The Kansas City Royals offense again struggled to produce hits, and even get on base mustering just five total baserunners, falling to the Seattle Mariners in their series opener on Monday night 6-2 at T-Mobile Park, ending June with a record of 8-18 on the month.&nbsp;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mustangs matchup with Nevada postponed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The matchup between the two teams sitting at the top of the MINK league standings will have to wait to finish until the next time they meet, as inclement weather suspended the matchup between the St. Joseph Mustangs and Clarinda A's at Phil Welch Stadium on Thursday night.&nbsp;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cards split series with Cubs falling 3-0 in series finale

The Kansas City Royals were unable to score a run for a second straight game, getting shutout by the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 as their losing streak moved to five games, and their losing streak at Kauffman Stadium moved to 10 games on Thursday afternoon.&nbsp;

The Royals and Rays battled back and forth through the first three innings, staying scoreless, before Tampa Bay broke through in the fourth inning.&nbsp; With two outs Jonathan Aranda doubled, and scored in the very next at bat on a triple by Jake Magnum.&nbsp; Magnum came home on a single by Josh Lowe to give the Rays a 2-0 lead.&nbsp;

Tampa Bay eventually extended their lead in the sixth inning with back to back home runs.&nbsp; Brandon Lowe led off the inning with a home run to center field, his 16th of the season, and was followed by&nbsp;Junior Caminero hitting his 20th of the season to left field, for the only runs the Rays needed.&nbsp;

The Royals managed just five hits in the game, at one point having 18 straight batters retired by Rays starter Shane Baz.&nbsp; Baz did also walk one in the game, walking Freddy Fermin in the eighth inning.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Michael Lorenzen took the loss, falling to 4-8 on the season, pitching 5 2/3 innings and giving up all four runs on eight hits, striking out four.&nbsp; At the plate, Jonathan India and Vinnie Pasquantino were both 2-for-4.&nbsp; Maikel Garcia had the only other Royals hit.&nbsp;

Kansas City stays at home next and welcomes in the Los Angeles Dodgers.&nbsp; Noah Cameron (2-3. 2.08 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against Dustin May (4-5, 4.46 ERA) for the Dodgers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7:10pm, pregame at 6:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

By MATT PIKEThe Kansas City Royals were unable to score a run for a second straight game, getting shutout by the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 as their losing streak moved to five games, and their losing streak at Kauffman Stadium moved to 10 games on Thursday afternoon.&nbsp;The Royals and Rays battled back and forth through the first three innings, staying scoreless, before Tampa Bay broke through in the fourth inning.&nbsp; With two outs Jonathan Aranda doubled, and scored in the very next at bat on a triple by Jake Magnum.&nbsp; Magnum came home on a single by Josh Lowe to give the Rays a 2-0 lead.&nbsp;Tampa Bay eventually extended their lead in the sixth inning with back to back home runs.&nbsp; Brandon Lowe led off the inning with a home run to center field, his 16th of the season, and was followed by&nbsp;Junior Caminero hitting his 20th of the season to left field, for the only runs the Rays needed.&nbsp;The Royals managed just five hits in the game, at one point having 18 straight batters retired by Rays starter Shane Baz.&nbsp; Baz did also walk one in the game, walking Freddy Fermin in the eighth inning.&nbsp;&nbsp;Michael Lorenzen took the loss, falling to 4-8 on the season, pitching 5 2/3 innings and giving up all four runs on eight hits, striking out four.&nbsp; At the plate, Jonathan India and Vinnie Pasquantino were both 2-for-4.&nbsp; Maikel Garcia had the only other Royals hit.&nbsp;Kansas City stays at home next and welcomes in the Los Angeles Dodgers.&nbsp; Noah Cameron (2-3. 2.08 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against Dustin May (4-5, 4.46 ERA) for the Dodgers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7:10pm, pregame at 6:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Royals losing streak at 'The K' slides to ten with another shutout loss

The Chicago Cubs slowed down the St. Louis Cardinals offense, keeping them off the board completely, and giving up just four hits, in an 8-0 shutout at Busch Stadium on Wednesday night.&nbsp;

It was the Cubs benefitting from the home runs on Wednesday off Cardinals starter Erick Fedde, Ian Happ leading off the game with a solo home run in the first.&nbsp; In the second inning, Michael Busch drove in Dansby Swanson with an RBI single and later scored himself on a two run home run by Reese McGuire, pushing the Cubs lead to 4-0.&nbsp;

In the third inning, Chicago continued extending their lead with another solo home run by Kyle Tucker leading off the inning.&nbsp; In the fourth, Happ drove in two more runs on a single, bringing home Busch and Matt Shaw.&nbsp; Then in the fifth inning, a groundout by Shaw allowed Swanson to come home to score the final run.&nbsp;

The Cardinals got a double from Yohel Pozo and a single from Masyn Winn in the third inning also getting a single from Nolan Gorman in the fifth inning as three hits off Cubs starter Matthew Boyd.&nbsp;&nbsp;José Fermín singled off Porter Hodge in the ninth inning for the only other hit off a Cubs pitcher.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Fedde took the loss, falling to 3-7 on the year, pitching 3 2/3 innings and giving up seven runs on eight hits while striking out two and walking two.&nbsp; At the plate, each with a hit was 1-for-3 with Pozo being the only batter with an extra base hit.&nbsp;&nbsp;Fermín was 1-for-1 entering as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning.&nbsp;

St. Louis and Chicago wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Andre Pallante (5-3, 4.48 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Shota Imanaga (3-2, 2.82 ERA) for the Cubs.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:15pm, coverage will join near the start at 1:05 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe Chicago Cubs slowed down the St. Louis Cardinals offense, keeping them off the board completely, and giving up just four hits, in an 8-0 shutout at Busch Stadium on Wednesday night.&nbsp;It was the Cubs benefitting from the home runs on Wednesday off Cardinals starter Erick Fedde, Ian Happ leading off the game with a solo home run in the first.&nbsp; In the second inning, Michael Busch drove in Dansby Swanson with an RBI single and later scored himself on a two run home run by Reese McGuire, pushing the Cubs lead to 4-0.&nbsp;In the third inning, Chicago continued extending their lead with another solo home run by Kyle Tucker leading off the inning.&nbsp; In the fourth, Happ drove in two more runs on a single, bringing home Busch and Matt Shaw.&nbsp; Then in the fifth inning, a groundout by Shaw allowed Swanson to come home to score the final run.&nbsp;The Cardinals got a double from Yohel Pozo and a single from Masyn Winn in the third inning also getting a single from Nolan Gorman in the fifth inning as three hits off Cubs starter Matthew Boyd.&nbsp;&nbsp;José Fermín singled off Porter Hodge in the ninth inning for the only other hit off a Cubs pitcher.&nbsp;&nbsp;Fedde took the loss, falling to 3-7 on the year, pitching 3 2/3 innings and giving up seven runs on eight hits while striking out two and walking two.&nbsp; At the plate, each with a hit was 1-for-3 with Pozo being the only batter with an extra base hit.&nbsp;&nbsp;Fermín was 1-for-1 entering as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning.&nbsp;St. Louis and Chicago wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Andre Pallante (5-3, 4.48 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Shota Imanaga (3-2, 2.82 ERA) for the Cubs.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:15pm, coverage will join near the start at 1:05 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Cubs slow down Cardinals in 8-0 shutout win

The Kansas Royals losing streak on their home turf continued, falling in shutout fashion to the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0 and managing just a total of three hits on the night in all on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp;

After getting through the first inning cleanly, the Rays got to Royals starter Michael Wacha in the second inning for all three runs.&nbsp; The first scoring on a bunt single by&nbsp;José Caballero with runners on the corners, scoring Christopher Morel.&nbsp; A single by Chandler Simpson loaded the bases, and another run scored on a wild pitch by Wacha, bringing home Josh Lowe, before Caballero scored on a sacrifice fly by Danny Jansen.&nbsp;

Maikel Garcia singled off Rays starter Drew Rasmussen in the first inning and Vinnie Pasquantino singled in the fourth inning for the only two hits allowed by Rasmussen.&nbsp; Bobby Witt Jr's double off reliever&nbsp;Kevin Kelly in the sixth was the only other hit by the the Royals.&nbsp; Kansas City did get on base three times via walk.&nbsp;

Wacha took the loss, falling to 4-7 on the season, pitching six innings and giving up three runs on nine hits while also striking out nine batters and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, each with a hit was 1-for-4 on the day, with Witt Jr having the only extra base hit.&nbsp;

Kansas City wraps up their series with Tampa Bay today.&nbsp; Michael Lorenzen (4-7, 4.81 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against Shane Baz (7-3, 4.79 ERA) for the Rays.&nbsp; First pitch will be joined at 1:10 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe Kansas Royals losing streak on their home turf continued, falling in shutout fashion to the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0 and managing just a total of three hits on the night in all on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp;After getting through the first inning cleanly, the Rays got to Royals starter Michael Wacha in the second inning for all three runs.&nbsp; The first scoring on a bunt single by&nbsp;José Caballero with runners on the corners, scoring Christopher Morel.&nbsp; A single by Chandler Simpson loaded the bases, and another run scored on a wild pitch by Wacha, bringing home Josh Lowe, before Caballero scored on a sacrifice fly by Danny Jansen.&nbsp;Maikel Garcia singled off Rays starter Drew Rasmussen in the first inning and Vinnie Pasquantino singled in the fourth inning for the only two hits allowed by Rasmussen.&nbsp; Bobby Witt Jr's double off reliever&nbsp;Kevin Kelly in the sixth was the only other hit by the the Royals.&nbsp; Kansas City did get on base three times via walk.&nbsp;Wacha took the loss, falling to 4-7 on the season, pitching six innings and giving up three runs on nine hits while also striking out nine batters and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, each with a hit was 1-for-4 on the day, with Witt Jr having the only extra base hit.&nbsp;Kansas City wraps up their series with Tampa Bay today.&nbsp; Michael Lorenzen (4-7, 4.81 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against Shane Baz (7-3, 4.79 ERA) for the Rays.&nbsp; First pitch will be joined at 1:10 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Royals shutout against Rays 3-0 for ninth straight loss at The K

The Kansas City Chiefs announced that training camp will be back on the campus of Missouri Western State University for a 15th year this summer.  

Missouri Western Athletic Director Andy Carter says the relationship with the Chiefs has been great, but the existing agreement ended after last year's camp, and things have changed quite a bit since camp first came to the college 

"They were great to work with, they were really good, really attentive, and it just kind of picked up a little steam as we started looking at things a little differently, both sides," Carter tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.  "And I think this is a natural progression of what the future looks like, and I'm excited about it." 

Carter says since the camp announcement, he's heard a lot of excitement about the Chiefs coming back for another year.  

A failed capital improvement plan did cause some doubts about camp at Missouri Western.  

House Bill 19, which the House Budget Committee chair did not even bring to a vote, contained $2.8 million that Carter says would have helped to offset the cost of training camp 

Carter says it would have helped Missouri Western meet the needs of the Chiefs during Training Camp, without sacrificing the colleges mission of educating young people 

"It gave everybody a little bit of a pause, but we quickly got right back in and dug through and figured out some ways that we could make this happen, and I feel good about where we are," Carter explains.  "And we have the ability to continue to have dialogue with them about what the future looks like and I think it looks really good." 

The Chiefs and Missouri Western agreed on a multi-year extension to keep training camp in St. Joseph, starting with the camp this summer.  

Carter says it's especially exciting for him to have the Chiefs in town because it feels like the kickoff to the fall sports season on campus 

"To me fall on a college campus, that's where it's at, the energy level, the excitement level, all of that's there," Carter says.  "And our fall sports are going to be really, really good this year and I'm excited about getting into the school year and having all that happen." 

The Chiefs hold their first practice on July 22nd for season ticket members, and the first open to the general public on July 23rd.  The full team reports to St. Joseph July 20th. 

By MATT PIKE The Kansas City Chiefs announced that training camp will be back on the campus of Missouri Western State University for a 15th year this summer. Missouri Western Athletic Director Andy Carter says the relationship with the Chiefs has been great, but the existing agreement ended after last year's camp, and things have changed quite a bit since camp first came to the college "They were great to work with, they were really good, really attentive, and it just kind of picked up a little steam as we started looking at things a little differently, both sides," Carter tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "And I think this is a natural progression of what the future looks like, and I'm excited about it." Carter says since the camp announcement, he's heard a lot of excitement about the Chiefs coming back for another year. A failed capital improvement plan did cause some doubts about camp at Missouri Western. House Bill 19, which the House Budget Committee chair did not even bring to a vote, contained $2.8 million that Carter says would have helped to offset the cost of training camp Carter says it would have helped Missouri Western meet the needs of the Chiefs during Training Camp, without sacrificing the colleges mission of educating young people "It gave everybody a little bit of a pause, but we quickly got right back in and dug through and figured out some ways that we could make this happen, and I feel good about where we are," Carter explains. "And we have the ability to continue to have dialogue with them about what the future looks like and I think it looks really good." The Chiefs and Missouri Western agreed on a multi-year extension to keep training camp in St. Joseph, starting with the camp this summer. Carter says it's especially exciting for him to have the Chiefs in town because it feels like the kickoff to the fall sports season on campus "To me fall on a college campus, that's where it's at, the energy level, the excitement level, all of that's there," Carter says. "And our fall sports are going to be really, really good this year and I'm excited about getting into the school year and having all that happen." The Chiefs hold their first practice on July 22nd for season ticket members, and the first open to the general public on July 23rd. The full team reports to St. Joseph July 20th. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

MWSU AD Carter excited to see Chiefs return to campus

The St. Joseph Mustangs played a doubleheader in Chillicothe, making up a rained out game from last week, winning the first matchup 5-1 before seeing a rally in the seventh inning fall short in game two, falling 7-6.

In the first game, Chillicothe took the lead first in the opening frame of the game,&nbsp;Jarian Pickney scoring on a wild pitch&nbsp; But after a lengthy rain delay in the third inning, the Mustangs came back to take the lead in the inning, scoring four runs as play resumed.

Logan Miller tied the game up, reaching on a fielders choice and driving in Trevor McCollum.&nbsp; Darius Freeman blasted St. Joseph ahead with a three run home run, scoring Miller and Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen for the lead.&nbsp; The Mustangs scored their final run in the fifth inning, Dom Felix reaching on an error and bringing home Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith.&nbsp;

Sam Pitts earned the win, pitching four innings of relief and giving up just one hit, also striking out one.&nbsp; At the plate in the opener, Freeman was 2-for-4 with the home run and three RBI's.&nbsp; Jack Mosh was 2-for-2 with a walk.&nbsp;

In the second game, the Mustangs opened the scoring first with a double from Justin George driving in Darius Freeman unearned.&nbsp; But in the bottom half the Mudcats tied up the game as&nbsp;Jarian Pickney stole home while&nbsp;Jordi Ventura was caught stealing at second base.&nbsp;

St. Joseph scored another run in the third inning to take the lead back, Dom Felix singling to score Freeman.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning Chillicothe took the lead scoring two runs, first tying the game with Pickney coming home on a double by&nbsp;Peyton Becker.&nbsp; Becker later scored on a groundout by&nbsp;Tanner Sears.

Trailing 3-2, the Mustangs grabbed the lead behind a three run fourth inning.&nbsp; Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen's groundout allowed Lafayette alum Jayden little to come home and score the tying run, before Logan Miller reached on an error giving St. Joseph the lead as Tyler Gundelfinger scored unearned.&nbsp; A single by Freeman extended the lead driving in Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith for a 5-3 lead.&nbsp;

The Mustangs got one more run in the fifth inning, a bases loaded walk to Bodenhausen scoring George, before the Mudcats took the lead for good in the bottom half of the inning scoring four runs.&nbsp; Chillicothe first cut the lead to one with a two RBI single by Ventura, scoring Becker and Pickney, and then tied up the game when Ventura scored on a single by&nbsp;John Spoto.&nbsp; A double by&nbsp;Fradnie Fernandez drove in Spoto to extend the lead.&nbsp;

East Buchanan alum Gage Busby took the loss in relief, pitching two innings and giving up four runs on six hits, striking out three and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate in the loss, George led the way going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and an RBI. Felix was 2-for-4 with an RBI, Lafayette alum Jayden Little was also 2-for-4.

The Mustangs are now 19-3 on the season, 14-2 in the MINK League.&nbsp; The Mustangs return to Phil Welch Stadum tomorrow, taking on the St. Joe All Stars.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:30, gates open at 5:15.

By MATT PIKEThe St. Joseph Mustangs played a doubleheader in Chillicothe, making up a rained out game from last week, winning the first matchup 5-1 before seeing a rally in the seventh inning fall short in game two, falling 7-6.In the first game, Chillicothe took the lead first in the opening frame of the game,&nbsp;Jarian Pickney scoring on a wild pitch&nbsp; But after a lengthy rain delay in the third inning, the Mustangs came back to take the lead in the inning, scoring four runs as play resumed.Logan Miller tied the game up, reaching on a fielders choice and driving in Trevor McCollum.&nbsp; Darius Freeman blasted St. Joseph ahead with a three run home run, scoring Miller and Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen for the lead.&nbsp; The Mustangs scored their final run in the fifth inning, Dom Felix reaching on an error and bringing home Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith.&nbsp;Sam Pitts earned the win, pitching four innings of relief and giving up just one hit, also striking out one.&nbsp; At the plate in the opener, Freeman was 2-for-4 with the home run and three RBI's.&nbsp; Jack Mosh was 2-for-2 with a walk.&nbsp;In the second game, the Mustangs opened the scoring first with a double from Justin George driving in Darius Freeman unearned.&nbsp; But in the bottom half the Mudcats tied up the game as&nbsp;Jarian Pickney stole home while&nbsp;Jordi Ventura was caught stealing at second base.&nbsp;St. Joseph scored another run in the third inning to take the lead back, Dom Felix singling to score Freeman.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning Chillicothe took the lead scoring two runs, first tying the game with Pickney coming home on a double by&nbsp;Peyton Becker.&nbsp; Becker later scored on a groundout by&nbsp;Tanner Sears.Trailing 3-2, the Mustangs grabbed the lead behind a three run fourth inning.&nbsp; Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen's groundout allowed Lafayette alum Jayden little to come home and score the tying run, before Logan Miller reached on an error giving St. Joseph the lead as Tyler Gundelfinger scored unearned.&nbsp; A single by Freeman extended the lead driving in Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith for a 5-3 lead.&nbsp;The Mustangs got one more run in the fifth inning, a bases loaded walk to Bodenhausen scoring George, before the Mudcats took the lead for good in the bottom half of the inning scoring four runs.&nbsp; Chillicothe first cut the lead to one with a two RBI single by Ventura, scoring Becker and Pickney, and then tied up the game when Ventura scored on a single by&nbsp;John Spoto.&nbsp; A double by&nbsp;Fradnie Fernandez drove in Spoto to extend the lead.&nbsp;East Buchanan alum Gage Busby took the loss in relief, pitching two innings and giving up four runs on six hits, striking out three and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate in the loss, George led the way going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and an RBI. Felix was 2-for-4 with an RBI, Lafayette alum Jayden Little was also 2-for-4.The Mustangs are now 19-3 on the season, 14-2 in the MINK League.&nbsp; The Mustangs return to Phil Welch Stadum tomorrow, taking on the St. Joe All Stars.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:30, gates open at 5:15.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Mustangs take opener, fall short game two of double billing in Chillicothe

The St. Louis Cardinal held on to take the the second game of the series against their bitter rivals from the NL Central, beating the Chicago Cubs 8-7 at Busch Stadium on Tuesday evening, securing at least a series split.&nbsp;

The Cardinals opened the scoring again on Tuesday, again thanks to Lars Nootbaar hitting a two run home run, much like on Monday, scoring Willson Contreras for a quick 2-0 lead in the second inning, but St. Louis did not hold that for long, the Cubs striking for five runs in the very next inning.&nbsp;

With the bases loaded in the third, Kyle Tucker tied up the game for the Cubs on a two RBI single, driving in Nico Hoerner and Matt Shaw.&nbsp; Chicago blew the lead open thanks to a three run home run by Seiya Suzuki, scoring Ian Happ and Tucker.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning, St. Louis cut the lead to one on their sixth two run home run of the series, Masyn Winn driving in Brendan Donovan with the blast to left center field.&nbsp;

St. Louis continued to score on home runs in the fourth inning, tying up the game thanks to a solo home run by Nolan Gorman.&nbsp; Winn gave the Cardinals the lead in the inning, driving in the first runs of the series not on a home run, doubling to score&nbsp;Pedro Pagés and Victor Scott II.&nbsp; Winn later scored on a sacrifice fly by Alec Burleson.&nbsp;

A two run home run by Hoerner in the sixth inning drove in Dansby Swanson for the final two runs by the Cubs.&nbsp; JoJo Romero and Phil Maton set held the lead for Ryan Helsley to come on in the ninth for the Cardinals, giving up two hits and striking out one for his 15th save.&nbsp;

Steven Matz earned the win in relief for the Cardinals, improving to 4-2 on the season, giving up two runs on two hits and striking out one over 1 1/3 innings. At the plate, Gorman was 3-for-4 with the home run and one RBI.&nbsp; Winn was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run, driving in four runs.

St. Louis looks to lock up a series win as their series with Chicago continues tomorrow.&nbsp; Erick Fedde (3-6, 3.54 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Matthew Boyd (6-3, 2.84 ERA) for the Cubs.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:45pm, the game will be joined near the start at 6:35 over on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe St. Louis Cardinal held on to take the the second game of the series against their bitter rivals from the NL Central, beating the Chicago Cubs 8-7 at Busch Stadium on Tuesday evening, securing at least a series split.&nbsp;The Cardinals opened the scoring again on Tuesday, again thanks to Lars Nootbaar hitting a two run home run, much like on Monday, scoring Willson Contreras for a quick 2-0 lead in the second inning, but St. Louis did not hold that for long, the Cubs striking for five runs in the very next inning.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">[scheduled tweet] NOOOOOOOOOT!!! 💣 <a href="https://t.co/RmyAJ9uLYU">pic.twitter.com/RmyAJ9uLYU</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1937665220920459309?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>With the bases loaded in the third, Kyle Tucker tied up the game for the Cubs on a two RBI single, driving in Nico Hoerner and Matt Shaw.&nbsp; Chicago blew the lead open thanks to a three run home run by Seiya Suzuki, scoring Ian Happ and Tucker.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning, St. Louis cut the lead to one on their sixth two run home run of the series, Masyn Winn driving in Brendan Donovan with the blast to left center field.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Masyn Winn has Hit the Buds! 🍻 Reply with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/STLCards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#STLCards</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HitTheBudsSweepstakes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HitTheBudsSweepstakes</a> for your chance to win whenever a Cardinals player hits a home run into the opposing bullpen! Official rules: <a href="https://t.co/v3V0xNP2oe">https://t.co/v3V0xNP2oe</a> <a href="https://t.co/eUrRdPcYQE">pic.twitter.com/eUrRdPcYQE</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1937672052447592492?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>St. Louis continued to score on home runs in the fourth inning, tying up the game thanks to a solo home run by Nolan Gorman.&nbsp; Winn gave the Cardinals the lead in the inning, driving in the first runs of the series not on a home run, doubling to score&nbsp;Pedro Pagés and Victor Scott II.&nbsp; Winn later scored on a sacrifice fly by Alec Burleson.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🎵 Ain&#39;t nothing but a G thing, baby 🎵 <a href="https://t.co/4VIXcnXrts">pic.twitter.com/4VIXcnXrts</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1937675725407932614?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Masyn Winn comes through again! 💥 <a href="https://t.co/79yCpNEr2Z">pic.twitter.com/79yCpNEr2Z</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1937677837344952384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Heads-up baserunning from Masyn Winn! <a href="https://t.co/aajgh8Wpv7">pic.twitter.com/aajgh8Wpv7</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1937679940050153818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>A two run home run by Hoerner in the sixth inning drove in Dansby Swanson for the final two runs by the Cubs.&nbsp; JoJo Romero and Phil Maton set held the lead for Ryan Helsley to come on in the ninth for the Cardinals, giving up two hits and striking out one for his 15th save.&nbsp;Steven Matz earned the win in relief for the Cardinals, improving to 4-2 on the season, giving up two runs on two hits and striking out one over 1 1/3 innings. At the plate, Gorman was 3-for-4 with the home run and one RBI.&nbsp; Winn was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run, driving in four runs.St. Louis looks to lock up a series win as their series with Chicago continues tomorrow.&nbsp; Erick Fedde (3-6, 3.54 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Matthew Boyd (6-3, 2.84 ERA) for the Cubs.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:45pm, the game will be joined near the start at 6:35 over on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Cardinals hold on for 8-7 win over NL Central rival Cubs

The Kansas City Royals dropped their seventh game in a row at Kauffman Stadium, moving to one game under .500 on their home turf, falling to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday evening 5-1 in their series opener.&nbsp;

Danny Jansen's eighth home run of the year gave the Rays a 2-0 lead in the second inning, driving home&nbsp;José Caballero.&nbsp; Jansen extended the lead in the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly, scoring&nbsp;Jonathan Aranda, and Aranda drove in another run in the fifth inning for Tampa Bay with an RBI single bringing home Yandy Díaz, giving the Rays a 4-0 lead, which they held through seven innings.&nbsp;

Tampa Bay scored their final run, continuing the shutout in the eighth inning as Jake Magnum grounded into a forceout, Bobby Witt Jr throwing out Aranda at second base, but allowing&nbsp;Junior Caminero to score after his leadoff double.&nbsp; The Royals scored their lone run in the ninth inning, an RBI single by Vinnie Pasquantino driving in Maikel Garcia.&nbsp;

Kris Bubic took the loss, falling to 6-5 on the season, giving up four runs, two earned, on eight hits while striking out eight batters.&nbsp; At the plate, the Royals managed just four hits overall, Pasquantino going 1-for-4 with the RBI and Garcia going 1-for-4 with the run scored.

Kansas City and Tampa Bay continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Wacha (4-6, 3.24 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against Drew Rasmussen (6-5, 2.61 ERA) for the Rays.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:40pm, pregame begins at 6 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe Kansas City Royals dropped their seventh game in a row at Kauffman Stadium, moving to one game under .500 on their home turf, falling to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday evening 5-1 in their series opener.&nbsp;Danny Jansen's eighth home run of the year gave the Rays a 2-0 lead in the second inning, driving home&nbsp;José Caballero.&nbsp; Jansen extended the lead in the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly, scoring&nbsp;Jonathan Aranda, and Aranda drove in another run in the fifth inning for Tampa Bay with an RBI single bringing home Yandy Díaz, giving the Rays a 4-0 lead, which they held through seven innings.&nbsp;Tampa Bay scored their final run, continuing the shutout in the eighth inning as Jake Magnum grounded into a forceout, Bobby Witt Jr throwing out Aranda at second base, but allowing&nbsp;Junior Caminero to score after his leadoff double.&nbsp; The Royals scored their lone run in the ninth inning, an RBI single by Vinnie Pasquantino driving in Maikel Garcia.&nbsp;Kris Bubic took the loss, falling to 6-5 on the season, giving up four runs, two earned, on eight hits while striking out eight batters.&nbsp; At the plate, the Royals managed just four hits overall, Pasquantino going 1-for-4 with the RBI and Garcia going 1-for-4 with the run scored.Kansas City and Tampa Bay continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Wacha (4-6, 3.24 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against Drew Rasmussen (6-5, 2.61 ERA) for the Rays.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:40pm, pregame begins at 6 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Royals home losing streak moves to seven, fall 5-1 to Rays

It may not be the All Star break yet, but the St. Louis Cardinals gained some crucial ground in the NL Central race against their bitter rival the Chicago Cubs, winning their series opener at Busch Stadium 8-2 on Monday night.&nbsp;

The Cardinals scored all their runs in the middle innings, first getting two in the fourth inning on a two run home run by Lars Nootbaar, scoring Willson Contreras.&nbsp; The Cubs scored one run in the top of the fifth, former Cardinal Carson Kelly singling to drive in Pete Crow-Armstrong who led off the inning with a double, before St. Louis added four more runs in the bottom half of the inning.&nbsp;

In the bottom of the fifth, the Cardinals got another two run home run, this time from Brendan Donovan, scoring&nbsp;Pedro Pagés who walked earlier in the inning.&nbsp; Then, after Masyn Winn walked, Alec Burleson slugged the third homer of the day for the Redbirds to extend the lead more, driving in Winn, for the 5-1 lead.&nbsp;

In the sixth inning, the home runs continued flying out of Busch Stadium off the bats of the Cardinals, as Nolan Gorman hit the fourth home run of the day, driving in Nolan Arenado for the final runs by St. Louis.&nbsp; A sacrifice fly by Justin Turner pushed across the final Cubs run in the seventh inning, scoring Crow-Armstrong.

Matthew LIberatore got the win, improving to 5-6 on the season, for the Cardinals pitching seven innings and giving up two runs on six hits, striking out five and walking one.&nbsp; Contreras was 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored while Arenado was 2-for-4.&nbsp; Each player who had a home run, had just one hit on the night.&nbsp;

St. Louis and Chicago continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp;&nbsp;Michael McGreevy (1-1, 2.70 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Jameson Taillon (7-4, 3.84 ERA) for the Cubs.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:45, with action being joined near the start at 6:35 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEIt may not be the All Star break yet, but the St. Louis Cardinals gained some crucial ground in the NL Central race against their bitter rival the Chicago Cubs, winning their series opener at Busch Stadium 8-2 on Monday night.&nbsp;The Cardinals scored all their runs in the middle innings, first getting two in the fourth inning on a two run home run by Lars Nootbaar, scoring Willson Contreras.&nbsp; The Cubs scored one run in the top of the fifth, former Cardinal Carson Kelly singling to drive in Pete Crow-Armstrong who led off the inning with a double, before St. Louis added four more runs in the bottom half of the inning.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">NOOOOOOOOT gets the party started! Send Lars to the All-Star Game at <a href="https://t.co/8EZhynYoGy">https://t.co/8EZhynYoGy</a>! 🌟 <a href="https://t.co/mONEjzV060">pic.twitter.com/mONEjzV060</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1937309199915962513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In the bottom of the fifth, the Cardinals got another two run home run, this time from Brendan Donovan, scoring&nbsp;Pedro Pagés who walked earlier in the inning.&nbsp; Then, after Masyn Winn walked, Alec Burleson slugged the third homer of the day for the Redbirds to extend the lead more, driving in Winn, for the 5-1 lead.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The best 2B in the league does it again! Send Donnie to the All-Star Game at <a href="https://t.co/8EZhynYoGy">https://t.co/8EZhynYoGy</a>! 🌟 <a href="https://t.co/8BW4Cq7xJE">pic.twitter.com/8BW4Cq7xJE</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1937313950598627439?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">THINGS HAVE GOTTEN SERIOUS AT BUSCH! <a href="https://t.co/aYYluPj2bl">pic.twitter.com/aYYluPj2bl</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1937317297833628154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In the sixth inning, the home runs continued flying out of Busch Stadium off the bats of the Cardinals, as Nolan Gorman hit the fourth home run of the day, driving in Nolan Arenado for the final runs by St. Louis.&nbsp; A sacrifice fly by Justin Turner pushed across the final Cubs run in the seventh inning, scoring Crow-Armstrong.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">NOW IT’S NOLAN GORMAN! The home runs are flying at Busch Stadium! <a href="https://t.co/rRGwngUyp3">pic.twitter.com/rRGwngUyp3</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1937318242189476094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Matthew LIberatore got the win, improving to 5-6 on the season, for the Cardinals pitching seven innings and giving up two runs on six hits, striking out five and walking one.&nbsp; Contreras was 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored while Arenado was 2-for-4.&nbsp; Each player who had a home run, had just one hit on the night.&nbsp;St. Louis and Chicago continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp;&nbsp;Michael McGreevy (1-1, 2.70 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Jameson Taillon (7-4, 3.84 ERA) for the Cubs.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:45, with action being joined near the start at 6:35 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Cards gain ground in NL Central race with 8-2 win over Cubs

The St. Joseph Mustangs rallied back in the ninth inning after falling behind to steal a game from the Jefferson City Renegades, winning 7-5 on the road in Missouri's capitol.&nbsp;

The Mustangs led early though behind a good start from Cade Perkins, building a 3-0 lead through the first three innings.&nbsp; In the first inning, a double by Dom Felix drove in Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart and Darius Freeman for the first two runs.&nbsp; Then in the third inning, Logan Miller scored on a groundout by Luikart to extend the lead.&nbsp;

Jefferson City got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning&nbsp;Alex DiGicianto scoring on a groundout by&nbsp;Drew Vonder Harr.&nbsp; The Renegades tied the game up in the seventh inning with a double by&nbsp;P.J. Green driving in both&nbsp;Will Bachman and Tyler Towe.&nbsp; In the eighth inning Jefferson City took their first lead of the game as Harr scored on an RBI single by Bachman.&nbsp;

Trailing 4-3 entering the final inning, the Mustangs rallied, first tying the game with a bases loaded walk to Miller, scoring Benton alum Chris Coy.&nbsp; St. Joseph took the lead on a wild pitch, bringing home&nbsp;Easton Phillipe, before Freeman singled, driving in Miller and Lafayette alum Jayden Little.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning, the Renegades managed one run, an unearned run as Green scored on a groundout by&nbsp;Braydn O'Neal, before Jase Johnson closed the game out for the save.&nbsp;

Despite earning a no decision, Perkins pitched well over five innings giving up one run on seven hits, striking out four.&nbsp; Northwest Missouri State's Andrew Clark earned the win, pitching 1 2/3&nbsp; of relief giving up one run on two hits and striking out two.&nbsp; At the plate, Freeman was 2-for-4 with two RBI's while Miller was 2-for-4 with one RBI.&nbsp; Little was 0-for-1 with two walks and a run scored, stealing a base.

The Mustangs are now 18-2 on the season, 13-1 in the MINK League, and wrap up their road trip with a doubleheader of two seven inning games in Chillicothe tomorrow.&nbsp;

By MATT PIKEThe St. Joseph Mustangs rallied back in the ninth inning after falling behind to steal a game from the Jefferson City Renegades, winning 7-5 on the road in Missouri's capitol.&nbsp;The Mustangs led early though behind a good start from Cade Perkins, building a 3-0 lead through the first three innings.&nbsp; In the first inning, a double by Dom Felix drove in Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart and Darius Freeman for the first two runs.&nbsp; Then in the third inning, Logan Miller scored on a groundout by Luikart to extend the lead.&nbsp;Jefferson City got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning&nbsp;Alex DiGicianto scoring on a groundout by&nbsp;Drew Vonder Harr.&nbsp; The Renegades tied the game up in the seventh inning with a double by&nbsp;P.J. Green driving in both&nbsp;Will Bachman and Tyler Towe.&nbsp; In the eighth inning Jefferson City took their first lead of the game as Harr scored on an RBI single by Bachman.&nbsp;Trailing 4-3 entering the final inning, the Mustangs rallied, first tying the game with a bases loaded walk to Miller, scoring Benton alum Chris Coy.&nbsp; St. Joseph took the lead on a wild pitch, bringing home&nbsp;Easton Phillipe, before Freeman singled, driving in Miller and Lafayette alum Jayden Little.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning, the Renegades managed one run, an unearned run as Green scored on a groundout by&nbsp;Braydn O'Neal, before Jase Johnson closed the game out for the save.&nbsp;Despite earning a no decision, Perkins pitched well over five innings giving up one run on seven hits, striking out four.&nbsp; Northwest Missouri State's Andrew Clark earned the win, pitching 1 2/3&nbsp; of relief giving up one run on two hits and striking out two.&nbsp; At the plate, Freeman was 2-for-4 with two RBI's while Miller was 2-for-4 with one RBI.&nbsp; Little was 0-for-1 with two walks and a run scored, stealing a base.The Mustangs are now 18-2 on the season, 13-1 in the MINK League, and wrap up their road trip with a doubleheader of two seven inning games in Chillicothe tomorrow.&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Four run ninth gives Mustangs 7-5 win over Jefferson City

Salvador Perez blasted his ninth home run of the year, Jac Caglianone made an outstanding game saving catch, but the Kansas City Royals dropped the series finale 3-2 to the San Diego Padres on Sunday afternoon, losing the series.&nbsp;

The Royals took the lead in the sixth inning after Vinnie Pasquantino singled and then was brought home on Perez's deep blast to left field, traveling 412 feet according to Statcast, for his ninth home run of the season and third of the month, giving Kansas City a 2-0 lead.&nbsp;

In the seventh inning, the Padres came back to tie up the game though.&nbsp; Jackson Merrill led off the inning with a double off Royals starter Seth Lugo, and after Lugo got Manny Machado to fly out he was replaced by reliever Angel Zerpa.&nbsp; Zerpa, who had turned things around of late, ran into trouble though after getting&nbsp;Luis Arraez to groundout, walking Gavin Sheets and Xander Bogaerts to load the bases.&nbsp; 

San Diego pinch hit Jose Iglesias for Jake Cronenworth, and the Royals countered by bringing on Lucas Erceg in place of Zerpa, but Iglesias singled home Merrill and Sheets to tie the game. In the eighth inning, the Padres had a chance to take the lead, after Erceg walked Fernando Tatis Jr with one out.&nbsp; Erceg gave up a high deep hit to right field to Merrill, which was robbed by Caglianone

Daniel Lynch replaced Erceg in the ninth inning, giving up a single to Arraez and a then double to Bogaerts with one out before being replaced by John Schreiber.&nbsp; On a short grounder by Iglesias off Schreiber, Bobby Witt Jr attempted to throw home but it was late as Arraez scored the winning run for the walk off win.&nbsp;

Lynch took the loss, falling to 3-2 on the season, pitching 1/3 of an inning and giving up two hits with one run scoring.&nbsp; At the plate, Witt Jr and Freddy Fermin each went 2-for-4.&nbsp; Perez was 1-for-3 with the home run and two RBI's as well as a walk.&nbsp;

Kansas City is off tomorrow.&nbsp; They return to Kauffman stadium on Tuesday hosting Tampa Bay.&nbsp; Kris Bubic (6-4, 2.12 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals in the opener against Taj Bradley (4-5, 4.95 ERA) for the Rays.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:40pm, pregame coverage starts at 6 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

By MATT PIKESalvador Perez blasted his ninth home run of the year, Jac Caglianone made an outstanding game saving catch, but the Kansas City Royals dropped the series finale 3-2 to the San Diego Padres on Sunday afternoon, losing the series.&nbsp;The Royals took the lead in the sixth inning after Vinnie Pasquantino singled and then was brought home on Perez's deep blast to left field, traveling 412 feet according to Statcast, for his ninth home run of the season and third of the month, giving Kansas City a 2-0 lead.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Are you ready, kids? Aye, aye, Captain! 🫡 <a href="https://t.co/c5IqtzQH84">pic.twitter.com/c5IqtzQH84</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1936898842232062051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In the seventh inning, the Padres came back to tie up the game though.&nbsp; Jackson Merrill led off the inning with a double off Royals starter Seth Lugo, and after Lugo got Manny Machado to fly out he was replaced by reliever Angel Zerpa.&nbsp; Zerpa, who had turned things around of late, ran into trouble though after getting&nbsp;Luis Arraez to groundout, walking Gavin Sheets and Xander Bogaerts to load the bases.&nbsp; San Diego pinch hit Jose Iglesias for Jake Cronenworth, and the Royals countered by bringing on Lucas Erceg in place of Zerpa, but Iglesias singled home Merrill and Sheets to tie the game. In the eighth inning, the Padres had a chance to take the lead, after Erceg walked Fernando Tatis Jr with one out.&nbsp; Erceg gave up a high deep hit to right field to Merrill, which was robbed by Caglianone<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Jumpin’ Jac! 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/fi3KQWhHVl">pic.twitter.com/fi3KQWhHVl</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1936912338780889553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Daniel Lynch replaced Erceg in the ninth inning, giving up a single to Arraez and a then double to Bogaerts with one out before being replaced by John Schreiber.&nbsp; On a short grounder by Iglesias off Schreiber, Bobby Witt Jr attempted to throw home but it was late as Arraez scored the winning run for the walk off win.&nbsp;Lynch took the loss, falling to 3-2 on the season, pitching 1/3 of an inning and giving up two hits with one run scoring.&nbsp; At the plate, Witt Jr and Freddy Fermin each went 2-for-4.&nbsp; Perez was 1-for-3 with the home run and two RBI's as well as a walk.&nbsp;Kansas City is off tomorrow.&nbsp; They return to Kauffman stadium on Tuesday hosting Tampa Bay.&nbsp; Kris Bubic (6-4, 2.12 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals in the opener against Taj Bradley (4-5, 4.95 ERA) for the Rays.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:40pm, pregame coverage starts at 6 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Royals drop series with 3-2 loss to Padres in finale

After a hard fought win for the St. Joseph Mustangs over the Carroll Merchants that went back and forth at Phil Welch Stadium on Saturday night, the Mustangs traveled to Carroll, Iowa and scored a dominating 12-3 victory on Sunday afternoon.

Much like the Merchants did on Saturday, the Mustangs scored six runs before Carroll found their way onto the scoreboard.&nbsp; In the third inning, an RBI double by Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart drove in Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen for the first St. Joseph run, and Luikart later scored on an RBI single by Dom Felix.&nbsp;

In the fourth innning, Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith hit a solo home run to extend the lead.&nbsp; Then in the fifth inning, three more runs scored, with Luikart singling home Darius Freeman,&nbsp;Easton Phillipe scoring when Felix reached first on an error, and Felix later scoring himself on an bases loaded walk to Griffith, giving the Mustangs the 6-0 lead.&nbsp;

The Merchants scored their first two runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning, an RBI single by&nbsp;Cole Schellenberger driving in&nbsp;Brock Moore and then&nbsp;Bryce Higgins scoring as&nbsp;Martin Smith grounded out to third base, cutting the lead to 6-2.&nbsp;

St. Joseph continued to pour the runs on, scoring two runs in both the sixth and the seventh.&nbsp; In the sixth, Freeman scored as Felix reached on a fielders choice, advancing Phillipe to third base, who came around to score on a single by Justin George.&nbsp; In the seventh, a single by Phillipe drove in Freeman for this third run of the game, and Phillipe later scored himself on a sacrifice fly by Luikart.&nbsp;

Leading 10-2, the Mustangs scored the final two runs in the eighth inning, a wild pitch allowing Lafayette alum Jayden Little to score, moving Tyler Gundelfinger to second base, before Gundelfinger scored as Freeman grounded out to first base.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning, the Merchants&nbsp;Bradley Soto hit a solo home run for the final score.&nbsp;

Austin Nace earned the win for the Mustangs, pitching 6 1/3 innings and giving up two runs on three hits, striking out three and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, both Freeman and Phillipe were 2-for-5, each with one RBI and three runs scored, Phillipe walked once, and each stole one base.&nbsp; Felix was 1-for-5 with a walk and three RBI's.&nbsp;

The Mustangs are now 17-2 on the season, 12-1 in the MINK league, and continue their road trip tomorrow traveling to Jefferson City to take on the Jefferson City Renegades.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750638000463.jpeg" alt="Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith rounds the bases after sending a solo home run into the pool in Carroll, Iowa.&nbsp; Griffith was 1-for-3 in a 12-3 win for the Mustangs with two RBI's/ Photo courtesy of St. Joseph Mustangs on X" />
 <figcaption>Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith rounds the bases after sending a solo home run into the pool in Carroll, Iowa.&nbsp; Griffith was 1-for-3 in a 12-3 win for the Mustangs with two RBI's/ Photo courtesy of St. Joseph Mustangs on X</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKEAfter a hard fought win for the St. Joseph Mustangs over the Carroll Merchants that went back and forth at Phil Welch Stadium on Saturday night, the Mustangs traveled to Carroll, Iowa and scored a dominating 12-3 victory on Sunday afternoon.Much like the Merchants did on Saturday, the Mustangs scored six runs before Carroll found their way onto the scoreboard.&nbsp; In the third inning, an RBI double by Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart drove in Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen for the first St. Joseph run, and Luikart later scored on an RBI single by Dom Felix.&nbsp;In the fourth innning, Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith hit a solo home run to extend the lead.&nbsp; Then in the fifth inning, three more runs scored, with Luikart singling home Darius Freeman,&nbsp;Easton Phillipe scoring when Felix reached first on an error, and Felix later scoring himself on an bases loaded walk to Griffith, giving the Mustangs the 6-0 lead.&nbsp;The Merchants scored their first two runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning, an RBI single by&nbsp;Cole Schellenberger driving in&nbsp;Brock Moore and then&nbsp;Bryce Higgins scoring as&nbsp;Martin Smith grounded out to third base, cutting the lead to 6-2.&nbsp;St. Joseph continued to pour the runs on, scoring two runs in both the sixth and the seventh.&nbsp; In the sixth, Freeman scored as Felix reached on a fielders choice, advancing Phillipe to third base, who came around to score on a single by Justin George.&nbsp; In the seventh, a single by Phillipe drove in Freeman for this third run of the game, and Phillipe later scored himself on a sacrifice fly by Luikart.&nbsp;Leading 10-2, the Mustangs scored the final two runs in the eighth inning, a wild pitch allowing Lafayette alum Jayden Little to score, moving Tyler Gundelfinger to second base, before Gundelfinger scored as Freeman grounded out to first base.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning, the Merchants&nbsp;Bradley Soto hit a solo home run for the final score.&nbsp;Austin Nace earned the win for the Mustangs, pitching 6 1/3 innings and giving up two runs on three hits, striking out three and walking one.&nbsp; At the plate, both Freeman and Phillipe were 2-for-5, each with one RBI and three runs scored, Phillipe walked once, and each stole one base.&nbsp; Felix was 1-for-5 with a walk and three RBI's.&nbsp;The Mustangs are now 17-2 on the season, 12-1 in the MINK league, and continue their road trip tomorrow traveling to Jefferson City to take on the Jefferson City Renegades.&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

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