It was by the skin of their teeth, but a go ahead run in the eighth inning was what the Royals needed to pull out a win over the Minnesota Twins for their third straight, winning 2-1 on Tuesday evening at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp;

Kansas City took the first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning.&nbsp; After Bobby Witt Jr doubled, he advanced to third on a hit by Vinnie Pasquantino, in which Pasquantino reached first thanks to fielding error by Twins second baseman&nbsp;Mickey Gasper.&nbsp; Salvador Perez grounded into a force out, where Pasquantino was thrown out at second, and Perez reached first safely, Witt Jr came around to score.&nbsp;

In the top of the fifth, Ty France hit a double for the Twins, and came home on a single by Harrison Bader to tie up the game.&nbsp; Until the eighth inning, it became a pitching duel as Royals starter Cole Ragans shut down the Minnesota lineup.&nbsp; Ragans pitched six innings, giving up four hits and just the one run, striking out 11 batters, but ended with a no decision, giving way to Angel Zerpa in the seventh inning.&nbsp;

In the eighth inning, after Jonathan India popped out to third base, Witt Jr stepped up to the plate.&nbsp; Witt Jr hit a grounder back to relief pitcher Griffin Jax, but Jax overthrew the first baseman France, and with his trademark speed, Witt Jr raced to third base.&nbsp; The next at bat, he was driven in by Pasquantino on a ground out to France.&nbsp;

John Schreiber, who had come on to pitch the eighth inning, remained on the mound to start the ninth, and recorded the first two outs before Kansas City called on Daniel Lynch to get the final out, earning his first save of the season.&nbsp;

While the Royals got the win, they did only record three hits on the day, with one hit from three different batters.&nbsp; Schreiber, who earned the win, pitched 1.2 innings giving up two hits and striking out one.&nbsp;

Kansas City and Minnesota matchup again in game three of the four game series tomorrow.&nbsp; Seth Lugo starts for the Royals against Joe Ryan for the Twins.&nbsp; First pitch will be at 6:40pm, with pregame coverage at 6 on KFEQ (680 AM/95.3 FM).

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744165774629.jpeg" alt="Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr slides into third in the eighth inning after a throwing error by the Twins/ Photo courtesy of the Royals on X" />
 <figcaption>Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr slides into third in the eighth inning after a throwing error by the Twins/ Photo courtesy of the Royals on X</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostIt was by the skin of their teeth, but a go ahead run in the eighth inning was what the Royals needed to pull out a win over the Minnesota Twins for their third straight, winning 2-1 on Tuesday evening at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp;Kansas City took the first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning.&nbsp; After Bobby Witt Jr doubled, he advanced to third on a hit by Vinnie Pasquantino, in which Pasquantino reached first thanks to fielding error by Twins second baseman&nbsp;Mickey Gasper.&nbsp; Salvador Perez grounded into a force out, where Pasquantino was thrown out at second, and Perez reached first safely, Witt Jr came around to score.&nbsp;In the top of the fifth, Ty France hit a double for the Twins, and came home on a single by Harrison Bader to tie up the game.&nbsp; Until the eighth inning, it became a pitching duel as Royals starter Cole Ragans shut down the Minnesota lineup.&nbsp; Ragans pitched six innings, giving up four hits and just the one run, striking out 11 batters, but ended with a no decision, giving way to Angel Zerpa in the seventh inning.&nbsp;In the eighth inning, after Jonathan India popped out to third base, Witt Jr stepped up to the plate.&nbsp; Witt Jr hit a grounder back to relief pitcher Griffin Jax, but Jax overthrew the first baseman France, and with his trademark speed, Witt Jr raced to third base.&nbsp; The next at bat, he was driven in by Pasquantino on a ground out to France.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">That&#39;s what speed do. <a href="https://t.co/u15vTegGr1">pic.twitter.com/u15vTegGr1</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1909791731089842463?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>John Schreiber, who had come on to pitch the eighth inning, remained on the mound to start the ninth, and recorded the first two outs before Kansas City called on Daniel Lynch to get the final out, earning his first save of the season.&nbsp;While the Royals got the win, they did only record three hits on the day, with one hit from three different batters.&nbsp; Schreiber, who earned the win, pitched 1.2 innings giving up two hits and striking out one.&nbsp;Kansas City and Minnesota matchup again in game three of the four game series tomorrow.&nbsp; Seth Lugo starts for the Royals against Joe Ryan for the Twins.&nbsp; First pitch will be at 6:40pm, with pregame coverage at 6 on KFEQ (680 AM/95.3 FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Royals pull out narrow 2-1 win over Twins for third win in a row

Former Missouri Western State University basketball coach Tom Smith says it could be coincidence the four top seeds of the NCAA tournament made the final four 

Or it could be the way that college basketball is changing 

Smith says like how coaches used to leave schools for better money, now that power is also in the hands of the college athlete, which makes coaching harder 

"Because now you have players, not only because of the NIL money that they're getting, but also because of the transfer portal and leave at any time, and in a sense, it takes a little bit of the power away from coaches," Smith tells KFEQ News. 

Smith says with it being a more difficult job, you see coaches walk away not being able to handle the evolving situation of college athletics.  

Name, Image, and Likeness, or NIL has shifted the world of college athletics, and Smith believes there is still a lot of figuring out to do.  Smith says he is of the opinion that some sort of cap needs to be put on all the schools to even things out in some way 

"Because right now there's no question that the rich are going to get richer and whoever has the most backing," Smith explains.  "For example, right now, Arkansas is probably the number one NIL money school in the country." 

Smith says he's not of the belief though that there needs to be a cap of how many people you can have on your team, especially when it comes to football.  

Smith believes that the development of NIL, and the transfer portal has really evolved the game, and has also made coaching more difficult.  

Smith says the question becomes how many coaches can deal with their roster changing yearly, saying teams could have a good year and still lose a player to the transfer portal 

"It's going to be difficult for coaches in general to put together all new rosters maybe once every two or three years, it's going to be difficult," Smith says. 

Smith says a coach like Ben McCollum may not handle the portal well because he's a coach who needs to have his people with him over the course of four to five years to develop them. 

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post Former Missouri Western State University basketball coach Tom Smith says it could be coincidence the four top seeds of the NCAA tournament made the final four Or it could be the way that college basketball is changing Smith says like how coaches used to leave schools for better money, now that power is also in the hands of the college athlete, which makes coaching harder "Because now you have players, not only because of the NIL money that they're getting, but also because of the transfer portal and leave at any time, and in a sense, it takes a little bit of the power away from coaches," Smith tells KFEQ News. Smith says with it being a more difficult job, you see coaches walk away not being able to handle the evolving situation of college athletics. Name, Image, and Likeness, or NIL has shifted the world of college athletics, and Smith believes there is still a lot of figuring out to do. Smith says he is of the opinion that some sort of cap needs to be put on all the schools to even things out in some way "Because right now there's no question that the rich are going to get richer and whoever has the most backing," Smith explains. "For example, right now, Arkansas is probably the number one NIL money school in the country." Smith says he's not of the belief though that there needs to be a cap of how many people you can have on your team, especially when it comes to football. Smith believes that the development of NIL, and the transfer portal has really evolved the game, and has also made coaching more difficult. Smith says the question becomes how many coaches can deal with their roster changing yearly, saying teams could have a good year and still lose a player to the transfer portal "It's going to be difficult for coaches in general to put together all new rosters maybe once every two or three years, it's going to be difficult," Smith says. Smith says a coach like Ben McCollum may not handle the portal well because he's a coach who needs to have his people with him over the course of four to five years to develop them. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Former MWSU basketball coach says NCAA tournament could show changes in college sports

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe src="https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/kfeq-news/embed/episodes/KFEQ-Morning-Sports-482025-e318vpf/a-abshief" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>

KFEQ Morning Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals could not overcome an early four run deficit, falling in their first National League Central matchup of the season to the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-4 on Monday at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.&nbsp;

The Pirates started off hot in the first two innings, first scoring in the first on a home run from Joey Bart, his first of the season.&nbsp; Pittsburgh added three more runs in the bottom of the second, two on a single from&nbsp;Isiah Kiner-Falefa that scored former Cardinal&nbsp;Tommy Pham and also&nbsp; Endy Rodríguez.&nbsp;&nbsp;Kiner-Falefa later came home on an RBI single by&nbsp;Ke'Bryan Hayes, putting Pittsburgh up 4-0 after the first two innings.&nbsp;

The Cardinals added runs in back to back innings, first scoring in the fifth on an RBI single from Brendan Donovan that drove in&nbsp;Michael Siani.&nbsp; In the sixth, catcher Yohel Pozo, who was recently recalled from AAA Memphis with&nbsp;Iván Herrera going to the 10-day IL, hit his first home run of the season, and just the second of his career, cutting the Pirates lead in half.&nbsp;

For Pozo, this was his first game in a Cardinals uniform, but it was also his first game since 2021, when he played for the Texas Rangers.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pozo, a native of Venezuela, made it to the big leagues in 2021 with the Rangers and hit .284 with one home run in 21 MLB games. In five games with Triple-A Memphis this season, Pozo leads the team with a .333 average&nbsp; to go with three doubles, two homers and six RBIs.

Pittsburgh opened up the scoring in the seventh inning, and ultimately put the game away with a four run frame, their final runs of the game.&nbsp; An Andrew McCutchen double scored&nbsp;Kiner-Falefa and&nbsp;Hayes.&nbsp; McCutchen came home on an RBI triple from Bart.&nbsp; Bart scored the final run of the inning thanks to a sacrifice fly by&nbsp;Oneil Cruz

Over the final two innings, St. Louis scored their final two runs, first getting an RBI ground out from Jordan Walker, scoring Donovan.&nbsp; In the ninth inning, Masyn Winn hammered his first home run of the season to left center field for the final run of the game.&nbsp;

Matthew Liberatore took the loss on the mound for the Cardinals, pitching 6.1 innings, giving up five runs on eight hits, but striking out seven batters.&nbsp; Donovan led the way hitting, going 3-4 with one RBI.&nbsp;&nbsp;

St. Louis and Pittsburgh will go again tomorrow, in a battle of aces for the two teams.&nbsp; Sonny Gray will take the mound for the Cardinals against Paul Skenes for the Pirates.&nbsp; First pitch is at 5:40pm, pregame coverage will be joined at 5:30 on KY 102 (102.5FM).

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744081297087.jpeg" alt="Cardinals catcher Yohel Pozo, who was recently recalled from AAA Memphis, made his Cardinals debut and played in his first MLB game since 2021 during St. Louis's 8-4 loss to the Pirates/ Photo courtesy of the Cardinals on X" />
 <figcaption>Cardinals catcher Yohel Pozo, who was recently recalled from AAA Memphis, made his Cardinals debut and played in his first MLB game since 2021 during St. Louis's 8-4 loss to the Pirates/ Photo courtesy of the Cardinals on X</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe St. Louis Cardinals could not overcome an early four run deficit, falling in their first National League Central matchup of the season to the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-4 on Monday at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.&nbsp;The Pirates started off hot in the first two innings, first scoring in the first on a home run from Joey Bart, his first of the season.&nbsp; Pittsburgh added three more runs in the bottom of the second, two on a single from&nbsp;Isiah Kiner-Falefa that scored former Cardinal&nbsp;Tommy Pham and also&nbsp; Endy Rodríguez.&nbsp;&nbsp;Kiner-Falefa later came home on an RBI single by&nbsp;Ke'Bryan Hayes, putting Pittsburgh up 4-0 after the first two innings.&nbsp;The Cardinals added runs in back to back innings, first scoring in the fifth on an RBI single from Brendan Donovan that drove in&nbsp;Michael Siani.&nbsp; In the sixth, catcher Yohel Pozo, who was recently recalled from AAA Memphis with&nbsp;Iván Herrera going to the 10-day IL, hit his first home run of the season, and just the second of his career, cutting the Pirates lead in half.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Welcome to the Cardinals, Yohel Pozo! <a href="https://t.co/a8RFvhqRpJ">pic.twitter.com/a8RFvhqRpJ</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1909400803502149736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>For Pozo, this was his first game in a Cardinals uniform, but it was also his first game since 2021, when he played for the Texas Rangers.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pozo, a native of Venezuela, made it to the big leagues in 2021 with the Rangers and hit .284 with one home run in 21 MLB games. In five games with Triple-A Memphis this season, Pozo leads the team with a .333 average&nbsp; to go with three doubles, two homers and six RBIs.Pittsburgh opened up the scoring in the seventh inning, and ultimately put the game away with a four run frame, their final runs of the game.&nbsp; An Andrew McCutchen double scored&nbsp;Kiner-Falefa and&nbsp;Hayes.&nbsp; McCutchen came home on an RBI triple from Bart.&nbsp; Bart scored the final run of the inning thanks to a sacrifice fly by&nbsp;Oneil CruzOver the final two innings, St. Louis scored their final two runs, first getting an RBI ground out from Jordan Walker, scoring Donovan.&nbsp; In the ninth inning, Masyn Winn hammered his first home run of the season to left center field for the final run of the game.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Masyn Winn hits his first homer of 2025! <a href="https://t.co/znUm6R44AP">pic.twitter.com/znUm6R44AP</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1909414325455856125?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Matthew Liberatore took the loss on the mound for the Cardinals, pitching 6.1 innings, giving up five runs on eight hits, but striking out seven batters.&nbsp; Donovan led the way hitting, going 3-4 with one RBI.&nbsp;&nbsp;St. Louis and Pittsburgh will go again tomorrow, in a battle of aces for the two teams.&nbsp; Sonny Gray will take the mound for the Cardinals against Paul Skenes for the Pirates.&nbsp; First pitch is at 5:40pm, pregame coverage will be joined at 5:30 on KY 102 (102.5FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Cardinals can't overcome early deficit, fall to Pirates 8-4

The Kansas City Royals started their first winning streak of the season against an American League Central foe, defeating the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Monday evening at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp;

Kansas City took the lead in the bottom of the first inning.&nbsp; Jonathan India led off the frame with a double, and after Bobby Witt Jr flew out to right field, Vinnie Pasquantino hit his second double of the season to left field driving in India.&nbsp;

The Twins tied the game up in the second inning, Willi Castro doubling to score Ty France, but Kansas City took the lead back for good in the bottom half of the inning.&nbsp; MJ Melendez led the bottom of the second off with his first double of the year, followed by a single from Maikel Garcia, before Melendez scored on a single from Kyle Isbel.&nbsp; Garcia later came around to score on a force out, where Isbel was thrown out at second, and Witt Jr safely reached first.&nbsp;

With two outs in the sixth inning, Isbel hit a home run into the right field bullpen.&nbsp; In the ninth inning, the Twins scored the final run of the game, Harrison Bader driving in France with an RBI single.&nbsp;

Michael Lorenzen rebounded from a rough start to open his season, where he gave up four runs, giving up just one run in this game on five hits across six innings, striking out three.&nbsp; Carlos&nbsp;Estévez notched his third save of the season, giving up one run on one hit, walking one and also striking out one.&nbsp;

Isbel led the way hitting on the day for Kansas City, going 3-4 at the plate with two RBI's and his solo home run.&nbsp;

Kansas City and Minnesota are back in action tomorrow at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp; Cole Ragans will continue looking for his first win of the season, starting for the Royals, against Pablo López for the Twins.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:40pm, pregame coverage begins at 6pm on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744079810228.jpeg" alt="Bobby Witt Jr celebrate with Kyle Isbel following his solo home run in the sixth inning of Kansas City's 4-2 win over the Twins/ Photo courtesy of the Royals on X" />
 <figcaption>Bobby Witt Jr celebrate with Kyle Isbel following his solo home run in the sixth inning of Kansas City's 4-2 win over the Twins/ Photo courtesy of the Royals on X</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe Kansas City Royals started their first winning streak of the season against an American League Central foe, defeating the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Monday evening at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp;Kansas City took the lead in the bottom of the first inning.&nbsp; Jonathan India led off the frame with a double, and after Bobby Witt Jr flew out to right field, Vinnie Pasquantino hit his second double of the season to left field driving in India.&nbsp;The Twins tied the game up in the second inning, Willi Castro doubling to score Ty France, but Kansas City took the lead back for good in the bottom half of the inning.&nbsp; MJ Melendez led the bottom of the second off with his first double of the year, followed by a single from Maikel Garcia, before Melendez scored on a single from Kyle Isbel.&nbsp; Garcia later came around to score on a force out, where Isbel was thrown out at second, and Witt Jr safely reached first.&nbsp;With two outs in the sixth inning, Isbel hit a home run into the right field bullpen.&nbsp; In the ninth inning, the Twins scored the final run of the game, Harrison Bader driving in France with an RBI single.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Izzy to the bullpen! <a href="https://t.co/7ubaRmFXJv">pic.twitter.com/7ubaRmFXJv</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1909416658638127141?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Michael Lorenzen rebounded from a rough start to open his season, where he gave up four runs, giving up just one run in this game on five hits across six innings, striking out three.&nbsp; Carlos&nbsp;Estévez notched his third save of the season, giving up one run on one hit, walking one and also striking out one.&nbsp;Isbel led the way hitting on the day for Kansas City, going 3-4 at the plate with two RBI's and his solo home run.&nbsp;Kansas City and Minnesota are back in action tomorrow at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp; Cole Ragans will continue looking for his first win of the season, starting for the Royals, against Pablo López for the Twins.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:40pm, pregame coverage begins at 6pm on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Royals win two in a row, open series with Twins with 4-2 win

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe src="https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/kfeq-news/embed/episodes/KFEQ-Morning-Sports-472025-e317t91/a-absg6ee" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>

After rain postponed the matchup between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, a doubleheader on Sunday saw the Cardinals drop game one 4-3, in walk off fashion,&nbsp;

The Cardinals opened the scoring in the first game of the doubleheader in the fourth inning, Masyn Winn singling into right field and scoring Jordan Walker.&nbsp; But in the bottom of the inning, the Red Sox David Hamilton hit a single of his own into right field, driving in&nbsp;Rob Refsnyder to tie the game at one.&nbsp;

Boston took the lead in the next inning, a solo home run from&nbsp;Rafael Devers, but St. Louis was able to knot the game back up in the sixth off the bat off&nbsp;Pedro Pagés, starting the first game in place of&nbsp;Iván Herrera, hitting a ground rule double to score&nbsp;Thomas Saggese.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pagés extended the Cardinals lead in the eighth inning, another double, this time driving in Victor Scott II.&nbsp;

A rare off day for Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley however in the ninth inning, allowed the Red Sox to tie up the game.&nbsp; An RBI double from&nbsp;Romy Gonzalez drove in Trevor Story, then with the bases loaded, Helsley walked Devers in for the tying run, sending the game to extra innings.&nbsp; In the tenth,&nbsp;Wilyer Abreu singled scoring Alex Bregman for the Boston walk off win.&nbsp;

Andre Pallante started the first game for St. Louis, earning a no decision, pitching 4.1 innings, striking out six and giving up two runs on four hits, walking three.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ryan Fernandez took the loss in relief, getting one out, walking one, and giving up the walk off single.&nbsp;

Pagés (2-4, 3 RBI), Walker (2-4), and Winn (2-3, 1 RBI) led the way hitting in the first game.&nbsp;

The Cardinals fared no better in game two, in fact it was even worse.&nbsp; After three innings, St. Louis trailed the Red Sox 10-1.&nbsp; After the Cardinals scored a second run in the top of the fourth inning, Boston added six more runs before the Redbirds could score again.&nbsp;

St. Louis added a third run in the top of the seventh inning, and were answered with two more from the Red Sox in the bottom half of the inning.&nbsp; The Cardinals scored the final four runs of the game in the top of the ninth inning, their biggest hit of the game being a three run home run by&nbsp;Saggese.

Miles Mikolas, who started the second game, couldn't even get through three innings, pitching 2.2 innings, giving up 11 hits and nine runs, just eight earned, striking out one and walking one.&nbsp; Brendan Donovan led the way hitting in game two going 3-4 with two RBIs.&nbsp;

The Cardinals will next travel to Pittsburgh for an NL Central matchup with the Pirates.&nbsp;&nbsp;Matthew Liberatore will start for St. Louis against&nbsp;Carmen Mlodzinski for Pittsburgh.&nbsp; First pitch will be at 5:40pm, pregame coverage will be joined at 5:30 on KY 102 (102.5FM).

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostAfter rain postponed the matchup between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, a doubleheader on Sunday saw the Cardinals drop game one 4-3, in walk off fashion,&nbsp;The Cardinals opened the scoring in the first game of the doubleheader in the fourth inning, Masyn Winn singling into right field and scoring Jordan Walker.&nbsp; But in the bottom of the inning, the Red Sox David Hamilton hit a single of his own into right field, driving in&nbsp;Rob Refsnyder to tie the game at one.&nbsp;Boston took the lead in the next inning, a solo home run from&nbsp;Rafael Devers, but St. Louis was able to knot the game back up in the sixth off the bat off&nbsp;Pedro Pagés, starting the first game in place of&nbsp;Iván Herrera, hitting a ground rule double to score&nbsp;Thomas Saggese.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pagés extended the Cardinals lead in the eighth inning, another double, this time driving in Victor Scott II.&nbsp;A rare off day for Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley however in the ninth inning, allowed the Red Sox to tie up the game.&nbsp; An RBI double from&nbsp;Romy Gonzalez drove in Trevor Story, then with the bases loaded, Helsley walked Devers in for the tying run, sending the game to extra innings.&nbsp; In the tenth,&nbsp;Wilyer Abreu singled scoring Alex Bregman for the Boston walk off win.&nbsp;Andre Pallante started the first game for St. Louis, earning a no decision, pitching 4.1 innings, striking out six and giving up two runs on four hits, walking three.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ryan Fernandez took the loss in relief, getting one out, walking one, and giving up the walk off single.&nbsp;Pagés (2-4, 3 RBI), Walker (2-4), and Winn (2-3, 1 RBI) led the way hitting in the first game.&nbsp;The Cardinals fared no better in game two, in fact it was even worse.&nbsp; After three innings, St. Louis trailed the Red Sox 10-1.&nbsp; After the Cardinals scored a second run in the top of the fourth inning, Boston added six more runs before the Redbirds could score again.&nbsp;St. Louis added a third run in the top of the seventh inning, and were answered with two more from the Red Sox in the bottom half of the inning.&nbsp; The Cardinals scored the final four runs of the game in the top of the ninth inning, their biggest hit of the game being a three run home run by&nbsp;Saggese.Miles Mikolas, who started the second game, couldn't even get through three innings, pitching 2.2 innings, giving up 11 hits and nine runs, just eight earned, striking out one and walking one.&nbsp; Brendan Donovan led the way hitting in game two going 3-4 with two RBIs.&nbsp;The Cardinals will next travel to Pittsburgh for an NL Central matchup with the Pirates.&nbsp;&nbsp;Matthew Liberatore will start for St. Louis against&nbsp;Carmen Mlodzinski for Pittsburgh.&nbsp; First pitch will be at 5:40pm, pregame coverage will be joined at 5:30 on KY 102 (102.5FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Cardinals swept by Red Sox, drop both games of Sundays doublheader

Kansas City starting pitcher Kris Bubic once again looked brilliant on the mound against the Baltimore Orioles, helping the Royals to their first series win of the season, winning 4-1 on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp;

The Royals scored all their runs across the first two innings, then relied on the strong pitching of Bubic and the bullpen on way to the win.&nbsp; Three runs scored in the first on a slew of hitting, starting with a Bobby Witt Jr triple into right center field.&nbsp; Witt Jr came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Vinnie Pasquantino in the next at bat.&nbsp;

After the sacrifice fly, Kansas City got singles from Salvador Perez and Mark Canha, who came across to score on the third double of the season by Michael Massey.&nbsp; Hunter Renfroe struck out to end the first.&nbsp; The final Royals run in the second came thanks to an RBI single by Freddy Fermin, driving in Maikel Garcia, who led the inning off with a single.&nbsp;

The Orioles lone run came in the seventh inning of the game.&nbsp; Ryan Mountcastle led the inning off with a triple, his first of the season.&nbsp; Bubic bounced back from the triple, striking out Ramón Laureano, but while facing Gary Sánchez, Bubic threw a wild pitch, allowing Moutcastle to come home and score.

Bubic, coming off a strong six inning start against the Milwaukee Brewers where he struck out eight batters and gave up just three hits, looked nearly untouchable again, this time lasting nearly seven innings, but was pulled before recording the final out of the seventh, after throwing 99 pitches, for reliever Hunter Harvey.&nbsp; Harvey struck out&nbsp;Ramón Urías to end the inning.

Lucas Erceg pitched a hitless eighth inning, striking out two batters, before&nbsp;Carlos Estévez closed out the game in the ninth, also allowing no hits and striking out one, for his second save of the season.&nbsp;

Bubic pitched 6.2 innings, giving up five hits and one run, striking out eight batters and walking one.&nbsp; The Royals bullpen combined for 2.1 innings, giving up no hits and striking out four.&nbsp; Witt Jr led the way hitting for Kansas City, going 3-4 and coming up a home run shy of the cycle.&nbsp;

Kansas City opens up a series against their AL Central foes the Minnesota Twins on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp;Michael Lorenzen starts for the Royals against&nbsp;Simeon Woods Richardson for Minnesota.&nbsp; First pitch will be at 6:40pm, the game will air on the FanDuel Sports Network.&nbsp;

There will be no coverage of Royals baseball on KFEQ due to the NCAA Men's Championship game between Florida and Houston.&nbsp; That coverage begins at&nbsp; 6pm.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743972202037.jpeg" alt="Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr hit a single, double, and a triple, but struck out late in the game coming up a home run shy of the cycle in Kansas City's 4-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles/ Photo courtesy of the Royals on X" />
 <figcaption>Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr hit a single, double, and a triple, but struck out late in the game coming up a home run shy of the cycle in Kansas City's 4-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles/ Photo courtesy of the Royals on X</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostKansas City starting pitcher Kris Bubic once again looked brilliant on the mound against the Baltimore Orioles, helping the Royals to their first series win of the season, winning 4-1 on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp;The Royals scored all their runs across the first two innings, then relied on the strong pitching of Bubic and the bullpen on way to the win.&nbsp; Three runs scored in the first on a slew of hitting, starting with a Bobby Witt Jr triple into right center field.&nbsp; Witt Jr came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Vinnie Pasquantino in the next at bat.&nbsp;After the sacrifice fly, Kansas City got singles from Salvador Perez and Mark Canha, who came across to score on the third double of the season by Michael Massey.&nbsp; Hunter Renfroe struck out to end the first.&nbsp; The final Royals run in the second came thanks to an RBI single by Freddy Fermin, driving in Maikel Garcia, who led the inning off with a single.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">On the board early! <a href="https://t.co/cQAbQGrPWj">pic.twitter.com/cQAbQGrPWj</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1908951701672833499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Orioles lone run came in the seventh inning of the game.&nbsp; Ryan Mountcastle led the inning off with a triple, his first of the season.&nbsp; Bubic bounced back from the triple, striking out Ramón Laureano, but while facing Gary Sánchez, Bubic threw a wild pitch, allowing Moutcastle to come home and score.Bubic, coming off a strong six inning start against the Milwaukee Brewers where he struck out eight batters and gave up just three hits, looked nearly untouchable again, this time lasting nearly seven innings, but was pulled before recording the final out of the seventh, after throwing 99 pitches, for reliever Hunter Harvey.&nbsp; Harvey struck out&nbsp;Ramón Urías to end the inning.Lucas Erceg pitched a hitless eighth inning, striking out two batters, before&nbsp;Carlos Estévez closed out the game in the ninth, also allowing no hits and striking out one, for his second save of the season.&nbsp;Bubic pitched 6.2 innings, giving up five hits and one run, striking out eight batters and walking one.&nbsp; The Royals bullpen combined for 2.1 innings, giving up no hits and striking out four.&nbsp; Witt Jr led the way hitting for Kansas City, going 3-4 and coming up a home run shy of the cycle.&nbsp;Kansas City opens up a series against their AL Central foes the Minnesota Twins on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp;Michael Lorenzen starts for the Royals against&nbsp;Simeon Woods Richardson for Minnesota.&nbsp; First pitch will be at 6:40pm, the game will air on the FanDuel Sports Network.&nbsp;There will be no coverage of Royals baseball on KFEQ due to the NCAA Men's Championship game between Florida and Houston.&nbsp; That coverage begins at&nbsp; 6pm.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Bubic brilliant again, Royals take series from Orioles with 4-1 win 

Due to persistent rain in the Boston area, Saturday’s Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals game was postponed and will be played as part of a day-night doubleheader Sunday.

The clubs had a delay of two hours and eight minutes before the decision was made to postpone Saturday’s contest.

Left hander Sean Newcomb, originally scheduled to pitch the Sunday night finale, will now pitch Game 1 for the Red Sox. Boston has not announced a potential starter for for Game 2. Right hander&nbsp;Richard Fitts was in line to start on Saturday before the postponement.

Right-handed pitcher Andre Pallante gave the rain-soaked fans at Fenway a brief tease on Saturday night when he emerged from the dugout and headed out to the outfield to get in a throwing session. However, he was simply just getting in his work before making his second start of the season on Sunday.

Pallante is scheduled to pitch Sunday’s first game.&nbsp;Veteran right-hander Miles Mikolas will pitch the second game. First pitch in game one of the doubleheader will be at 12:35pm, coverage will begin at 11:40 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostDue to persistent rain in the Boston area, Saturday’s Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals game was postponed and will be played as part of a day-night doubleheader Sunday.The clubs had a delay of two hours and eight minutes before the decision was made to postpone Saturday’s contest.Left hander Sean Newcomb, originally scheduled to pitch the Sunday night finale, will now pitch Game 1 for the Red Sox. Boston has not announced a potential starter for for Game 2. Right hander&nbsp;Richard Fitts was in line to start on Saturday before the postponement.Right-handed pitcher Andre Pallante gave the rain-soaked fans at Fenway a brief tease on Saturday night when he emerged from the dugout and headed out to the outfield to get in a throwing session. However, he was simply just getting in his work before making his second start of the season on Sunday.Pallante is scheduled to pitch Sunday’s first game.&nbsp;Veteran right-hander Miles Mikolas will pitch the second game. First pitch in game one of the doubleheader will be at 12:35pm, coverage will begin at 11:40 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Cardinals matchup with Red Sox postponed Saturday, doubleheader Sunday

A four run sixth inning overwhelmed Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha and reliever Sam Long, and Kansas City fell 8-1 to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp;

Wacha cruised through the first five innings of the game, surrendering two runs in the second on a two RBI single by Gary Sanchez, that scored&nbsp;Tyler O'Neill and&nbsp;Ryan Mountcastle.&nbsp; Aside from that, Wacha struck out five batters, and gave up just four hits to the Orioles lineup.&nbsp; In the sixth, Wacha was one out away from a quality start when the wheels began to fall off.&nbsp;

Back-to-back singles from Cedric Mullins and Mountcastle&nbsp; forced manager Matt Quatraro to turn to reliver Sam Long, following Wacha retiring O'Neill on a flyout to center field, for a left-on-left matchup against Baltimore left fielder Heston Kjerstad.&nbsp; Kjerstad singled off Long to drive in Mullins.&nbsp; One batter later, Ramón Urías singled to second base, where the ball deflected off Maikel Garcia, and Mountcastle scored.&nbsp;

With Kjerstad at third, and Urías at first, Long walked Sanchez to load the bases, and then a single by Jackson Holliday scored both Kjerstad and&nbsp;Urías for the final runs of the inning.&nbsp; The Royals lone run of the game came in the bottom half of the sixth, Bobby Witt Jr hitting his first home run of the season to left field.&nbsp;

Baltimore scored the final runs of the game in the seventh inning on the first triple of the season for O'Neill, the former St. Louis Cardinal, driving in Jordan Westburg and Mulllins.&nbsp;

Wacha fell to 0-2 on the season taking the loss, pitching 5.2 innings, giving up six hits and four runs, striking out five and walking one.&nbsp; The Royals managed five hits in the loss, all coming from five different players.&nbsp;

The Royals and Orioles wrap up their series tomorrow. Kris Bubic will look to follow up his outstanding season debut as he takes the mound for Kansas City, against&nbsp;Cade Povich for Baltimore.&nbsp; First pitch will be at 1:10pm, coverage will begin at 12:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostA four run sixth inning overwhelmed Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha and reliever Sam Long, and Kansas City fell 8-1 to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp;Wacha cruised through the first five innings of the game, surrendering two runs in the second on a two RBI single by Gary Sanchez, that scored&nbsp;Tyler O'Neill and&nbsp;Ryan Mountcastle.&nbsp; Aside from that, Wacha struck out five batters, and gave up just four hits to the Orioles lineup.&nbsp; In the sixth, Wacha was one out away from a quality start when the wheels began to fall off.&nbsp;Back-to-back singles from Cedric Mullins and Mountcastle&nbsp; forced manager Matt Quatraro to turn to reliver Sam Long, following Wacha retiring O'Neill on a flyout to center field, for a left-on-left matchup against Baltimore left fielder Heston Kjerstad.&nbsp; Kjerstad singled off Long to drive in Mullins.&nbsp; One batter later, Ramón Urías singled to second base, where the ball deflected off Maikel Garcia, and Mountcastle scored.&nbsp;With Kjerstad at third, and Urías at first, Long walked Sanchez to load the bases, and then a single by Jackson Holliday scored both Kjerstad and&nbsp;Urías for the final runs of the inning.&nbsp; The Royals lone run of the game came in the bottom half of the sixth, Bobby Witt Jr hitting his first home run of the season to left field.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Bobby blast. 💥 <a href="https://t.co/UuyFLJGWAE">pic.twitter.com/UuyFLJGWAE</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1908638704756797719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Baltimore scored the final runs of the game in the seventh inning on the first triple of the season for O'Neill, the former St. Louis Cardinal, driving in Jordan Westburg and Mulllins.&nbsp;Wacha fell to 0-2 on the season taking the loss, pitching 5.2 innings, giving up six hits and four runs, striking out five and walking one.&nbsp; The Royals managed five hits in the loss, all coming from five different players.&nbsp;The Royals and Orioles wrap up their series tomorrow. Kris Bubic will look to follow up his outstanding season debut as he takes the mound for Kansas City, against&nbsp;Cade Povich for Baltimore.&nbsp; First pitch will be at 1:10pm, coverage will begin at 12:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Royals overwhelmed in sixth inning, fall to Baltimore 8-1

The Kansas City Royals put together a strong all around effort at Kauffman Stadium on Friday night, beating the Baltimore Orioles 8-2 to open a three game weekend series.&nbsp;

Salvador Perez doubled to left field scoring Bobby Witt Jr to open the scoring for Kansas City in the first inning.&nbsp; Baltimore took the lead in the second, a single by&nbsp;Heston Kjerstad first driving in&nbsp;Ryan O'Hearn to tie the game up.&nbsp; Kjerstad later came around to score in the inning, from there the Royals defense held the Orioles off the board.&nbsp;

The Royals took the lead back for good in the bottom of the fourth inning. Maikel Garcia continued his hot start to the season, a single to center field driving in both Perez and Cavan Biggio.&nbsp; The Kansas City defense was also on full display in the game, in the sixth inning, a gold glove winner last year Seth Lugo caught a line drive back at him from Jordan Westburg.&nbsp;

Kansas City added the final insurance runs in the eighth inning with a five spot.&nbsp; Garcia drove in another run with his third double of the season, scoring Mark Canha.&nbsp; Garcia later came around to score with on a fielders choice, in which Kyle Isbel reached first.&nbsp; With the bases loaded, Vinnie Pasquantino singled to drive in the final three runs, scoring Isbel, MJ Melendez, and Witt Jr.&nbsp;

Seth Lugo earned his first win of the season, after a no decision in his first start, pitching six innings and striking out two, giving up five hits and two runs, just one earned, while walking one.&nbsp; Garcia (2-4, 3 RBIs), Perez (2-5, 1 RBI), and Pasquantino (2-5, 3 RBIs) led the way hitting.

The Royals and Orioles are back in action again tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Wacha will start for Kansas City against&nbsp;Tomoyuki Sugano for Baltimore.&nbsp; First pitch will be at 3:10 pm and the game will be aired on the FanDuel Sports Network.&nbsp; 

There will be NO coverage on KFEQ due to the NCAA Men's Final Four.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743822038151.jpeg" alt="Maikel Garcia went 2-4 with 3 RBI's in the Royals 8-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night/ Photo courtesy of the Royals on X" />
 <figcaption>Maikel Garcia went 2-4 with 3 RBI's in the Royals 8-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night/ Photo courtesy of the Royals on X</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas City Royals put together a strong all around effort at Kauffman Stadium on Friday night, beating the Baltimore Orioles 8-2 to open a three game weekend series.&nbsp;Salvador Perez doubled to left field scoring Bobby Witt Jr to open the scoring for Kansas City in the first inning.&nbsp; Baltimore took the lead in the second, a single by&nbsp;Heston Kjerstad first driving in&nbsp;Ryan O'Hearn to tie the game up.&nbsp; Kjerstad later came around to score in the inning, from there the Royals defense held the Orioles off the board.&nbsp;The Royals took the lead back for good in the bottom of the fourth inning. Maikel Garcia continued his hot start to the season, a single to center field driving in both Perez and Cavan Biggio.&nbsp; The Kansas City defense was also on full display in the game, in the sixth inning, a gold glove winner last year Seth Lugo caught a line drive back at him from Jordan Westburg.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">That&#39;s Gold Glover Seth Lugo. <a href="https://t.co/LvzVnpbkxn">pic.twitter.com/LvzVnpbkxn</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1908329681054576682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Kansas City added the final insurance runs in the eighth inning with a five spot.&nbsp; Garcia drove in another run with his third double of the season, scoring Mark Canha.&nbsp; Garcia later came around to score with on a fielders choice, in which Kyle Isbel reached first.&nbsp; With the bases loaded, Vinnie Pasquantino singled to drive in the final three runs, scoring Isbel, MJ Melendez, and Witt Jr.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A little insurance never hurts! <a href="https://t.co/eK44v2EvL7">pic.twitter.com/eK44v2EvL7</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1908343218921488558?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Seth Lugo earned his first win of the season, after a no decision in his first start, pitching six innings and striking out two, giving up five hits and two runs, just one earned, while walking one.&nbsp; Garcia (2-4, 3 RBIs), Perez (2-5, 1 RBI), and Pasquantino (2-5, 3 RBIs) led the way hitting.The Royals and Orioles are back in action again tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Wacha will start for Kansas City against&nbsp;Tomoyuki Sugano for Baltimore.&nbsp; First pitch will be at 3:10 pm and the game will be aired on the FanDuel Sports Network.&nbsp; There will be NO coverage on KFEQ due to the NCAA Men's Final Four.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Garcia stays hot as Royals top Orioles in series opener 8-2

The St. Louis Cardinals were unable to overcome a five run first inning by the Boston Red Sox, falling 13-9 at Fenway Park in the first home game of the season at the historic stadium.&nbsp;

New Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman doubled to score the first run of the game, driving in&nbsp;Jarren Duran, before Trevor Story smashed his second home run of the season to left field, scoring&nbsp;Rafael Devers and Bregman.&nbsp;&nbsp;Wilyer Abreu capped off the first inning scoring with his third home run of the season to right field.&nbsp;

The Cardinals scored one run in the top of the third inning, Lars Nootbaar driving in&nbsp;Victor Scott II on a ground ball to the left fielder Duran.&nbsp; But Boston answered in the bottom half&nbsp;Carlos Narváez singling into right field and scoring&nbsp;Kristian Campbell to push the Red Sox lead to 6-1 after three innings.&nbsp;

St. Louis put together a bigger inning in the fourth, cutting the lead to two runs all with one swing of the bat.&nbsp; Catcher&nbsp;Iván Herrera, who hit three home runs in Wednesday's win against the Los Angeles Angels, hit his fourth home run in two games, a three run shot to right center scoring Nolan Arenado and Alec Burleson.

Brendan Donovan cut the Red Sox lead to one the very next inning, hitting a solo home run to right center.&nbsp; Boston though, added two back in the bottom half,&nbsp;Abreu singling to drive in Bregman, followed by a sacrifice fly to right field from Campbell, which was called on the field for fan interference but was overturned after review, scored&nbsp;Triston Casas.

Donovan singled in the top of the seventh inning, to score Nootbaar, but then in the bottom half of the seventh Boston struck for three runs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ceddanne Rafaela grounded into a force out, which Abreu scored on, in the next at bat Duran singled to drive in Campbell and then Devers followed that with a single of his own to bring home Rafaela.

The Red Sox final two runs came in the bottom of the eighth.&nbsp; Abreu grounded into a double play, scoring Casas.&nbsp;&nbsp;Carlos Narváez hit his first double of the year driving in Campbell.&nbsp; St. Louis made a rally attempt in the ninth, scoring the final three runs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Willson Contreras singled to bring home Masyn Winn, followed by Donovan singling to score Nootbaar.&nbsp; The final run came thanks to Arenado reaching on a fielders choice, scoring Contreras.&nbsp;

Erick Fedde struggled in his second start of the year, pitching three innings and giving up six runs on five hits, walking four and striking out just one while taking the loss.&nbsp; Burleson led the way hitting going 3-4 with one run.&nbsp;

The Cardinals and Red Sox are back in action again tomorrow.&nbsp; Andre Pallante will start for St. Louis against Richard Fitts for Boston.&nbsp; First pitch will be at 3:10pm, pregame coverage starts at 2:15 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743819391685.jpeg" alt="Cardinals players sign the Green Monster at Fenway Park before their game against the Boston Red Sox/ Photo courtesy of the Cardinals on X" />
 <figcaption>Cardinals players sign the Green Monster at Fenway Park before their game against the Boston Red Sox/ Photo courtesy of the Cardinals on X</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe St. Louis Cardinals were unable to overcome a five run first inning by the Boston Red Sox, falling 13-9 at Fenway Park in the first home game of the season at the historic stadium.&nbsp;New Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman doubled to score the first run of the game, driving in&nbsp;Jarren Duran, before Trevor Story smashed his second home run of the season to left field, scoring&nbsp;Rafael Devers and Bregman.&nbsp;&nbsp;Wilyer Abreu capped off the first inning scoring with his third home run of the season to right field.&nbsp;The Cardinals scored one run in the top of the third inning, Lars Nootbaar driving in&nbsp;Victor Scott II on a ground ball to the left fielder Duran.&nbsp; But Boston answered in the bottom half&nbsp;Carlos Narváez singling into right field and scoring&nbsp;Kristian Campbell to push the Red Sox lead to 6-1 after three innings.&nbsp;St. Louis put together a bigger inning in the fourth, cutting the lead to two runs all with one swing of the bat.&nbsp; Catcher&nbsp;Iván Herrera, who hit three home runs in Wednesday's win against the Los Angeles Angels, hit his fourth home run in two games, a three run shot to right center scoring Nolan Arenado and Alec Burleson.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Iván Herrera has his FOURTH home run in two games! 📈 <a href="https://t.co/tWyMfGA2lM">pic.twitter.com/tWyMfGA2lM</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1908238730969632969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Brendan Donovan cut the Red Sox lead to one the very next inning, hitting a solo home run to right center.&nbsp; Boston though, added two back in the bottom half,&nbsp;Abreu singling to drive in Bregman, followed by a sacrifice fly to right field from Campbell, which was called on the field for fan interference but was overturned after review, scored&nbsp;Triston Casas.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Donnie Baseball! 💣 <a href="https://t.co/JEpHCpy7W5">pic.twitter.com/JEpHCpy7W5</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1908242880679813416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Donovan singled in the top of the seventh inning, to score Nootbaar, but then in the bottom half of the seventh Boston struck for three runs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ceddanne Rafaela grounded into a force out, which Abreu scored on, in the next at bat Duran singled to drive in Campbell and then Devers followed that with a single of his own to bring home Rafaela.The Red Sox final two runs came in the bottom of the eighth.&nbsp; Abreu grounded into a double play, scoring Casas.&nbsp;&nbsp;Carlos Narváez hit his first double of the year driving in Campbell.&nbsp; St. Louis made a rally attempt in the ninth, scoring the final three runs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Willson Contreras singled to bring home Masyn Winn, followed by Donovan singling to score Nootbaar.&nbsp; The final run came thanks to Arenado reaching on a fielders choice, scoring Contreras.&nbsp;Erick Fedde struggled in his second start of the year, pitching three innings and giving up six runs on five hits, walking four and striking out just one while taking the loss.&nbsp; Burleson led the way hitting going 3-4 with one run.&nbsp;The Cardinals and Red Sox are back in action again tomorrow.&nbsp; Andre Pallante will start for St. Louis against Richard Fitts for Boston.&nbsp; First pitch will be at 3:10pm, pregame coverage starts at 2:15 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Herrera homers again, but Cardinals fall to Red Sox 13-9

Luke Scheidecker has officially been introduced as the 11th head coach in program history for the Missouri Western State University women's basketball team.  

Scheidecker says the opportunity to come to St. Joseph and play in one of the best conferences in division two basketball made taking the job a no brainer 

"There's certain jobs where the resources aren't there to maybe compete for national championships, that's not the case here," Scheidecker tells reporters.  "The resources are here, available, there's potential to win big and win at a high rate and graduate our student athletes and move them on." 

Scheidecker brings a winning way to Western.  During his time at Wabash Valley College, he amassed 231 career wins and lost just 22 games total.  

Scheidecker says as a coach, he's very demanding of his players 

"It's not demeaning, but it's like hey we have certain expectations," Scheidecker explains.  "If we're going to play the pace and style we want to play, you can't take possessions off, it has to be 40 minutes of straight, controlled chaos as I would say." 

Scheidecker says fans that come and see his team play will see a fun and fast play style for 40 minutes 

"We're going to get players who can play, that's what we're going to do," Scheidecker emphasizes.  "Recruiting is what I love to do, it's my passion, so we're going to get players that fit the system, fit the community, fit the school, but it's going to be fast paced, it's going to be in your face for 40 minutes pressure defense, flying around, trying to score in the first seven seconds, that is the style we're going to bring." 

Scheidecker may come from the junior college ranks, but he knows the challenges of his new conference.  His wife Tori, previously served as a graduate assistant under former Western head coach Candi Whitaker.  

Scheidecker says knowing how challenging the MIAA conference can be, his goal is just for his team to be different than the rest of the league 

"We want to be different," Scheidecker says.  "And I think that's one of our things recruiting is getting the right people who fit our system and our style that play that different way." 

Scheidecker inherits a women's program that has made the NCAA tournament three times in the last four years.  He replaces Ashton Feldhaus following her resignation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743798809178.jpeg" alt="New Missouri Western women's basketball coach Luke Scheidecker (middle) alongside University President Elizabeth Kennedy (left) and Athletic Director Andy Carter (right)/ Photo by Matt Pike" />
 <figcaption>New Missouri Western women's basketball coach Luke Scheidecker (middle) alongside University President Elizabeth Kennedy (left) and Athletic Director Andy Carter (right)/ Photo by Matt Pike</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post Luke Scheidecker has officially been introduced as the 11th head coach in program history for the Missouri Western State University women's basketball team. Scheidecker says the opportunity to come to St. Joseph and play in one of the best conferences in division two basketball made taking the job a no brainer "There's certain jobs where the resources aren't there to maybe compete for national championships, that's not the case here," Scheidecker tells reporters. "The resources are here, available, there's potential to win big and win at a high rate and graduate our student athletes and move them on." Scheidecker brings a winning way to Western. During his time at Wabash Valley College, he amassed 231 career wins and lost just 22 games total. Scheidecker says as a coach, he's very demanding of his players "It's not demeaning, but it's like hey we have certain expectations," Scheidecker explains. "If we're going to play the pace and style we want to play, you can't take possessions off, it has to be 40 minutes of straight, controlled chaos as I would say." Scheidecker says fans that come and see his team play will see a fun and fast play style for 40 minutes "We're going to get players who can play, that's what we're going to do," Scheidecker emphasizes. "Recruiting is what I love to do, it's my passion, so we're going to get players that fit the system, fit the community, fit the school, but it's going to be fast paced, it's going to be in your face for 40 minutes pressure defense, flying around, trying to score in the first seven seconds, that is the style we're going to bring." Scheidecker may come from the junior college ranks, but he knows the challenges of his new conference. His wife Tori, previously served as a graduate assistant under former Western head coach Candi Whitaker. Scheidecker says knowing how challenging the MIAA conference can be, his goal is just for his team to be different than the rest of the league "We want to be different," Scheidecker says. "And I think that's one of our things recruiting is getting the right people who fit our system and our style that play that different way." Scheidecker inherits a women's program that has made the NCAA tournament three times in the last four years. He replaces Ashton Feldhaus following her resignation.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743798895082.jpeg" alt="Luke Scheidecker/ Photo by Matt Pike" />
 <figcaption>Luke Scheidecker/ Photo by Matt Pike</figcaption>
 </figure>You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

New MWSU WBB coach Luke Scheidecker looks to continue winning ways at Western

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe src="https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/kfeq-news/embed/episodes/KFEQ-Morning-Sports-442025-e313v0e/a-absb5s6" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>

The deadline to nominate an area athlete, coach, or team for the St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame class of 2025 is nearing.  

St. Joseph Sports Commission Director Brett Eseley says the nomination portal for the Hall of Fame is actually open 365 days a year 

"However, we heavily promote it this time of year because we will, after nominations close, literally about a month later select our class of 2025, we'll announce that publicly late May, early June," Esely tells KFEQ News.  "But it's critical right now, and I know several people are working on nominations, that we receive those by this Friday, April 4th, that is the nomination deadline for consideration in the 2025 class." 

Esely says the nomination form can be filled out online. 

"That form is pretty basic ultimately, we obviously need to know who you're nominating, little bit of background on them, we like to know who the nominator is because if we have any questions we can ask that person," Esely explains.  "But then it's really critical that that nominator puts together as much biographical information as possible." 

Esely says when filling out a nomination form, give more information than you might think is needed, and uses a high school coach as an example 

"Coaches coach in some cases four decades, and so with that portray what that coach has done," Esely says.  "If we're talking about a high school coach, have they won state championships, did they have consecutive winning seasons that stretched 20 plus years, coaches are mentors, they're teachers, they're role models, display those things too, that's important." 

That same form can also be filled out by visiting the Sports Commission offices located at the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648580960759.jpeg" alt="Brett Esely, director of the St. Joseph Sports Commission, announces the first ever St. Joseph Sports Hall of Fame Class in June 2021. Stock photo by Tommy Rezac." />
 <figcaption>Brett Esely, director of the St. Joseph Sports Commission, announces the first ever St. Joseph Sports Hall of Fame Class in June 2021. Stock photo by Tommy Rezac.</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post The deadline to nominate an area athlete, coach, or team for the St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame class of 2025 is nearing. St. Joseph Sports Commission Director Brett Eseley says the nomination portal for the Hall of Fame is actually open 365 days a year "However, we heavily promote it this time of year because we will, after nominations close, literally about a month later select our class of 2025, we'll announce that publicly late May, early June," Esely tells KFEQ News. "But it's critical right now, and I know several people are working on nominations, that we receive those by this Friday, April 4th, that is the nomination deadline for consideration in the 2025 class." Esely says the nomination form can be filled out online. "That form is pretty basic ultimately, we obviously need to know who you're nominating, little bit of background on them, we like to know who the nominator is because if we have any questions we can ask that person," Esely explains. "But then it's really critical that that nominator puts together as much biographical information as possible." Esely says when filling out a nomination form, give more information than you might think is needed, and uses a high school coach as an example "Coaches coach in some cases four decades, and so with that portray what that coach has done," Esely says. "If we're talking about a high school coach, have they won state championships, did they have consecutive winning seasons that stretched 20 plus years, coaches are mentors, they're teachers, they're role models, display those things too, that's important." That same form can also be filled out by visiting the Sports Commission offices located 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;

Nomination deadline nearing for class of 2025 in St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe src="https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/kfeq-news/embed/episodes/KFEQ-Morning-Sports-432025-e312c0e/a-abs95b7" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>

For a second straight game the Kansas City Royals got a strong performance by their starting pitcher, but were unable to provide run support, falling 3-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers in 11 innings Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

In his first start since Opening Day, Cole Ragans pitched five innings and surrendered just one run on five hits, striking out an oustanding 10 Brewers batters, walking just two, at American Family Field.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The lone run surrendered by Ragans came in the first inning to the second batter.&nbsp; After striking out&nbsp;Brice Turang, Ragans hung a changup down the middle to&nbsp;Jackson Chourio which was promptly put into the left field stands to give the early lead to Milwaukee.&nbsp;

Kansas City answered in the bottom half of the inning.&nbsp; Michael Massey hit a ground rule double after Salvador Perez flew out to open the inning.&nbsp; And after Hunter Renfroe struck out swinging, Cavan Biggio drove in Massey on an RBI single, tying the game at 1-1, where it would stay until the 10th inning.&nbsp;

The Royals struggled to figure out Brewers starter Freddy Peralta, who after holding the hot hitting Yankees to two runs on four hits in his Opening Day start over five innings, shut down the Royals bats over eight innings, striking out eight and allowing just two hits through his start.&nbsp;

Kansas City took the lead in the top half of the 10th inning, a single from Massey driving in Tyler Tolbert, who pinch ran for Vinnie Pasquantino who started the inning at second base.&nbsp; But Milwaukee tied the game back up in the bottom half immediatly as&nbsp;Chourio doubled to score&nbsp;Turang.&nbsp; After back to back intentional walks, reliever&nbsp;Carlos Estévez was able to escape a bases loaded jam to force the 11th inning.&nbsp;

Kansas City would not score in the top half, getting a runner to third base before Jonathan India struck out to end the chance.&nbsp; In the bottom half, with a runner on third, Turang bunted for a single, back to pitcher Sam Long who tried to throw to first base, scoring&nbsp;Oliver Dunn for the walk off win.&nbsp;

Massey led the way hitting for the Royals going 2-4 with one run batted in.&nbsp; India and Biggio had the only other hits for Kansas City, who for a second game in a row managed just four hits total.&nbsp;

The Royals return home to the comforts of Kauffman Stadium next to take on the Baltimore Orioles starting Friday.&nbsp; Seth Lugo will start for the Royals, no starter has been announced for Baltimore.

First pitch Friday will be at 6:40pm, with pregame at 6 on KFEQ (680 AM/95.3 FM).

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

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostFor a second straight game the Kansas City Royals got a strong performance by their starting pitcher, but were unable to provide run support, falling 3-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers in 11 innings Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;In his first start since Opening Day, Cole Ragans pitched five innings and surrendered just one run on five hits, striking out an oustanding 10 Brewers batters, walking just two, at American Family Field.&nbsp;&nbsp;The lone run surrendered by Ragans came in the first inning to the second batter.&nbsp; After striking out&nbsp;Brice Turang, Ragans hung a changup down the middle to&nbsp;Jackson Chourio which was promptly put into the left field stands to give the early lead to Milwaukee.&nbsp;Kansas City answered in the bottom half of the inning.&nbsp; Michael Massey hit a ground rule double after Salvador Perez flew out to open the inning.&nbsp; And after Hunter Renfroe struck out swinging, Cavan Biggio drove in Massey on an RBI single, tying the game at 1-1, where it would stay until the 10th inning.&nbsp;The Royals struggled to figure out Brewers starter Freddy Peralta, who after holding the hot hitting Yankees to two runs on four hits in his Opening Day start over five innings, shut down the Royals bats over eight innings, striking out eight and allowing just two hits through his start.&nbsp;Kansas City took the lead in the top half of the 10th inning, a single from Massey driving in Tyler Tolbert, who pinch ran for Vinnie Pasquantino who started the inning at second base.&nbsp; But Milwaukee tied the game back up in the bottom half immediatly as&nbsp;Chourio doubled to score&nbsp;Turang.&nbsp; After back to back intentional walks, reliever&nbsp;Carlos Estévez was able to escape a bases loaded jam to force the 11th inning.&nbsp;Kansas City would not score in the top half, getting a runner to third base before Jonathan India struck out to end the chance.&nbsp; In the bottom half, with a runner on third, Turang bunted for a single, back to pitcher Sam Long who tried to throw to first base, scoring&nbsp;Oliver Dunn for the walk off win.&nbsp;Massey led the way hitting for the Royals going 2-4 with one run batted in.&nbsp; India and Biggio had the only other hits for Kansas City, who for a second game in a row managed just four hits total.&nbsp;The Royals return home to the comforts of Kauffman Stadium next to take on the Baltimore Orioles starting Friday.&nbsp; Seth Lugo will start for the Royals, no starter has been announced for Baltimore.First pitch Friday will be at 6:40pm, with pregame at 6 on KFEQ (680 AM/95.3 FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Despite Ragans strong start, Royals fall in extras to Brewers 3-2

Iván Herrera's first career multihomer game helped power the St. Louis Cardinals to a 12-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium, avoiding a series sweep.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After Mike Trout opened the scoring for Los Angeles in the first inning with a solo home run, the Angels held a 1-0 lead until the fourth inning, when Herrera hit his first home run of the game, a solo shot 395 feet to left field to knot the game at one a piece.&nbsp;

St. Louis took their first lead of the game in the sixth inning on Herrera's second blast of the game again to left field, this one traveling even farther going 414 feet, and driving in Nolan Arenado for the Cardinals to take a 3-1 lead.&nbsp;

The Angels took the lead back in the seventh on one hit, a grand slam by&nbsp;Logan O'Hoppe that brought in Jorge Soler,&nbsp;Yoán Moncada, and Nolan Schanuel.&nbsp; But St. Louis tied the game back up in the bottom half, on an RBI double from&nbsp;Willson Contreras scoring Lars Nootbaar and Masyn Winn.&nbsp;&nbsp;

St. Louis's offense exploded for the final seven runs of the game in the eighth inning.&nbsp; The first two coming on bases loaded walks to&nbsp;Contreras and Alec Burleson.&nbsp; An Arenado single drove in Winn and Contreras, before Herrera's third home run brought in the final runs, scoring Burleson and Arenado.&nbsp; The three homer game made Herrera the first Cardinals catcher in history to hit three home runs in a single game.&nbsp;

JoJo Romero earned the win in relief for St. Louis, pitching 1.1 innings and striking out one.&nbsp; Sonny Gray, the starting pitcher, pitched six innings in a no decision giving up five hits and five runs, all earned, while striking out nine.&nbsp;

Herrera led the way hitting for the Cardinals going 3-4 with three home runs, driving in six runs.&nbsp; Nootbaar (2-5), Arenado (2-3, 2 RBI), and Winn (2-4) also helped.&nbsp;

The Cardinals are now 4-2 on the young season.&nbsp; They hit the road for the first time next, traveling to Boston to meet the Red Sox.&nbsp;&nbsp;Erick Fedde will start for St. Louis against&nbsp;Walker Buehler for the Red Sox.&nbsp;

Coverage will begin on KY 102 (102.5 FM) at 1pm with first pitch at 1:10 on Friday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743624646768.jpeg" alt="Cardinals catcher Iván Herrera celebrates in the dugout after one of his three home runs, his first career multi home run game, as the Cardinals beat the Angels 12-5 Wednesday afternoon/ Photo courtey of the St. Louis Cardinals on X" />
 <figcaption>Cardinals catcher Iván Herrera celebrates in the dugout after one of his three home runs, his first career multi home run game, as the Cardinals beat the Angels 12-5 Wednesday afternoon/ Photo courtey of the St. Louis Cardinals on X</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostIván Herrera's first career multihomer game helped power the St. Louis Cardinals to a 12-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium, avoiding a series sweep.&nbsp;&nbsp;After Mike Trout opened the scoring for Los Angeles in the first inning with a solo home run, the Angels held a 1-0 lead until the fourth inning, when Herrera hit his first home run of the game, a solo shot 395 feet to left field to knot the game at one a piece.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Iván Herrera homers to left to tie it! 💥 <a href="https://t.co/mo373zggb6">pic.twitter.com/mo373zggb6</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1907498487442284688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>St. Louis took their first lead of the game in the sixth inning on Herrera's second blast of the game again to left field, this one traveling even farther going 414 feet, and driving in Nolan Arenado for the Cardinals to take a 3-1 lead.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">HERRERA HOMER X2!!! <a href="https://t.co/zZ4q9U9lRH">pic.twitter.com/zZ4q9U9lRH</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1907506683800113654?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Angels took the lead back in the seventh on one hit, a grand slam by&nbsp;Logan O'Hoppe that brought in Jorge Soler,&nbsp;Yoán Moncada, and Nolan Schanuel.&nbsp; But St. Louis tied the game back up in the bottom half, on an RBI double from&nbsp;Willson Contreras scoring Lars Nootbaar and Masyn Winn.&nbsp;&nbsp;St. Louis's offense exploded for the final seven runs of the game in the eighth inning.&nbsp; The first two coming on bases loaded walks to&nbsp;Contreras and Alec Burleson.&nbsp; An Arenado single drove in Winn and Contreras, before Herrera's third home run brought in the final runs, scoring Burleson and Arenado.&nbsp; The three homer game made Herrera the first Cardinals catcher in history to hit three home runs in a single game.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Iván Herrera becomes the first catcher in Cardinals history with three home runs in one game! 💣 <a href="https://t.co/pJ7SJ1wpWw">pic.twitter.com/pJ7SJ1wpWw</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1907523617497510154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>JoJo Romero earned the win in relief for St. Louis, pitching 1.1 innings and striking out one.&nbsp; Sonny Gray, the starting pitcher, pitched six innings in a no decision giving up five hits and five runs, all earned, while striking out nine.&nbsp;Herrera led the way hitting for the Cardinals going 3-4 with three home runs, driving in six runs.&nbsp; Nootbaar (2-5), Arenado (2-3, 2 RBI), and Winn (2-4) also helped.&nbsp;The Cardinals are now 4-2 on the young season.&nbsp; They hit the road for the first time next, traveling to Boston to meet the Red Sox.&nbsp;&nbsp;Erick Fedde will start for St. Louis against&nbsp;Walker Buehler for the Red Sox.&nbsp;Coverage will begin on KY 102 (102.5 FM) at 1pm with first pitch at 1:10 on Friday.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Herrera's three homer day powers Cards to 12-5 win over Angels 

The head coaches of the Benton boys and girls basketball teams look back on a special season for the high school.  

Boys coach Jared Boone says it felt special to get the boys to their first championship since 1941.  

But he says what also felt more special, was getting to share the moment with the girls basketball team, and their coach Chris Michaels 

"You know, for the past four years I've sat and watched this guy to my right (Michaels) do it time and time again, and I'm like man it'd just be fun to get there, I'm trying to be on that court down there with him, not be watching him from the stands," Boone tells KFEQ News. 

Michaels says it was special to share the moment with Boone and the boys, and says the two shared a moment following the semifinal wins  

"You can call it a blackout moment if you want to, I have no idea what we said to each other, I have no idea what we screamed at each other," Michaels says.  "All I know is, boy if someone would have been down there to catch me jump from the stands, I would have jumped out of the stands to go give him a hug." 

Since the second-place finish for both teams at state, the teams have been recognized by the St. Joseph School Board, and most recently the City of St. Joseph.  

Michaels says what hasn't quite fully sunk in just yet is a promise he made to his two graduating seniors as freshman that they would hold up a state title 

"It was a promise not a hope, and I didn't get done with that, that didn't happen for my seniors, so there's two girls that I broke a promise to and the crazy thing is I think they feel the same," Michaels explains.  "I think that they felt like they promised us state championships, and the good thing that I can tell them is they did not let us down at all, they did everything that we asked them to do, and I'd tell them that we didn't let them down either." 

Michaels says he's told people that while he's tired of crying after state championships, he's grateful to be able to. 

Both coaches were also able to take in the moment of being at state, with the southside of St. Joseph taking over Columbia 

Boone says normally before games, he is off in a corner mentally locking himself in, but says this time he really took everything in and looked around 

"Looking up in the stands and seeing the majority of our section covered in Benton red, and even some of the upper sections, it was pretty cool," Boone says.  "I told myself when this happened, I wanted to take everything in, because this is something that doesn't happen all the time, and so I just wanted to not overlook that and have the memories stored in my brain of what it was actually like down there." 

Boone says it meant a lot to be able to do what his team was able to do this year. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743610740345.jpeg" alt="Benton basketball coaches Chris Michaels (left) and Jared Boone (right) joinied the KFEQMunnity show to reflect on the boys and girls basketball trips to the Class 4 state championship games/ Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Benton basketball coaches Chris Michaels (left) and Jared Boone (right) joinied the KFEQMunnity show to reflect on the boys and girls basketball trips to the Class 4 state championship games/ Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post The head coaches of the Benton boys and girls basketball teams look back on a special season for the high school. Boys coach Jared Boone says it felt special to get the boys to their first championship since 1941. But he says what also felt more special, was getting to share the moment with the girls basketball team, and their coach Chris Michaels "You know, for the past four years I've sat and watched this guy to my right (Michaels) do it time and time again, and I'm like man it'd just be fun to get there, I'm trying to be on that court down there with him, not be watching him from the stands," Boone tells KFEQ News. Michaels says it was special to share the moment with Boone and the boys, and says the two shared a moment following the semifinal wins "You can call it a blackout moment if you want to, I have no idea what we said to each other, I have no idea what we screamed at each other," Michaels says. "All I know is, boy if someone would have been down there to catch me jump from the stands, I would have jumped out of the stands to go give him a hug." Since the second-place finish for both teams at state, the teams have been recognized by the St. Joseph School Board, and most recently the City of St. Joseph. Michaels says what hasn't quite fully sunk in just yet is a promise he made to his two graduating seniors as freshman that they would hold up a state title "It was a promise not a hope, and I didn't get done with that, that didn't happen for my seniors, so there's two girls that I broke a promise to and the crazy thing is I think they feel the same," Michaels explains. "I think that they felt like they promised us state championships, and the good thing that I can tell them is they did not let us down at all, they did everything that we asked them to do, and I'd tell them that we didn't let them down either." Michaels says he's told people that while he's tired of crying after state championships, he's grateful to be able to. Both coaches were also able to take in the moment of being at state, with the southside of St. Joseph taking over Columbia Boone says normally before games, he is off in a corner mentally locking himself in, but says this time he really took everything in and looked around "Looking up in the stands and seeing the majority of our section covered in Benton red, and even some of the upper sections, it was pretty cool," Boone says. "I told myself when this happened, I wanted to take everything in, because this is something that doesn't happen all the time, and so I just wanted to not overlook that and have the memories stored in my brain of what it was actually like down there." Boone says it meant a lot to be able to do what his team was able to do this year. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743610816392.jpeg" alt="Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Benton basketball coaches prideful of teams run to championship games

The St. Louis Cardinals dropped a second game in a row in extra innings, falling to the Los Angeles Angels 9-7 in 11 innings at Busch Stadium on Tuesday night

After the Cardinals took the lead in the bottom of the second inning, and RBI single by Jordan Walker scoring Nolan Gorman, the Angels put up a three spot in the third inning to take lead away.&nbsp; A double by Luis Rengifo scored Tim Anderson to tie the game.&nbsp; Later in the inning a Mike Trout double drove in Taylor Ward And Rengifo to give the Angels a 3-1 lead.&nbsp;

Walker homered in the fourth inning for St. Louis to cut the lead for Los Angeles to one, a lead that was held until the eighth inning, when the Cardinals benefited from an Angels fielding error, Nolan Arenado reaching first on a throwing error by Nolan Schanuel that allowed Lars Nootbaar to score.&nbsp; The game remained tied, and for a second straight day, went into extra innings.&nbsp;

Los Angeles took the lead back in the top half of the tenth inning, putting up another three run inning.&nbsp; Schanuel drove in Kyren Paris and Yoan Moncada with a triple.&nbsp; Schanuel came around to score on a single by Jo Adell.&nbsp; Unlike Monday though, the Cardinals put together a rally to tie the game back up.&nbsp; A two RBI double by Luken Baker scored Victor Scott II and Masyn Winn.&nbsp; Pinch runner Michael Siani came around later to score on a single by Arenado.&nbsp;

The St. Louis bullpen surrendered three more runs in the 11th inning.&nbsp; Paris singled to score Anderson.&nbsp; In the very next at bat, Moncada doubled, driving in Trout and Paris.&nbsp; In the bottom half, the Cardinals managed just an RBI single by Scott II that scored&nbsp;Iván Herrera.

Chris Roycroft took the loss in relief for St. Louis, giving up three runs, two earned in one inning, surrendering two hits and walking one.&nbsp; In his first start of the season,&nbsp;Matthew Liberatore pitched six innings, giving up three runs on six hits and striking out four.&nbsp;

Nootbaar (2-6) and Walker (2-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI) led the way hitting for the Cardinals in the loss.&nbsp;

St. Louis and Los Angeles wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Sonny Gray will start for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Yusei Kikuchi for the Angels as the Redbirds look to avoid a sweep.&nbsp; KY 102 (102.5 FM) will begin coverage at 12:05 with first pitch at 12:15.&nbsp;

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe St. Louis Cardinals dropped a second game in a row in extra innings, falling to the Los Angeles Angels 9-7 in 11 innings at Busch Stadium on Tuesday nightAfter the Cardinals took the lead in the bottom of the second inning, and RBI single by Jordan Walker scoring Nolan Gorman, the Angels put up a three spot in the third inning to take lead away.&nbsp; A double by Luis Rengifo scored Tim Anderson to tie the game.&nbsp; Later in the inning a Mike Trout double drove in Taylor Ward And Rengifo to give the Angels a 3-1 lead.&nbsp;Walker homered in the fourth inning for St. Louis to cut the lead for Los Angeles to one, a lead that was held until the eighth inning, when the Cardinals benefited from an Angels fielding error, Nolan Arenado reaching first on a throwing error by Nolan Schanuel that allowed Lars Nootbaar to score.&nbsp; The game remained tied, and for a second straight day, went into extra innings.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">JORDAN WALKER! 🚀 419 FEET TO THE BATTER&#39;S EYE! <a href="https://t.co/A3jOsAFWzU">pic.twitter.com/A3jOsAFWzU</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1907233191087243426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Los Angeles took the lead back in the top half of the tenth inning, putting up another three run inning.&nbsp; Schanuel drove in Kyren Paris and Yoan Moncada with a triple.&nbsp; Schanuel came around to score on a single by Jo Adell.&nbsp; Unlike Monday though, the Cardinals put together a rally to tie the game back up.&nbsp; A two RBI double by Luken Baker scored Victor Scott II and Masyn Winn.&nbsp; Pinch runner Michael Siani came around later to score on a single by Arenado.&nbsp;The St. Louis bullpen surrendered three more runs in the 11th inning.&nbsp; Paris singled to score Anderson.&nbsp; In the very next at bat, Moncada doubled, driving in Trout and Paris.&nbsp; In the bottom half, the Cardinals managed just an RBI single by Scott II that scored&nbsp;Iván Herrera.Chris Roycroft took the loss in relief for St. Louis, giving up three runs, two earned in one inning, surrendering two hits and walking one.&nbsp; In his first start of the season,&nbsp;Matthew Liberatore pitched six innings, giving up three runs on six hits and striking out four.&nbsp;Nootbaar (2-6) and Walker (2-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI) led the way hitting for the Cardinals in the loss.&nbsp;St. Louis and Los Angeles wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Sonny Gray will start for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Yusei Kikuchi for the Angels as the Redbirds look to avoid a sweep.&nbsp; KY 102 (102.5 FM) will begin coverage at 12:05 with first pitch at 12:15.&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Cardinals fall in extras again to Angels, lose 9-7 in 11 innings

The Kansas City Royals seemingly used up their offense on Monday, and were held off the board in the middle game of the three game series with the Milwaukee Brewers, getting shut out 5-0 on Tuesday afternoon.&nbsp;

Brewers catcher Eric Haase hit his first home run of the season in the third inning for the first run.&nbsp; Later in the inning, Christian Yelich grounded into a force out scoring&nbsp;Brice Turang.&nbsp; Milwaukee added two more runs in the sixth inning, a single from Rhys Hoskins scoring Yelich, and a ground out by Vinny Capra driving in&nbsp;William Contreras.&nbsp; The Brewers final run of the game in the eighth came on a solo home run from Yelich to right center field.&nbsp;

The Royals managed just four hits in the loss, with one hit each coming from Jonathan India, Bobby Witt Jr, Mark Canha, and Maikel Garcia.&nbsp; Starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen, who took the loss, pitched 5.1 innings, giving up five hits and four runs, three earned, while striking out seven and walking three.&nbsp;

The Royals and Brewers will wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Cole Ragans makes his first start since Opening Day for Kansas City as does Freddy Peralta for Milwaukee.&nbsp; KFEQ (680 AM/95.3 FM) will join first pitch at 12:10pm.

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe Kansas City Royals seemingly used up their offense on Monday, and were held off the board in the middle game of the three game series with the Milwaukee Brewers, getting shut out 5-0 on Tuesday afternoon.&nbsp;Brewers catcher Eric Haase hit his first home run of the season in the third inning for the first run.&nbsp; Later in the inning, Christian Yelich grounded into a force out scoring&nbsp;Brice Turang.&nbsp; Milwaukee added two more runs in the sixth inning, a single from Rhys Hoskins scoring Yelich, and a ground out by Vinny Capra driving in&nbsp;William Contreras.&nbsp; The Brewers final run of the game in the eighth came on a solo home run from Yelich to right center field.&nbsp;The Royals managed just four hits in the loss, with one hit each coming from Jonathan India, Bobby Witt Jr, Mark Canha, and Maikel Garcia.&nbsp; Starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen, who took the loss, pitched 5.1 innings, giving up five hits and four runs, three earned, while striking out seven and walking three.&nbsp;The Royals and Brewers will wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Cole Ragans makes his first start since Opening Day for Kansas City as does Freddy Peralta for Milwaukee.&nbsp; KFEQ (680 AM/95.3 FM) will join first pitch at 12:10pm.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Royals bats shut down by Brewers pitching falling 5-0

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe src="https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/kfeq-news/embed/episodes/KFEQ-Morning-Sports-412025-e30vbv4/a-abs5a0t" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>

The St. Louis Cardinals battled back and forth with the Los Angeles Angels, but fell in extra innings, losing 5-4 in 10 innings on Monday night at Busch Stadium.&nbsp;

The Cardinals did hold the lead for most of the game, with solo home runs by Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan, the first home run off a left handed pitcher in his career, in the first and second innings respectively.&nbsp; The Angels narrowed the gap in the third inning, a sacrifice fly by Taylor Ward scoring&nbsp;Kyren Paris, but St. Louis extended the lead again in the fifth with an RBI single from Nolan Arenado driving in Nootbaar, putting the Redbirds up 3-1 through five innings.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Over the next two innings though, the Angels tied the game up, first getting a sacrifice fly by Mike Trout that scored Ward in the sixth.&nbsp; In the seventh, a triple by Paris drove in Luis Rengifo, making it a brand new ballgame.&nbsp;

Los Angeles would not strike again though until the top of the tenth inning, getting the two runs they needed against Cardindals reliever Jo Jo Romero.&nbsp; Rengifo began the inning as the ghost runner at second, and Romero walked Paris.&nbsp; After a sacrifice bunt by Kevin Newman advanced both runners and Romero intentionally walked Ward, Nolan Schanuel reached first on a fielders choice scoring Rengifo, but no out was recorded.&nbsp; 

With one out, Trout flew out and hit a sacrifice fly into a double play, but still drove in a run, Schanuel getting thrown out at second and Paris scoring, pushing the lead to 5-3.&nbsp; St. Louis could manage just one run in the bottom half, a sacrfice fly by Victor Scott II scoring&nbsp;Pedro Pagés.

Romero took the loss in relief, pitching one inning and giving up two runs, just one earned, walking two but giving up no hits.&nbsp; Miles Mikolas in his season debut starting pitched 5.1 innings giving up two hits and two runs, striking out three batters and walking two.&nbsp;

Nootbaar (2-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI), Luken Baker (2-4), Jordan Walker (2-4), and Scott II (2-3, 1 RBI) led the way hitting for the Cardinals in the loss.&nbsp;

St. Louis and Los Angeles will be back in action tomorrow.&nbsp;&nbsp;Matthew Liberatore will start for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Kyle Hendricks for the Angels.&nbsp; First pitch will be at 6:45pm with pregame at 5:50 on KY 102 (102.5FM).

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe St. Louis Cardinals battled back and forth with the Los Angeles Angels, but fell in extra innings, losing 5-4 in 10 innings on Monday night at Busch Stadium.&nbsp;The Cardinals did hold the lead for most of the game, with solo home runs by Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan, the first home run off a left handed pitcher in his career, in the first and second innings respectively.&nbsp; The Angels narrowed the gap in the third inning, a sacrifice fly by Taylor Ward scoring&nbsp;Kyren Paris, but St. Louis extended the lead again in the fifth with an RBI single from Nolan Arenado driving in Nootbaar, putting the Redbirds up 3-1 through five innings.&nbsp;&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">After Further Review: NOOOOOOOOT! <a href="https://t.co/zxD0auIcWa">pic.twitter.com/zxD0auIcWa</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1906859085175148926?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Donnie dunks one into the bullpen! <a href="https://t.co/tyFZMLpvfU">pic.twitter.com/tyFZMLpvfU</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1906862627633934690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Over the next two innings though, the Angels tied the game up, first getting a sacrifice fly by Mike Trout that scored Ward in the sixth.&nbsp; In the seventh, a triple by Paris drove in Luis Rengifo, making it a brand new ballgame.&nbsp;Los Angeles would not strike again though until the top of the tenth inning, getting the two runs they needed against Cardindals reliever Jo Jo Romero.&nbsp; Rengifo began the inning as the ghost runner at second, and Romero walked Paris.&nbsp; After a sacrifice bunt by Kevin Newman advanced both runners and Romero intentionally walked Ward, Nolan Schanuel reached first on a fielders choice scoring Rengifo, but no out was recorded.&nbsp; With one out, Trout flew out and hit a sacrifice fly into a double play, but still drove in a run, Schanuel getting thrown out at second and Paris scoring, pushing the lead to 5-3.&nbsp; St. Louis could manage just one run in the bottom half, a sacrfice fly by Victor Scott II scoring&nbsp;Pedro Pagés.Romero took the loss in relief, pitching one inning and giving up two runs, just one earned, walking two but giving up no hits.&nbsp; Miles Mikolas in his season debut starting pitched 5.1 innings giving up two hits and two runs, striking out three batters and walking two.&nbsp;Nootbaar (2-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI), Luken Baker (2-4), Jordan Walker (2-4), and Scott II (2-3, 1 RBI) led the way hitting for the Cardinals in the loss.&nbsp;St. Louis and Los Angeles will be back in action tomorrow.&nbsp;&nbsp;Matthew Liberatore will start for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Kyle Hendricks for the Angels.&nbsp; First pitch will be at 6:45pm with pregame at 5:50 on KY 102 (102.5FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;