Masyn Winn, Willson Contreras, and Victor Scott II all going 1-for-3.&nbsp;&nbsp;José Fermín had the only other hit in the game for the Redbirds.&nbsp;St. Louis and Pittsburgh continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; &nbsp;Andre Pallante (5-4, 4.43 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Paul Skenes (4-7, 2.12 ERA) for the Pirates.&nbsp; First pitch is at 5:40 pm, coverage will be joined near the start at 5:30 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Fedde struggles again as Cardinals shutout 7-0 by Pirates in NL Central battle

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/2rpc4WSeMA1EVUO1pNloHG?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

Due to inclement weather expected in the area, the St. Joseph Mustangs announced their matchup with the Nevada Griffons scheduled for tonight has been postponed.&nbsp;

Most recently, the Mustangs wrapped up a four game home stand, winning 11-10 on Saturday at Phil Welch Stadium over the Sedalia Bombers.&nbsp; The Mustangs scored a massive comeback in the victory, after entering the bottom of the eighth inning trailing the Bombers 10-2.&nbsp;

The Mustangs scored seven runs in the seventh inning, with RBIs from Jack Mosh, Dom Felix, Justin George, Lafayette alum Jayden Little, and Benton alum Chris Coy.&nbsp; Felix tied the game up in the ninth on a groundout, driving in Tyler Gundelfinger, and in the 10th inning&nbsp;Easton Phillipe had a pinch hit walk off RBI double for the win.&nbsp;

The Mustangs are off on Monday.&nbsp; They are back in action on Tuesday on the road at the Chillicothe Mudcats.&nbsp; After an off day on Wednesday they will be back in St. Joseph for three days of fireworks extravaganza's starting on Thursday at Phil Welch Stadium against the Mudcats as well.

By MATT PIKEDue to inclement weather expected in the area, the St. Joseph Mustangs announced their matchup with the Nevada Griffons scheduled for tonight has been postponed.&nbsp;Most recently, the Mustangs wrapped up a four game home stand, winning 11-10 on Saturday at Phil Welch Stadium over the Sedalia Bombers.&nbsp; The Mustangs scored a massive comeback in the victory, after entering the bottom of the eighth inning trailing the Bombers 10-2.&nbsp;The Mustangs scored seven runs in the seventh inning, with RBIs from Jack Mosh, Dom Felix, Justin George, Lafayette alum Jayden Little, and Benton alum Chris Coy.&nbsp; Felix tied the game up in the ninth on a groundout, driving in Tyler Gundelfinger, and in the 10th inning&nbsp;Easton Phillipe had a pinch hit walk off RBI double for the win.&nbsp;The Mustangs are off on Monday.&nbsp; They are back in action on Tuesday on the road at the Chillicothe Mudcats.&nbsp; After an off day on Wednesday they will be back in St. Joseph for three days of fireworks extravaganza's starting on Thursday at Phil Welch Stadium against the Mudcats as well.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Mustangs matchup with Nevada postponed

The St Louis Cardinals allowed just three hits, and 11 baserunners total, as four pitchers combined to shutout the Cleveland Guardians 7-0, securing a series sweep for the Redbirds at Progressive Field going into a Monday off day.&nbsp;

The Cardinals jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning behind a big home run by Nolan Gorman.&nbsp; After Masyn Winn walked and Willson Contreras singled with one out, Nolan Arenado flew out to right field for the second out allowing Winn to advance to third base, before Gorman blasted the ball 428 feet to right center field for the St. Louis lead.&nbsp;

St. Louis did not score again until the seventh inning as Cleveland replaced starter Logan Allen with Hunter Gaddis.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pedro Pagés singled to open the inning, and after Garrett Hampson struck out, Victor Scott II extended the lead with his fourth home run of the season, a two run home run to right field pushing the Cardinals lead to 5-0.&nbsp;

The final two runs came in the very next inning, the first coming home on a sacrifice fly by&nbsp;Pagés, driving in&nbsp;José Fermín who singled to start the inning after pinch hitting for Arenado.&nbsp; Hampson singled to bring home Gorman who had walked earlier in the inning for the final run of the game.&nbsp;

Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore earned the win, improving to 6-6 on the season, pitching six innings and giving up three hits while walking five and striking out five.&nbsp; At the plate, Scott II was 2-for-4 with the home run and two RBI's.&nbsp; Arenado was 2-for-3 while Winn was also 2-for-4 with a walk.&nbsp;

St. Louis travels to Pittsburgh on Monday.&nbsp; Erick Fedde (3-7, 4.11 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Andrew Heaney (3-7, 4.48 ERA) for the Pirates.&nbsp; First pitch is at 5:40pm, coverage will be joined near the start at 5:30 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;

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

By MATT PIKEThe St Louis Cardinals allowed just three hits, and 11 baserunners total, as four pitchers combined to shutout the Cleveland Guardians 7-0, securing a series sweep for the Redbirds at Progressive Field going into a Monday off day.&nbsp;The Cardinals jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning behind a big home run by Nolan Gorman.&nbsp; After Masyn Winn walked and Willson Contreras singled with one out, Nolan Arenado flew out to right field for the second out allowing Winn to advance to third base, before Gorman blasted the ball 428 feet to right center field for the St. Louis lead.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">NOLAN GORMAN, THAT BALL HAD A FAMILY! 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/96clyPpTXh">pic.twitter.com/96clyPpTXh</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1939356591720947945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>St. Louis did not score again until the seventh inning as Cleveland replaced starter Logan Allen with Hunter Gaddis.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pedro Pagés singled to open the inning, and after Garrett Hampson struck out, Victor Scott II extended the lead with his fourth home run of the season, a two run home run to right field pushing the Cardinals lead to 5-0.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Two-run shot from VS2! 💥 <a href="https://t.co/PFn66lxQwe">pic.twitter.com/PFn66lxQwe</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1939381543241441452?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The final two runs came in the very next inning, the first coming home on a sacrifice fly by&nbsp;Pagés, driving in&nbsp;José Fermín who singled to start the inning after pinch hitting for Arenado.&nbsp; Hampson singled to bring home Gorman who had walked earlier in the inning for the final run of the game.&nbsp;Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore earned the win, improving to 6-6 on the season, pitching six innings and giving up three hits while walking five and striking out five.&nbsp; At the plate, Scott II was 2-for-4 with the home run and two RBI's.&nbsp; Arenado was 2-for-3 while Winn was also 2-for-4 with a walk.&nbsp;St. Louis travels to Pittsburgh on Monday.&nbsp; Erick Fedde (3-7, 4.11 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Andrew Heaney (3-7, 4.48 ERA) for the Pirates.&nbsp; First pitch is at 5:40pm, coverage will be joined near the start at 5:30 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Cardinals hold Guardians to three hits in 7-0 win for series sweep

A day after seeing their offense come to life to back a strong start by Seth Lugo, the Kansas City Royals failed to see the same support behind Kris Bubic, falling 5-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Sunday's series finale at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp;

The Royals took the lead in the first inning, scoring their lone run on an RBI double by Bobby Witt Jr, driving in Jonathan India who led off the game with a single.&nbsp; But in the second inning, the Dodgers took the lead with a two run home run by&nbsp;Enrique Hernández, scoring Andy Pages who singled earlier in the inning.&nbsp;

A solo home run by Will Smith in the sixth inning extended the Dodgers lead, before Los Angeles added their final two runs in the seventh inning. Max Muncy doubled driving in Pages who led off the seventh with a double, before Muncy came home to score on a single by Miguel Rojas for the final run.&nbsp;

Bubic took the loss, falling to 6-6 on the year, pitching five innings and giving up two runs on three hits, striking out five and walking two.&nbsp; At the plate, Maikel Garcia was 2-for-4, while Witt Jr was 1-for-4 with the double and an RBI, striking out three times.

Kansas City now travels to Seattle on Monday.&nbsp; Michael Wacha (4-7, 3.33 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against George Kirby (1-4, 5.40 ERA) for the Mariners.&nbsp; First pitch is at 8:40pm, pregame begins at 8 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

By MATT PIKEA day after seeing their offense come to life to back a strong start by Seth Lugo, the Kansas City Royals failed to see the same support behind Kris Bubic, falling 5-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Sunday's series finale at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp;The Royals took the lead in the first inning, scoring their lone run on an RBI double by Bobby Witt Jr, driving in Jonathan India who led off the game with a single.&nbsp; But in the second inning, the Dodgers took the lead with a two run home run by&nbsp;Enrique Hernández, scoring Andy Pages who singled earlier in the inning.&nbsp;A solo home run by Will Smith in the sixth inning extended the Dodgers lead, before Los Angeles added their final two runs in the seventh inning. Max Muncy doubled driving in Pages who led off the seventh with a double, before Muncy came home to score on a single by Miguel Rojas for the final run.&nbsp;Bubic took the loss, falling to 6-6 on the year, pitching five innings and giving up two runs on three hits, striking out five and walking two.&nbsp; At the plate, Maikel Garcia was 2-for-4, while Witt Jr was 1-for-4 with the double and an RBI, striking out three times.Kansas City now travels to Seattle on Monday.&nbsp; Michael Wacha (4-7, 3.33 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against George Kirby (1-4, 5.40 ERA) for the Mariners.&nbsp; First pitch is at 8:40pm, pregame begins at 8 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Royals offense struggles again in 5-1 series finale loss to Dodgers

The St. Louis Cardinals secured a series win on the road on Saturday afternoon, coming from behind after a big fourth inning from the Guardians, and beating Cleveland 9-6 at Progressive Field for the Redbirds largest comeback win of the season.&nbsp;

After Brendan Donovan led off the game with a solo home run for the Cardinals, St. Louis held the 1-0 lead until the fourth inning, when the Guardians scored six runs, first tying up the game with a solo home run of their own as Kyle Manzardo led off the inning with a blast to center field to knot up the game.&nbsp;

Continuing in the fourth inning, Cleveland took the lead on a groundout by&nbsp;Daniel Schneemann, scoring Carlos Santana who walked earlier in the inning.&nbsp; A Nolan Jones double extended the lead, driving in Lane Thomas who had also doubled in the inning, and after Jones stole third base he scored himself on a two run home run by&nbsp;Gabriel Arias.&nbsp; After Austin Hedges singled following the home run, a triple by Steven Kwan drove in Hedges for the final run of the inning, giving the Guardians a 6-1 lead.&nbsp;

In the fifth inning the Cardinals cut the Cleveland lead in half, scoring two runs on a single by Alec Burleson, driving in Donovan and Masyn Winn.&nbsp; Then in the sixth, St. Louis took the lead for good with a five run frame, first scoring with a single by Nolan Gorman bringing home Lars Nootbaar and later in the inning tying the game on a Victor Scott II double, driving in Nolan Arenado and Gorman.&nbsp;

A sacrifice fly by Donovan gave the Cardinals the lead, driving in Yohel Pozo before a groundout by Winn extended the lead more bringing in Scott to give St. Louis an 8-6 lead.&nbsp; The final run scored in the ninth inning for the Cardinals on a solo home run by Willson Contreras, his 11th home run of the season.&nbsp;

Matt Svanson took the win in relief for the Cardinals, his first win of the season going to 1-0, pitching one inning and striking out one.&nbsp; Ryan Helsley earned his 16th save, striking out one in the ninth.&nbsp; At the plate, Winn was 3-for-5 with an RBI.&nbsp; Contreras was 2-for-4 with the home run and a walk while Gorman was 2-for-5 with an RBI.&nbsp;&nbsp;

St. Louis will look for the sweep as they wrap up their series in Cleveland tomorrow.&nbsp; Matthew Liberatore (5-6, 3.96 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Logan Allen (5-5, 4.25 ERA) for the Guardians.&nbsp; First pitch is at 12:40pm and will be joined near the start at 12:30 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).

By MATT PIKEThe St. Louis Cardinals secured a series win on the road on Saturday afternoon, coming from behind after a big fourth inning from the Guardians, and beating Cleveland 9-6 at Progressive Field for the Redbirds largest comeback win of the season.&nbsp;After Brendan Donovan led off the game with a solo home run for the Cardinals, St. Louis held the 1-0 lead until the fourth inning, when the Guardians scored six runs, first tying up the game with a solo home run of their own as Kyle Manzardo led off the inning with a blast to center field to knot up the game.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Donnie goes deep on the FIRST pitch of the game! <a href="https://t.co/D53NsaJIwr">pic.twitter.com/D53NsaJIwr</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1939054902321520864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Continuing in the fourth inning, Cleveland took the lead on a groundout by&nbsp;Daniel Schneemann, scoring Carlos Santana who walked earlier in the inning.&nbsp; A Nolan Jones double extended the lead, driving in Lane Thomas who had also doubled in the inning, and after Jones stole third base he scored himself on a two run home run by&nbsp;Gabriel Arias.&nbsp; After Austin Hedges singled following the home run, a triple by Steven Kwan drove in Hedges for the final run of the inning, giving the Guardians a 6-1 lead.&nbsp;In the fifth inning the Cardinals cut the Cleveland lead in half, scoring two runs on a single by Alec Burleson, driving in Donovan and Masyn Winn.&nbsp; Then in the sixth, St. Louis took the lead for good with a five run frame, first scoring with a single by Nolan Gorman bringing home Lars Nootbaar and later in the inning tying the game on a Victor Scott II double, driving in Nolan Arenado and Gorman.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Vic ties it up! <a href="https://t.co/h4W4Gt1ebB">pic.twitter.com/h4W4Gt1ebB</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1939078993170571520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>A sacrifice fly by Donovan gave the Cardinals the lead, driving in Yohel Pozo before a groundout by Winn extended the lead more bringing in Scott to give St. Louis an 8-6 lead.&nbsp; The final run scored in the ninth inning for the Cardinals on a solo home run by Willson Contreras, his 11th home run of the season.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">5 consecutive hits leads to 5 runs! <a href="https://t.co/mcv4LR0E7Y">pic.twitter.com/mcv4LR0E7Y</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1939081862678208562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Willson CRUSHES one 430 feet! <a href="https://t.co/HAkMrrbQah">pic.twitter.com/HAkMrrbQah</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1939092510141489602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Matt Svanson took the win in relief for the Cardinals, his first win of the season going to 1-0, pitching one inning and striking out one.&nbsp; Ryan Helsley earned his 16th save, striking out one in the ninth.&nbsp; At the plate, Winn was 3-for-5 with an RBI.&nbsp; Contreras was 2-for-4 with the home run and a walk while Gorman was 2-for-5 with an RBI.&nbsp;&nbsp;St. Louis will look for the sweep as they wrap up their series in Cleveland tomorrow.&nbsp; Matthew Liberatore (5-6, 3.96 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Logan Allen (5-5, 4.25 ERA) for the Guardians.&nbsp; First pitch is at 12:40pm and will be joined near the start at 12:30 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Cardinals secure series win with comeback 9-6 win over Guardians

The Kansas City Royals offense came to life on Saturday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium, snapping a six game losing streak, and an 11 game losing streak at their home stadium, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-5.&nbsp;

The Royals jumped out to a lead in the third inning after three straight hits by Jonathan India, Bobby Witt Jr, and Maikel Garcia.&nbsp; India singled and back to back doubles by Witt Jr and Garcia brought in both India and Witt Jr to score, putting Kansas City up 2-0.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In the fifth inning the Royals added four more runs, first extending the lead with an RBI single by India, driving in Kyle Isbel who singled.&nbsp; Later in the inning, Vinnie Pasquantino hit his 12th home run of the season, a three run blast to center field, scoring India and Witt Jr to push Kansas City ahead of the Dodgers 6-0.

Los Angeles got on the board in the seventh inning on a solo home run by Freddie Freeman.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning, the Royals continued adding to their lead with three more runs, first with Witt Jr and India scoring once again on a double by Pasquantino, before Pasquantino came home on a double by Salvador Perez giving Kansas City an 9-1 lead.

Royals reliever Sam Long ran into some trouble in the ninth inning, but held onto the lead despite giving up four runs. A single by Max Muncy scored&nbsp;Hyeseong Kim who led off the inning with a single.&nbsp;&nbsp;Enrique Hernández drove in two more runs, bringing home Tommy Edman and Freeman, with another single before&nbsp;Andy Pages brought home Muncy to score the final run with an RBI single.&nbsp;

Seth Lugo earned the win for Kansas City, pitching 5 2/3 shutout innings giving up four hits and striking out eight, while walking five batters.&nbsp; It was a good day at the plate for Witt Jr and India who were both 4-for-5 with three runs scored, India driving in one run as well.&nbsp; Pasquantino was 2-for-4 with five RBI's.

With the series split, Kansas City and Los Angeles wrap things up tomorrow.&nbsp; Kris Bubic (6-5, 2.18 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals while the Dodgers pitcher is currently listed as TBD.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:10pm, with pregame beginning at 12:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe Kansas City Royals offense came to life on Saturday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium, snapping a six game losing streak, and an 11 game losing streak at their home stadium, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-5.&nbsp;The Royals jumped out to a lead in the third inning after three straight hits by Jonathan India, Bobby Witt Jr, and Maikel Garcia.&nbsp; India singled and back to back doubles by Witt Jr and Garcia brought in both India and Witt Jr to score, putting Kansas City up 2-0.&nbsp;&nbsp;In the fifth inning the Royals added four more runs, first extending the lead with an RBI single by India, driving in Kyle Isbel who singled.&nbsp; Later in the inning, Vinnie Pasquantino hit his 12th home run of the season, a three run blast to center field, scoring India and Witt Jr to push Kansas City ahead of the Dodgers 6-0.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Smashquantino.<a href="https://twitter.com/STIHLUSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@STIHLUSA</a> <a href="https://t.co/ryQgBvrb4G">pic.twitter.com/ryQgBvrb4G</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1939075821299249556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Los Angeles got on the board in the seventh inning on a solo home run by Freddie Freeman.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning, the Royals continued adding to their lead with three more runs, first with Witt Jr and India scoring once again on a double by Pasquantino, before Pasquantino came home on a double by Salvador Perez giving Kansas City an 9-1 lead.Royals reliever Sam Long ran into some trouble in the ninth inning, but held onto the lead despite giving up four runs. A single by Max Muncy scored&nbsp;Hyeseong Kim who led off the inning with a single.&nbsp;&nbsp;Enrique Hernández drove in two more runs, bringing home Tommy Edman and Freeman, with another single before&nbsp;Andy Pages brought home Muncy to score the final run with an RBI single.&nbsp;Seth Lugo earned the win for Kansas City, pitching 5 2/3 shutout innings giving up four hits and striking out eight, while walking five batters.&nbsp; It was a good day at the plate for Witt Jr and India who were both 4-for-5 with three runs scored, India driving in one run as well.&nbsp; Pasquantino was 2-for-4 with five RBI's.With the series split, Kansas City and Los Angeles wrap things up tomorrow.&nbsp; Kris Bubic (6-5, 2.18 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals while the Dodgers pitcher is currently listed as TBD.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:10pm, with pregame beginning at 12:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Royals bats come alive to snap home losing streak in 9-5 win

The St. Joseph Mustangs fell behind early to the Carroll Merchants, and despite narrowing the gap several times were never able to overcome, falling 7-5 to the team from Iowa on Friday night at Phil Welch Stadium.&nbsp;

The Merchants took a 2-0&nbsp; lead in the opening inning, first scoring on a sacrifice fly by&nbsp;Brock Moore, driving in&nbsp;Martin Smith, before later in the inning an RBI single from&nbsp;Shane Cowan brought&nbsp;Bradley Soto in to score.&nbsp; The Mustangs did cut the lead to one in the bottom half of the inning, a sacrifice fly by Benton alum Chris Coy driving in Darius Freeman.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Carroll extended the lead in the second inning on a groundout by Smith, bringing home&nbsp;Jack Luthren.&nbsp; Again, St. Joseph narrowed the lead to one run in the bottom half of the inning on a sacrifice fly, this time by Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith driving in Trevor McCollum to narrow the lead to 3-2.&nbsp;

It continued going back and forth in the third inning as the Merchants extended the lead again, a groundout by&nbsp;Kengri De Los Santo driving in&nbsp;Fernando Espinal.&nbsp; In the bottom of the inning, the Mustangs scored again courtesy of a sacrifice fly, Dom Felix flying out to left field and driving in Coy.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Carroll broke things open though through the sixth and seventh innings, first scoring two runs in the sixth as Smith reached first base on a fielders choice with Cowan and&nbsp;Nolan Oliver scoring.&nbsp; In the seventh, De Los Santo hit a solo home run with a full count to left field, his first hit of the season, for the Merchants to push the lead to 7-3.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Mustangs got another run on a sacrifice fly as Tyler Gundelfinger flew out to center field, bringing home Felix.&nbsp; In the ninth inning,&nbsp;Easton Phillipe scored the final run for St. Joseph on a wild pitch.&nbsp;

Northwest Missouri State pitcher Jaren Guck took the loss, pitching five innings and giving up four runs on five hits, striking out four and walking two.&nbsp; At the plate, Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen was 2-for-4 with three stolen bases.&nbsp; Justin George was also 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in the loss.&nbsp;

The Mustangs are now 19-4 on the season, 14-3 in the MINK League.&nbsp; They wrap up a four game home stand on Saturday taking on the Sedalia Bombers at Phil Welch Stadium.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7pm, gates open at 5:30.&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe St. Joseph Mustangs fell behind early to the Carroll Merchants, and despite narrowing the gap several times were never able to overcome, falling 7-5 to the team from Iowa on Friday night at Phil Welch Stadium.&nbsp;The Merchants took a 2-0&nbsp; lead in the opening inning, first scoring on a sacrifice fly by&nbsp;Brock Moore, driving in&nbsp;Martin Smith, before later in the inning an RBI single from&nbsp;Shane Cowan brought&nbsp;Bradley Soto in to score.&nbsp; The Mustangs did cut the lead to one in the bottom half of the inning, a sacrifice fly by Benton alum Chris Coy driving in Darius Freeman.&nbsp;&nbsp;Carroll extended the lead in the second inning on a groundout by Smith, bringing home&nbsp;Jack Luthren.&nbsp; Again, St. Joseph narrowed the lead to one run in the bottom half of the inning on a sacrifice fly, this time by Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith driving in Trevor McCollum to narrow the lead to 3-2.&nbsp;It continued going back and forth in the third inning as the Merchants extended the lead again, a groundout by&nbsp;Kengri De Los Santo driving in&nbsp;Fernando Espinal.&nbsp; In the bottom of the inning, the Mustangs scored again courtesy of a sacrifice fly, Dom Felix flying out to left field and driving in Coy.&nbsp; &nbsp;Carroll broke things open though through the sixth and seventh innings, first scoring two runs in the sixth as Smith reached first base on a fielders choice with Cowan and&nbsp;Nolan Oliver scoring.&nbsp; In the seventh, De Los Santo hit a solo home run with a full count to left field, his first hit of the season, for the Merchants to push the lead to 7-3.In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Mustangs got another run on a sacrifice fly as Tyler Gundelfinger flew out to center field, bringing home Felix.&nbsp; In the ninth inning,&nbsp;Easton Phillipe scored the final run for St. Joseph on a wild pitch.&nbsp;Northwest Missouri State pitcher Jaren Guck took the loss, pitching five innings and giving up four runs on five hits, striking out four and walking two.&nbsp; At the plate, Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen was 2-for-4 with three stolen bases.&nbsp; Justin George was also 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in the loss.&nbsp;The Mustangs are now 19-4 on the season, 14-3 in the MINK League.&nbsp; They wrap up a four game home stand on Saturday taking on the Sedalia Bombers at Phil Welch Stadium.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7pm, gates open at 5:30.&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Mustangs can't overcome early lead by Merchants falling 7-5

Sonny Gray put on a brilliant performance on the mound to help the St. Louis Cardinals bounce back from back to back shutout losses, pitching a complete game shutout to help the Redbirds beat the Cleveland Guardians 5-0 on the road Friday night.&nbsp;

The Cardinals scored three runs in the third inning, all thanks once again to the long ball, which provided much of their scoring against the Chicago Cubs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pedro Pagés opened the inning with a solo home run for St. Louis and later in the inning, after Masyn Winn reached first base on a forceout and Brendan Donovan, who had walked, was thrown out at second, Alec Burleson's two run home run pushed the Cardinals lead to 3-0 on his 10th home run of the season.&nbsp;

After Burleson led off the sixth inning with a double, Nolan Arenado extended the St. Louis lead with a double of his own, driving in Burleson for his 40th RBI of the season.&nbsp; Arenado got his 41st RBI in the eighth inning with an RBI single, scoring Willson Contreras for the final run.

Gray put on his best performance of the season for the Cardinals in the win, improving to 8-2, giving up just one hit to the Guardians and striking out 11 batters in the victory.&nbsp; The 11 strikeouts are a season high for Gray who for only the second time this season gave up less than two hits in a start.&nbsp;

St. Louis and Cleveland continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Miles Mikolas (4-5, 4.31 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Slade Cecconi (3-3, 3.38 ERA) for the Guardians.&nbsp; First pitch is at 3:10pm, the game will be joined near the start at 3 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKESonny Gray put on a brilliant performance on the mound to help the St. Louis Cardinals bounce back from back to back shutout losses, pitching a complete game shutout to help the Redbirds beat the Cleveland Guardians 5-0 on the road Friday night.&nbsp;The Cardinals scored three runs in the third inning, all thanks once again to the long ball, which provided much of their scoring against the Chicago Cubs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pedro Pagés opened the inning with a solo home run for St. Louis and later in the inning, after Masyn Winn reached first base on a forceout and Brendan Donovan, who had walked, was thrown out at second, Alec Burleson's two run home run pushed the Cardinals lead to 3-0 on his 10th home run of the season.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Pedro Power! ⚡️ 111.7 MPH off the bat for the lead! <a href="https://t.co/x6YwkZHNcZ">pic.twitter.com/x6YwkZHNcZ</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1938744434885353628?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Burly + Barrel = Two-Run Bomb <a href="https://t.co/y3RmI0WCE5">pic.twitter.com/y3RmI0WCE5</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1938746395256651855?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>After Burleson led off the sixth inning with a double, Nolan Arenado extended the St. Louis lead with a double of his own, driving in Burleson for his 40th RBI of the season.&nbsp; Arenado got his 41st RBI in the eighth inning with an RBI single, scoring Willson Contreras for the final run.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Burly + Barrel = Two-Run Bomb <a href="https://t.co/y3RmI0WCE5">pic.twitter.com/y3RmI0WCE5</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1938746395256651855?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Arenado drives in another! <a href="https://t.co/9KqA0F5KbT">pic.twitter.com/9KqA0F5KbT</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1938764969845158392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Gray put on his best performance of the season for the Cardinals in the win, improving to 8-2, giving up just one hit to the Guardians and striking out 11 batters in the victory.&nbsp; The 11 strikeouts are a season high for Gray who for only the second time this season gave up less than two hits in a start.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">One of the best pitching performances you&#39;ll ever see! Sonny Gray was DEALING tonight in Cleveland! 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/foVz2WxybU">pic.twitter.com/foVz2WxybU</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1938773765229273478?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>St. Louis and Cleveland continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Miles Mikolas (4-5, 4.31 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Slade Cecconi (3-3, 3.38 ERA) for the Guardians.&nbsp; First pitch is at 3:10pm, the game will be joined near the start at 3 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Cardinals win 5-0 as Gray throws complete game shutout gem

The Kansas City Royals produced runs after consecutive shutout losses, holding the lead until the fifth inning before Kansas City dropped their 11th straight game at Kauffman Stadium, losing 5-4 to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.&nbsp;

A leadoff home run from Shohei Ohtani off of Royals starter Noah Cameron gave the Dodger the lead to start the game.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the opening inning the Royals tied things up though after Salvador Perez drove in Maikel Garcia with an RBI single, after Garcia doubled earlier in the inning.&nbsp;

With the game tied, Los Angeles took the lead back in the second inning on another home run, a two run blast from Max Muncy, driving in Tommy Edman.&nbsp; But again in the bottom half of the inning, the Royals offense scored runs, taking their first lead of the game, first cutting the lead to one on an RBI double by Kyle Isble, scoring John Rave, before Isbel scored on a two run home run by Bobby Witt Jr.&nbsp;

The Dodgers took the lead back in the fifth inning off of Cameron.&nbsp; Cameron walked Enrique Hernández to open the inning, before Ohtani drove in Hernández to tie up the game with a triple.&nbsp; Ohtani scored the go ahead run on an RBI single by Mookie Betts off reliever Steven Cruz who replaced Cameron.&nbsp;

The Royals did have a golden opportunity to tie up the game in the ninth inning, having the bases loaded after singles by Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez and a walk to Vinnie Pasquantino, but rookie Jac Caglianone grounded into a game ending double play.&nbsp; Aside from the ninth, the Royals only had one other inning after losing the lead with a runner in scoring position, in the seventh when Pasquantino doubled.&nbsp;

Cameron took the loss, falling to 2-4 on the season, pitching four innings and giving up five runs on three hits, striking out four and walking three.&nbsp; At the plate, Perez was 2-for-3 with two walks and an RBI.&nbsp; Isbel was also 2-for-3 with the double and an RBI, while Garcia was 2-for-5 with a run scored.&nbsp;

Kansas City and Los Angeles continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Seth Lugo (4-5, 2.93 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against Shohei Ohtani (0-0, 4.50 ERA) for the Dodgers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 3:10pm, pregame coverage starts at 2:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

By MATT PIKEThe Kansas City Royals produced runs after consecutive shutout losses, holding the lead until the fifth inning before Kansas City dropped their 11th straight game at Kauffman Stadium, losing 5-4 to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.&nbsp;A leadoff home run from Shohei Ohtani off of Royals starter Noah Cameron gave the Dodger the lead to start the game.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the opening inning the Royals tied things up though after Salvador Perez drove in Maikel Garcia with an RBI single, after Garcia doubled earlier in the inning.&nbsp;With the game tied, Los Angeles took the lead back in the second inning on another home run, a two run blast from Max Muncy, driving in Tommy Edman.&nbsp; But again in the bottom half of the inning, the Royals offense scored runs, taking their first lead of the game, first cutting the lead to one on an RBI double by Kyle Isble, scoring John Rave, before Isbel scored on a two run home run by Bobby Witt Jr.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Come on Bobby, let’s go party. <a href="https://t.co/UWR7YznBpK">pic.twitter.com/UWR7YznBpK</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1938763080340775159?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Dodgers took the lead back in the fifth inning off of Cameron.&nbsp; Cameron walked Enrique Hernández to open the inning, before Ohtani drove in Hernández to tie up the game with a triple.&nbsp; Ohtani scored the go ahead run on an RBI single by Mookie Betts off reliever Steven Cruz who replaced Cameron.&nbsp;The Royals did have a golden opportunity to tie up the game in the ninth inning, having the bases loaded after singles by Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez and a walk to Vinnie Pasquantino, but rookie Jac Caglianone grounded into a game ending double play.&nbsp; Aside from the ninth, the Royals only had one other inning after losing the lead with a runner in scoring position, in the seventh when Pasquantino doubled.&nbsp;Cameron took the loss, falling to 2-4 on the season, pitching four innings and giving up five runs on three hits, striking out four and walking three.&nbsp; At the plate, Perez was 2-for-3 with two walks and an RBI.&nbsp; Isbel was also 2-for-3 with the double and an RBI, while Garcia was 2-for-5 with a run scored.&nbsp;Kansas City and Los Angeles continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Seth Lugo (4-5, 2.93 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against Shohei Ohtani (0-0, 4.50 ERA) for the Dodgers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 3:10pm, pregame coverage starts at 2:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Royals fight hard but drop 11th straight at Kauffman 5-4 to Dodgers

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/7jtEtUb9gEpFtAIUMiFU5s?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 matchup between the two teams sitting at the top of the MINK league standings will have to wait to finish until the next time they meet, as inclement weather suspended the matchup between the St. Joseph Mustangs and Clarinda A's at Phil Welch Stadium on Thursday night.&nbsp;

While rain earlier in the day did not prevent the game from starting on time, the Mustangs and A's were forced to stop play in the top of the ninth inning, tied up 3-3, as rain and lightning rolled into the area.&nbsp;

The Mustangs opened up the scoring in the bottom of the first inning despite Darius Freeman grounding into a double play as Central alum Logan Miller came home to score.&nbsp; In the bottom of the fifth they extended their lead on a sacrifice fly by Jack Mosh driving in Tyler Gundelfinger for the 2-0 lead.&nbsp;

In the sixth inning the A's cut the lead to one on a single by&nbsp;Kane Wilson driving in&nbsp;Tyler Macon.&nbsp; Then in the seventh inning it was Clarinda taking the lead in the game on a two RBI single by&nbsp;Drake Cobb that scored&nbsp;Colin Linteo and Tayvon Homolar, pushing the A's ahead of the division leaders 3-2.&nbsp;

St. Joseph was able to tie the game up in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single by Trevor McCollum driving in Mosh.&nbsp; After a scoreless eighth inning, the game entered the ninth inning and was suspended with Macon and the plate for the A's and Diego De Santiago on the mound for the Mustangs.&nbsp;

The game will resume at a game that the Mustangs say is TBD.&nbsp; Stay tuned to the St. Joseph Mustangs social media pages for updates.&nbsp; The Mustangs have two more home matchups against Clarinda, on July 5th and July 18th.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750994343930.jpeg" alt="Inclement weather forced the game between the St. Joseph Mustangs and the Clarinda A's to be suspended in the top of the 9th inning, tied up 3-3/ Photo courtesy of St. Joseph Mustangs" />
 <figcaption>Inclement weather forced the game between the St. Joseph Mustangs and the Clarinda A's to be suspended in the top of the 9th inning, tied up 3-3/ Photo courtesy of St. Joseph Mustangs</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKEThe matchup between the two teams sitting at the top of the MINK league standings will have to wait to finish until the next time they meet, as inclement weather suspended the matchup between the St. Joseph Mustangs and Clarinda A's at Phil Welch Stadium on Thursday night.&nbsp;While rain earlier in the day did not prevent the game from starting on time, the Mustangs and A's were forced to stop play in the top of the ninth inning, tied up 3-3, as rain and lightning rolled into the area.&nbsp;The Mustangs opened up the scoring in the bottom of the first inning despite Darius Freeman grounding into a double play as Central alum Logan Miller came home to score.&nbsp; In the bottom of the fifth they extended their lead on a sacrifice fly by Jack Mosh driving in Tyler Gundelfinger for the 2-0 lead.&nbsp;In the sixth inning the A's cut the lead to one on a single by&nbsp;Kane Wilson driving in&nbsp;Tyler Macon.&nbsp; Then in the seventh inning it was Clarinda taking the lead in the game on a two RBI single by&nbsp;Drake Cobb that scored&nbsp;Colin Linteo and Tayvon Homolar, pushing the A's ahead of the division leaders 3-2.&nbsp;St. Joseph was able to tie the game up in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single by Trevor McCollum driving in Mosh.&nbsp; After a scoreless eighth inning, the game entered the ninth inning and was suspended with Macon and the plate for the A's and Diego De Santiago on the mound for the Mustangs.&nbsp;The game will resume at a game that the Mustangs say is TBD.&nbsp; Stay tuned to the St. Joseph Mustangs social media pages for updates.&nbsp; The Mustangs have two more home matchups against Clarinda, on July 5th and July 18th.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Mustangs and A's matchup suspended, will resume at later date

The St. Louis Cardinals split a series with the Chicago Cubs after falling in a shutout for a second straight game, losing 3-0 on Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium.&nbsp;

After winning the first two games of the series with a combined score of 16-9, the Cubs came back in the final two games of the series and slowed down the Redbirds offense, outscoring them 11-0.&nbsp;

Chicago opened the scoring in the second inning, in a series that's been filled with home runs, with a solo home run by Michael Busch.&nbsp; In the fourth inning, the lead was extended on a bases loaded walk to Ian Happ, scoring Busch for his second run of the game.&nbsp; Then in the eighth inning, with Pete Crow-Armstrong at third base, Dansby Swanson attempted to steal second, and was caught stealing, allowing Crow-Armstrong to come home and score the final run.&nbsp;

St. Louis again struggled to get on base in the series finale, getting just one hit off of Cubs starter Shota Imanaga, a single by Masyn Winn.&nbsp; Imanaga did walk one batter, and Cubs reliever Brad Keller walked two before the Cardinals also got hits off of&nbsp;Drew Pomeranz, a single by Garrett Hampson, and&nbsp;Daniel Palencia, a double by Alec Burleson.&nbsp;

Andre Pallante took the loss, falling to 5-4 on the season, pitching five innings and giving up two runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking two.&nbsp; At the plate, Burleson was 1-for-4 with the double and Winn was also 1-for-4 while Hampson was 1-for-3.&nbsp; Willson Contreras was 0-for-1 with two walks.

St. Louis travels next to Cleveland tomorrow.&nbsp; &nbsp;Sonny Gray (7-2, 3.72 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Luis L Ortiz (4-8, 4.30 ERA) for the Guardians.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:10pm, and will be joined near the start at 6 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;

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

By MATT PIKEThe St. Louis Cardinals split a series with the Chicago Cubs after falling in a shutout for a second straight game, losing 3-0 on Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium.&nbsp;After winning the first two games of the series with a combined score of 16-9, the Cubs came back in the final two games of the series and slowed down the Redbirds offense, outscoring them 11-0.&nbsp;Chicago opened the scoring in the second inning, in a series that's been filled with home runs, with a solo home run by Michael Busch.&nbsp; In the fourth inning, the lead was extended on a bases loaded walk to Ian Happ, scoring Busch for his second run of the game.&nbsp; Then in the eighth inning, with Pete Crow-Armstrong at third base, Dansby Swanson attempted to steal second, and was caught stealing, allowing Crow-Armstrong to come home and score the final run.&nbsp;St. Louis again struggled to get on base in the series finale, getting just one hit off of Cubs starter Shota Imanaga, a single by Masyn Winn.&nbsp; Imanaga did walk one batter, and Cubs reliever Brad Keller walked two before the Cardinals also got hits off of&nbsp;Drew Pomeranz, a single by Garrett Hampson, and&nbsp;Daniel Palencia, a double by Alec Burleson.&nbsp;Andre Pallante took the loss, falling to 5-4 on the season, pitching five innings and giving up two runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking two.&nbsp; At the plate, Burleson was 1-for-4 with the double and Winn was also 1-for-4 while Hampson was 1-for-3.&nbsp; Willson Contreras was 0-for-1 with two walks.St. Louis travels next to Cleveland tomorrow.&nbsp; &nbsp;Sonny Gray (7-2, 3.72 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Luis L Ortiz (4-8, 4.30 ERA) for the Guardians.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:10pm, and will be joined near the start at 6 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;