 Northwest Missouri State University is again offering youth an opportunity to play video games with peers during two esports summer camps in July on campus.

Northwest will host an Esports day camp for middle school and high school students from Monday, July 14, through Friday, July 18.&nbsp; Camp sessions are 9am to 11:30 a.m. each day in the Esports Lab at the J.W. Jones Student Union, the cost is $75 per person.

The University will also host an overnight camp, beginning with check-in at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 23, and ending at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 25, the cost is $160 per person. The overnight camp provides participants an opportunity to experience campus residence halls and dining services while developing skills needed to be recruited as an esports athlete. 

During both camps, attending boys and girls will participate in fun, team-oriented gaming activities while learning skills related to communication, team development, problem-solving and best online practices.

“It gives students a great opportunity to connect with like-minded peers,” Andrew Murphy, Northwest’s esports director, said in a news release from the university. “The issue sometimes with gaming is that when you’re playing from home, it’s really hard to connect with people, even if you’re playing with people online. The camp offers an opportunity to play games together and do things together.”

You can register for the camps by clicking <a href="https://secure.touchnet.com/C21165_ustores/web/store_cat.jsp?STOREID=183&amp;CATID=356&amp;SINGLESTORE=true">HERE</a>.

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

By MATT PIKEMaryville Post Northwest Missouri State University is again offering youth an opportunity to play video games with peers during two esports summer camps in July on campus.Northwest will host an Esports day camp for middle school and high school students from Monday, July 14, through Friday, July 18.&nbsp; Camp sessions are 9am to 11:30 a.m. each day in the Esports Lab at the J.W. Jones Student Union, the cost is $75 per person.The University will also host an overnight camp, beginning with check-in at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 23, and ending at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 25, the cost is $160 per person. The overnight camp provides participants an opportunity to experience campus residence halls and dining services while developing skills needed to be recruited as an esports athlete. During both camps, attending boys and girls will participate in fun, team-oriented gaming activities while learning skills related to communication, team development, problem-solving and best online practices.“It gives students a great opportunity to connect with like-minded peers,” Andrew Murphy, Northwest’s esports director, said in a news release from the university. “The issue sometimes with gaming is that when you’re playing from home, it’s really hard to connect with people, even if you’re playing with people online. The camp offers an opportunity to play games together and do things together.”You can register for the camps by clicking <a href="https://secure.touchnet.com/C21165_ustores/web/store_cat.jsp?STOREID=183&amp;CATID=356&amp;SINGLESTORE=true">HERE</a>.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

NWMSU offering Esports camps in July to students

A community member has stepped up and given the generous gift of free tickets to the St. Joseph Mustangs game on Saturday. 

Mustangs General Manager and Owner Ky Turner says in 2022 an anonymous donor gifted tickets to games, and wanted to do it again this year, donating 500 tickets to the Mustangs. 

Turner says the whole intent behind this is to do something nice, and hopefully have the domino effect, influencing others to go do something nice as well 

"We're very appreciative of the people involved in making this possible, but then we're also very appreciative the people who take the challenge," Turner tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.  "We heard so many great stories, whether it's just holding the door open for somebody, I think one person said they went to a garage sale and they bought some items for some people who couldn't afford an item and so they did something nice and purchased it for them." 

Turner says when the offer went up on social media, fans were very receptive 

"We surpassed that 500 in under the first hour, and so I actually made a phone call and I haven't made this edit online yet, I just went to the person who made that donation and I said hey this went quicker than what we thought, so they've actually upped their donation of how many tickets they're going to provide," Turner explains. "So, we're kind of reserving that number back so I can just tell them once we get there, and they say ok that's enough." 

Turner says it feels good to be able to use Mustangs baseball as a platform for this. 

"We're so appreciative of the team effort, whether it's the team on the field and playing the game but then the team off the field in our community and just doing nice things there," Turner says.  "It's really neat to use Mustangs baseball as that platform and just the domino effect it can have in our community, and St. Joe is just a wonderful community, it's full of a lot of great people, and I don't think sometimes we realize how awesome St. Joe is and can be." 

You can visit the Mustangs Facebook page to find a link to reserve tickets while they are still available. 

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

By MATT PIKE A community member has stepped up and given the generous gift of free tickets to the St. Joseph Mustangs game on Saturday. Mustangs General Manager and Owner Ky Turner says in 2022 an anonymous donor gifted tickets to games, and wanted to do it again this year, donating 500 tickets to the Mustangs. Turner says the whole intent behind this is to do something nice, and hopefully have the domino effect, influencing others to go do something nice as well "We're very appreciative of the people involved in making this possible, but then we're also very appreciative the people who take the challenge," Turner tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "We heard so many great stories, whether it's just holding the door open for somebody, I think one person said they went to a garage sale and they bought some items for some people who couldn't afford an item and so they did something nice and purchased it for them." Turner says when the offer went up on social media, fans were very receptive "We surpassed that 500 in under the first hour, and so I actually made a phone call and I haven't made this edit online yet, I just went to the person who made that donation and I said hey this went quicker than what we thought, so they've actually upped their donation of how many tickets they're going to provide," Turner explains. "So, we're kind of reserving that number back so I can just tell them once we get there, and they say ok that's enough." Turner says it feels good to be able to use Mustangs baseball as a platform for this. "We're so appreciative of the team effort, whether it's the team on the field and playing the game but then the team off the field in our community and just doing nice things there," Turner says. "It's really neat to use Mustangs baseball as that platform and just the domino effect it can have in our community, and St. Joe is just a wonderful community, it's full of a lot of great people, and I don't think sometimes we realize how awesome St. Joe is and can be." You can visit the Mustangs Facebook page to find a link to reserve tickets while they are still available. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Anonymous donor gifts free tickets to St. Joseph Mustangs on Saturday

The St. Louis Cardinals have held their own against aces so far this season, handing the Pirates Paul Skenes a couple of losses, and also knocking off the likes of&nbsp;the Twins' Pablo López and the Astros' Framber Valdez.&nbsp;

They had an opportunity to add&nbsp;dd two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom to the list Sunday afternoon, but despite a solid start from Erick Fedde, they fell short in an 8-1 loss to the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.&nbsp;&nbsp;It had little to do with Fedde though, who delivered his first quality start since posting a shutout at Washington on May 9.&nbsp;&nbsp;Fedde allowed two runs on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts over six innings, exiting with the Cardinals trailing just 2-1. 

St. Louis did take the lead early on in the game, scoring their lone run in the first inning as Willson Contreras singled home Lars Nootbaar who had walked to open the game against deGrom.&nbsp; The second inning is the only time Fedde couldn’t work his way out of trouble. Fedde retired the first two batters before giving up a single to Marcus Semien on a 2-0 cutter. Fedde issued a five-pitch walk to Sam Haggerty, the Rangers’ nine-hole batter, and then gave up a two-run double to Josh Smith making the Cardinals' early 1-0 lead a short-lived one.

Wyatt Langford's sacrifice fly off of reliever Kyle Leahy in the seventh inning extended the Rangers lead, driving in Semien.&nbsp; Texas added their final five runs in the eighth inning, the first coming on an RBI double by Jake Burger, scoring Josh Jung, before later in the inning Jonah Heim's sacrifice fly brought home&nbsp;Alejandro Osuna.&nbsp; Haggerty's sacrifice bunt continued the scoring run, allowing Burger to score, and Smith capped the scoring with a two run home run in the inning, for his third and fourth RBI's of the day.&nbsp;

Despite the quality start, Fedde did take the loss, falling to 3-5 on the season.&nbsp; At the plate, the Cardinals managed just five total hits, with five St. Louis players each getting one hit.

St. Louis is off tomorrow, and will host Kansas City on Tuesday.&nbsp; Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.23 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Cardinals while Michael Lorenzen (3-6, 4.33 ERA) is set to start for the Royals in the series opener.  First pitch is at 6:45 pm.&nbsp; Cardinals pregame coverage will be joined at 6:35 on KY 102 (102.5 FM) while Royals pregame coverage will begin at 6pm on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

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

By MATT PIKEThe St. Louis Cardinals have held their own against aces so far this season, handing the Pirates Paul Skenes a couple of losses, and also knocking off the likes of&nbsp;the Twins' Pablo López and the Astros' Framber Valdez.&nbsp;They had an opportunity to add&nbsp;dd two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom to the list Sunday afternoon, but despite a solid start from Erick Fedde, they fell short in an 8-1 loss to the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.&nbsp;&nbsp;It had little to do with Fedde though, who delivered his first quality start since posting a shutout at Washington on May 9.&nbsp;&nbsp;Fedde allowed two runs on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts over six innings, exiting with the Cardinals trailing just 2-1. St. Louis did take the lead early on in the game, scoring their lone run in the first inning as Willson Contreras singled home Lars Nootbaar who had walked to open the game against deGrom.&nbsp; The second inning is the only time Fedde couldn’t work his way out of trouble. Fedde retired the first two batters before giving up a single to Marcus Semien on a 2-0 cutter. Fedde issued a five-pitch walk to Sam Haggerty, the Rangers’ nine-hole batter, and then gave up a two-run double to Josh Smith making the Cardinals' early 1-0 lead a short-lived one.Wyatt Langford's sacrifice fly off of reliever Kyle Leahy in the seventh inning extended the Rangers lead, driving in Semien.&nbsp; Texas added their final five runs in the eighth inning, the first coming on an RBI double by Jake Burger, scoring Josh Jung, before later in the inning Jonah Heim's sacrifice fly brought home&nbsp;Alejandro Osuna.&nbsp; Haggerty's sacrifice bunt continued the scoring run, allowing Burger to score, and Smith capped the scoring with a two run home run in the inning, for his third and fourth RBI's of the day.&nbsp;Despite the quality start, Fedde did take the loss, falling to 3-5 on the season.&nbsp; At the plate, the Cardinals managed just five total hits, with five St. Louis players each getting one hit.St. Louis is off tomorrow, and will host Kansas City on Tuesday.&nbsp; Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.23 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Cardinals while Michael Lorenzen (3-6, 4.33 ERA) is set to start for the Royals in the series opener. First pitch is at 6:45 pm.&nbsp; Cardinals pregame coverage will be joined at 6:35 on KY 102 (102.5 FM) while Royals pregame coverage will begin at 6pm on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Fedde has first quality start since May 9th, but Cardinals fall in finale 8-1

Northwest Missouri State University track and field distance runners Grant Bradley and Riley Witt took their talents to the 23rd annual Music City Track Carnival on Friday and Saturday at the Ray Conn Sport Complex at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn.

Bradley won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:29.68 as he bested a field of seven competitors. It was a personal-best time for Bradley and would rank as the second-fastest clocking in the steeplechase for an NCAA Div. II runner this year.

Wingate's Titouan Le Grix posted a mark of 8:29.02 on April 18. Bradley's previous best in the event came with a 8:32.43 clocking at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif.

Witt captured third-place honors in the men's mile with a time of 4:02.09 as he took on a field of 19 runners. It is also a personal-best mark for Witt in the men's mile as his previous top mark came indoors at 4:02.56 at the Arkansas Qualifier in Fayetteville, Ark., on Feb. 25. 

Witt's time of 4:02.09 would rank as the second-best NCAA D-II time this year trailing only Chico State's Damian Garciaso's time of 4:01.88 set on April 12.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1748835840121.jpeg" alt="Grant Bradley/ Photo courtesy of Northwest Missouri State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Grant Bradley/ Photo courtesy of Northwest Missouri State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKEMaryville PostNorthwest Missouri State University track and field distance runners Grant Bradley and Riley Witt took their talents to the 23rd annual Music City Track Carnival on Friday and Saturday at the Ray Conn Sport Complex at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn.Bradley won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:29.68 as he bested a field of seven competitors. It was a personal-best time for Bradley and would rank as the second-fastest clocking in the steeplechase for an NCAA Div. II runner this year.Wingate's Titouan Le Grix posted a mark of 8:29.02 on April 18. Bradley's previous best in the event came with a 8:32.43 clocking at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1748835953400.jpeg" alt="Riley Witt/ Photo courtesy of Northwest Missouri State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Riley Witt/ Photo courtesy of Northwest Missouri State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Witt captured third-place honors in the men's mile with a time of 4:02.09 as he took on a field of 19 runners. It is also a personal-best mark for Witt in the men's mile as his previous top mark came indoors at 4:02.56 at the Arkansas Qualifier in Fayetteville, Ark., on Feb. 25. Witt's time of 4:02.09 would rank as the second-best NCAA D-II time this year trailing only Chico State's Damian Garciaso's time of 4:01.88 set on April 12.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

NWMSU track athletes Bradley, Witt rack up personal bests at Music City Track Carnival

Kris Bubic picked up right where he left off in May to start June on the mound for the Kansas City Royals, but a lack of offense foiled that start and gave the Detroit Tigers a series win, winning 1-0 at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday afternoon.&nbsp;

The lone run given up by Bubic in the third inning, was on a wild pitch.&nbsp;&nbsp;Zach McKinstry tripled to open the inning, before a sweeper from Bubic got away from catcher Salvador Perez and allowed McKinstry to come home to score.&nbsp; From there, Bubic allowed just two more hits in the game, before being replaced by Angel Zerpa.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Royals did outhit the Tigers in the game nine to five, but Kansas City was 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and left eight runners on base in the game.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Bubic took the loss, falling to 5-3 on the season, pitching seven innings and giving up four hits in all, striking out nine and walking two batters.&nbsp; His season ERA is now 1.43, which is the league leader, and made his ninth quality start, tying him for the most in baseball.&nbsp; Perez led the way at the plate, going 3-for-4.&nbsp; John Rave was 2-for-4 in the loss.&nbsp;

Kansas City is off tomorrow, and will head to St. Louis on Tuesday.&nbsp; Michael Lorenzen (3-6, 4.33 ERA) is set to start for the Royals in the series opener while Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.23 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Cardinals.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:45 pm. Royals pregame coverage will begin at 6pm on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM) while Cardinals pregame coverage will be joined at 6:35 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).

By MATT PIKEKris Bubic picked up right where he left off in May to start June on the mound for the Kansas City Royals, but a lack of offense foiled that start and gave the Detroit Tigers a series win, winning 1-0 at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday afternoon.&nbsp;The lone run given up by Bubic in the third inning, was on a wild pitch.&nbsp;&nbsp;Zach McKinstry tripled to open the inning, before a sweeper from Bubic got away from catcher Salvador Perez and allowed McKinstry to come home to score.&nbsp; From there, Bubic allowed just two more hits in the game, before being replaced by Angel Zerpa.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Royals did outhit the Tigers in the game nine to five, but Kansas City was 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and left eight runners on base in the game.&nbsp;&nbsp;Bubic took the loss, falling to 5-3 on the season, pitching seven innings and giving up four hits in all, striking out nine and walking two batters.&nbsp; His season ERA is now 1.43, which is the league leader, and made his ninth quality start, tying him for the most in baseball.&nbsp; Perez led the way at the plate, going 3-for-4.&nbsp; John Rave was 2-for-4 in the loss.&nbsp;Kansas City is off tomorrow, and will head to St. Louis on Tuesday.&nbsp; Michael Lorenzen (3-6, 4.33 ERA) is set to start for the Royals in the series opener while Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.23 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Cardinals.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:45 pm. Royals pregame coverage will begin at 6pm on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM) while Cardinals pregame coverage will be joined at 6:35 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Royals drop series to Tigers despite another brilliant start from Bubic

The Royals are calling up their top prospect, slugger Jac Caglianone.&nbsp; ESPN's Jeff Passan was the first to report the call up, which was soon confirmed to MLB.com Royals reporter Anne Rogers.

Caglianone, the No. 10-ranked prospect in baseball and the top prospet in the Royals system according to MLB Pipeline, has been mashing in the Minors with a .322/.389/.593 slash line to go along with 15 homers and 56 RBIs in 50 games between Double-A and Triple-A.

Earlier this season, when called up to Triple A Omaha, Caglianone went on a weekend stretch where he hit five home runs in four games while the Stormchasers were on the road in Salt Lake City.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A 6-foot-5, 250-pound two-way player at the University of Florida, Caglianone transitioned to a full-time offensive player after joining the Royals organization following last July's draft. Originally a first baseman, he has spent the majority of his Triple-A games in the outfield and is expected to play there when he joins the Royals for their series that starts Tuesday in St. Louis.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1748833311334.jpeg" alt="Top Royals prospect Jac Caglianone was the club’s first-round draft selection, No. 6 overall, in 2024. Jason Hanna/Contributed photo Kansas City Royals" />
 <figcaption>Top Royals prospect Jac Caglianone was the club’s first-round draft selection, No. 6 overall, in 2024. Jason Hanna/Contributed photo Kansas City Royals</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKEThe Royals are calling up their top prospect, slugger Jac Caglianone.&nbsp; ESPN's Jeff Passan was the first to report the call up, which was soon confirmed to MLB.com Royals reporter Anne Rogers.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I can confirm that the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Royals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Royals</a> are calling up top prospect Jac Caglianone. He&#39;ll be with the team in St. Louis on Tuesday. The 22-year-old was drafted less than a year ago. He&#39;s been mashing in the Minors. Now he&#39;s on his way to the big leagues.<a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JeffPassan</a> was first to report.&mdash; Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) <a href="https://twitter.com/anne__rogers/status/1929362147772919900?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Caglianone, the No. 10-ranked prospect in baseball and the top prospet in the Royals system according to MLB Pipeline, has been mashing in the Minors with a .322/.389/.593 slash line to go along with 15 homers and 56 RBIs in 50 games between Double-A and Triple-A.Earlier this season, when called up to Triple A Omaha, Caglianone went on a weekend stretch where he hit five home runs in four games while the Stormchasers were on the road in Salt Lake City.&nbsp;&nbsp;A 6-foot-5, 250-pound two-way player at the University of Florida, Caglianone transitioned to a full-time offensive player after joining the Royals organization following last July's draft. Originally a first baseman, he has spent the majority of his Triple-A games in the outfield and is expected to play there when he joins the Royals for their series that starts Tuesday in St. Louis.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Kansas City Royals calling up top prospect Jac Caglianone

On Northwest Missouri State University night at the ballpark, it was a Northwest Missouri State University pitcher who shut down the Nevada Griffons as the St. Joseph Mustangs opened MINK league play with an 11-1 run rule victory in seven innings.&nbsp;

Northwest Missouri State University pitcher and Bishop LeBlond alum Jaren Guck took the mound and pitched four innings, striking out 10 Griffons on the night, giving up just the one run and three hits, while walking one, earning his first win of the season.&nbsp;&nbsp;Caden Carter pitched the final three innings, striking out six, walking two and giving up two hits.&nbsp;

The Mustangs did fall behind in the first inning, as the Griffons struck for their one run early,&nbsp;Griffin DuVall singling home&nbsp;Joe Adams.&nbsp; But, St. Joseph quickly took the lead back, thanks to a four run second inning.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Tyler Gundelfinger reached first on a throwing error, scoring another Northwest product, catcher Parker Griffith, and advancing Benton alum Chris Coy to third base.&nbsp; Coy scored on a single by Lafayette alum Jayden Little, before Savannah alum&nbsp;Truman Bodenhausen reached first on a fielders choice, scoring&nbsp;Gundelfinger.&nbsp; Trevor McCollum's sacrifice fly to right field later in the inning brought Bodenhausen home.&nbsp;

Two more runs were added in the fourth inning.&nbsp; Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart singled and Jack Mosh reached on an error before Griffith was walked to load the bases.&nbsp; With the bases loaded, Coy was hit by a pitch, bringing Luikart home to score.&nbsp; A sacrifice fly by&nbsp;Gundelfinger scored Mosh.&nbsp; Another two runs were added in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by Gundelfinger, as Luikart and Mosh both scored.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A three run seventh inning was the final blow, and secured the walk off in the run rule win.&nbsp; With the bases loaded, Mosh walked to bring home Darius Freeman.&nbsp; A single from Griffith drove in McCollum before Coy hit a walk off sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Luikart.&nbsp;

At the plate, Griffith and Luikart led the way, both going 2-for-3, Griffith with one RBI and one run scored, walking twice while Luikart scored three runs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Gundelfinger was 0-for-1 but drove in four runs, and walked once.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Mustangs are now off until Wednesday, June 4th, when they again host the KC Monarchs.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:30pm with gates opening at 5:15 at Phil Welch Stadium.&nbsp; It will be&nbsp;Baseball and Babies Night with activities for young families throughout the stadium, courtesy of Parents as Teachers. There will also be a Baby Crawling Race.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748748828207.jpeg" alt="Northwest Missouri State pitcher Jaren Guck got the start for the St. Joseph Mustangs on Northwest Missouri State University Night and struck out 10 batters over four innings in and 11-1 run rule victory for the Mustangs over the Nevada Griffons/ Photo courtesy of the Mustangs on X" />
 <figcaption>Northwest Missouri State pitcher Jaren Guck got the start for the St. Joseph Mustangs on Northwest Missouri State University Night and struck out 10 batters over four innings in and 11-1 run rule victory for the Mustangs over the Nevada Griffons/ Photo courtesy of the Mustangs on X</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKEOn Northwest Missouri State University night at the ballpark, it was a Northwest Missouri State University pitcher who shut down the Nevada Griffons as the St. Joseph Mustangs opened MINK league play with an 11-1 run rule victory in seven innings.&nbsp;Northwest Missouri State University pitcher and Bishop LeBlond alum Jaren Guck took the mound and pitched four innings, striking out 10 Griffons on the night, giving up just the one run and three hits, while walking one, earning his first win of the season.&nbsp;&nbsp;Caden Carter pitched the final three innings, striking out six, walking two and giving up two hits.&nbsp;The Mustangs did fall behind in the first inning, as the Griffons struck for their one run early,&nbsp;Griffin DuVall singling home&nbsp;Joe Adams.&nbsp; But, St. Joseph quickly took the lead back, thanks to a four run second inning.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tyler Gundelfinger reached first on a throwing error, scoring another Northwest product, catcher Parker Griffith, and advancing Benton alum Chris Coy to third base.&nbsp; Coy scored on a single by Lafayette alum Jayden Little, before Savannah alum&nbsp;Truman Bodenhausen reached first on a fielders choice, scoring&nbsp;Gundelfinger.&nbsp; Trevor McCollum's sacrifice fly to right field later in the inning brought Bodenhausen home.&nbsp;Two more runs were added in the fourth inning.&nbsp; Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart singled and Jack Mosh reached on an error before Griffith was walked to load the bases.&nbsp; With the bases loaded, Coy was hit by a pitch, bringing Luikart home to score.&nbsp; A sacrifice fly by&nbsp;Gundelfinger scored Mosh.&nbsp; Another two runs were added in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by Gundelfinger, as Luikart and Mosh both scored.&nbsp;&nbsp;A three run seventh inning was the final blow, and secured the walk off in the run rule win.&nbsp; With the bases loaded, Mosh walked to bring home Darius Freeman.&nbsp; A single from Griffith drove in McCollum before Coy hit a walk off sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Luikart.&nbsp;At the plate, Griffith and Luikart led the way, both going 2-for-3, Griffith with one RBI and one run scored, walking twice while Luikart scored three runs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Gundelfinger was 0-for-1 but drove in four runs, and walked once.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Mustangs are now off until Wednesday, June 4th, when they again host the KC Monarchs.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:30pm with gates opening at 5:15 at Phil Welch Stadium.&nbsp; It will be&nbsp;Baseball and Babies Night with activities for young families throughout the stadium, courtesy of Parents as Teachers. There will also be a Baby Crawling Race.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Mustangs win MINK league opener with 11-1 run rule victory over Nevada

The St. Louis Cardinals bounced back from a performance on Friday where they managed just one run and five hits against the Texas Rangers, getting a 2-0 shutout win on Saturday afternoon at Globe Life Field.&nbsp;

Prior to the game,&nbsp;The Cardinals placed Jordan Walker on the 10-day injured list with left wrist inflammation, retroactive to Thursday.&nbsp;Walker had found his offensive stroke of late, batting .300 in his last 14 games played with a .792 OPS and 11 RBIs.&nbsp; &nbsp;In a corresponding move, the Cardinals selected outfielder Ryan Vilade from Triple-A Memphis. Vilade, was expected to arrive in the middle of Saturday’s game, was batting .280 with five home runs and 31 RBIs at Memphis.&nbsp; Vilade played in the big leagues in 2021 with Colorado and in 2024 with Detroit.

The Cardinals made a couple of pitching moves before Saturday’s game as well, optioning righty Gordon Graceffo to Memphis and recalling right-hander Roddery Muñoz. Marmol said Graceffo will remain in a relief role at Memphis with the idea of him being a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen.

The Cardinals started their scoring in the second inning.&nbsp; Willson Contreras walked to open the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch, before moving to third on a ground out by&nbsp;Iván Herrera.&nbsp; A sacrifice fly by Nolan Arenado drove in Contreras for the score.&nbsp; In the fourth inning, St. Louis scored their second run as Masyn Winn doubled, and was driven in on a ground rule double by Contreras.&nbsp;

Sonny Gray improved to 6-1 on the season with an ace-worthy, seven inning, shutout performance. He retired nine straight at one point, including striking out the side in the third inning. In the fifth, Gray found himself in a jam as the Rangers had two baserunners reach, but he ended that threat by getting Kyle Higashioka to fly out to center.&nbsp;&nbsp;Gray faced traffic again in the seventh, giving up a one-out single to Alejandro Osuna, but he finished his outing by striking out Jake Burger and getting Sam Haggerty to ground out. The strikeout of Burger was the 1,800th for Gray, who is one of just 10 active players to reach that mark.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Phil Maton pitched the eighth inning, walking one, but giving up no hits, before Ryan Helsley came on for the ninth, also giving up no hits and striking out two for his 13th save.&nbsp; At the plate, Winn led the way going 2-for-4 with a run scored.&nbsp;

St. Louis and Texas wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Erick Fedde (3-4, 3.90 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals in the finale against&nbsp;Jacob deGrom (4-2, 2.42 ERA) for the Rangers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 12:05pm with pregame being joined at 11:55 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).

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

By MATT PIKEThe St. Louis Cardinals bounced back from a performance on Friday where they managed just one run and five hits against the Texas Rangers, getting a 2-0 shutout win on Saturday afternoon at Globe Life Field.&nbsp;Prior to the game,&nbsp;The Cardinals placed Jordan Walker on the 10-day injured list with left wrist inflammation, retroactive to Thursday.&nbsp;Walker had found his offensive stroke of late, batting .300 in his last 14 games played with a .792 OPS and 11 RBIs.&nbsp; &nbsp;In a corresponding move, the Cardinals selected outfielder Ryan Vilade from Triple-A Memphis. Vilade, was expected to arrive in the middle of Saturday’s game, was batting .280 with five home runs and 31 RBIs at Memphis.&nbsp; Vilade played in the big leagues in 2021 with Colorado and in 2024 with Detroit.The Cardinals made a couple of pitching moves before Saturday’s game as well, optioning righty Gordon Graceffo to Memphis and recalling right-hander Roddery Muñoz. Marmol said Graceffo will remain in a relief role at Memphis with the idea of him being a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen.The Cardinals started their scoring in the second inning.&nbsp; Willson Contreras walked to open the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch, before moving to third on a ground out by&nbsp;Iván Herrera.&nbsp; A sacrifice fly by Nolan Arenado drove in Contreras for the score.&nbsp; In the fourth inning, St. Louis scored their second run as Masyn Winn doubled, and was driven in on a ground rule double by Contreras.&nbsp;Sonny Gray improved to 6-1 on the season with an ace-worthy, seven inning, shutout performance. He retired nine straight at one point, including striking out the side in the third inning. In the fifth, Gray found himself in a jam as the Rangers had two baserunners reach, but he ended that threat by getting Kyle Higashioka to fly out to center.&nbsp;&nbsp;Gray faced traffic again in the seventh, giving up a one-out single to Alejandro Osuna, but he finished his outing by striking out Jake Burger and getting Sam Haggerty to ground out. The strikeout of Burger was the 1,800th for Gray, who is one of just 10 active players to reach that mark.&nbsp;&nbsp;Phil Maton pitched the eighth inning, walking one, but giving up no hits, before Ryan Helsley came on for the ninth, also giving up no hits and striking out two for his 13th save.&nbsp; At the plate, Winn led the way going 2-for-4 with a run scored.&nbsp;St. Louis and Texas wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Erick Fedde (3-4, 3.90 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals in the finale against&nbsp;Jacob deGrom (4-2, 2.42 ERA) for the Rangers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 12:05pm with pregame being joined at 11:55 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Cardinals bounce back from poor performance with 2-0 shutout win 

A pitchers duel between the Kansas City Royals number four starter, Michael Wacha, and last years American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers ace, ended with a 1-0 win for the Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;

The day started out with the Royals celebrating a World Series winner, as former third baseman Mike Moustakas retired as a Kansas City Royal during a ceremony before the game.&nbsp; Moustakas slashed .251/.306/.430 with 139 home runs over parts of eight seasons as a Royal. His 38 home runs in 2017 set a single-season club record at the time until Jorge Soler hit 48 in 2019.&nbsp; Moustakas was traded to the Brewers in 2018, and would go on to play for the Reds, Rockies and Angels. The three-time All-Star finished his 13-year career with 215 home runs.

The game flew by, lasting just two hours, as both pitchers were on top of their game once things got underway.&nbsp; Wacha, carried a no hitter into the seventh inning, only allowing one baserunner walking Gleyber Torres in the fourth inning, while Skubal gave up just two hits, a single to Freddy Fermin in the third and a single to Nick Loftin in the fifth, striking out seven batters.&nbsp; In the seventh, Wacha gave a up a single to Colt Keith, but retired the next two batters to get out of the inning.&nbsp;

The Royals struck in the eighth inning, getting the only hit on the day between both teams with a runner in scoring position.&nbsp; After Loftin doubled off reliever&nbsp;Beau Brieske, a single from Vinnie Pasquantino into left field, bringing home Loftin who beat the offline throw for the lone score of the game, setting Kansas City up to bring on&nbsp;Carlos Estévez for the save.&nbsp;

Estévez retired the first two batters he faced before giving up a single, again to Keith, but then forced Riley Greene to groundout to end the game, earning his 16th save.&nbsp; &nbsp;With his 16th save of the season, Estévez tied Royals Hall of Famer Jeff Montgomery's franchise record for saves by the end of May.

John Schreiber earned the win in relief, improving to 2-2 on the season, striking out two and walking one in the eighth inning.&nbsp; Wacha struck out six batters through his seven innings of work, walking one and giving up one hit.&nbsp;&nbsp;The last time Wacha threw seven innings of one-hit ball was May 15, 2023 with the Padres, when he took a no-hitter into the 8th inning, against the Royals, before Michael Massey led off the inning with a single to prompt a pitching change.

On a day where both teams combined for just six hits, it was Loftin who led at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.&nbsp; Loftin also made an impressive diving catch in the outfield, after Wacha had given up the single to Keith, to prevent another hit.&nbsp;

Kansas City and Detroit wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Kris Bubic (5-2, 1.45 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals in the finale against&nbsp;Keider Montero (2-1, 4.54 ERA) for the Tigers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:10pm, with pregame coverage beginning at 12:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

By MATT PIKEA pitchers duel between the Kansas City Royals number four starter, Michael Wacha, and last years American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers ace, ended with a 1-0 win for the Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;The day started out with the Royals celebrating a World Series winner, as former third baseman Mike Moustakas retired as a Kansas City Royal during a ceremony before the game.&nbsp; Moustakas slashed .251/.306/.430 with 139 home runs over parts of eight seasons as a Royal. His 38 home runs in 2017 set a single-season club record at the time until Jorge Soler hit 48 in 2019.&nbsp; Moustakas was traded to the Brewers in 2018, and would go on to play for the Reds, Rockies and Angels. The three-time All-Star finished his 13-year career with 215 home runs.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748746284305.jpeg" alt="Former Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas retired as a Royal on Saturday/ Photo courtesy of the Royals on X" />
 <figcaption>Former Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas retired as a Royal on Saturday/ Photo courtesy of the Royals on X</figcaption>
 </figure>The game flew by, lasting just two hours, as both pitchers were on top of their game once things got underway.&nbsp; Wacha, carried a no hitter into the seventh inning, only allowing one baserunner walking Gleyber Torres in the fourth inning, while Skubal gave up just two hits, a single to Freddy Fermin in the third and a single to Nick Loftin in the fifth, striking out seven batters.&nbsp; In the seventh, Wacha gave a up a single to Colt Keith, but retired the next two batters to get out of the inning.&nbsp;The Royals struck in the eighth inning, getting the only hit on the day between both teams with a runner in scoring position.&nbsp; After Loftin doubled off reliever&nbsp;Beau Brieske, a single from Vinnie Pasquantino into left field, bringing home Loftin who beat the offline throw for the lone score of the game, setting Kansas City up to bring on&nbsp;Carlos Estévez for the save.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Vinnie. Comes. Through! <a href="https://t.co/veRdXXHCjj">pic.twitter.com/veRdXXHCjj</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1928938379736953261?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Estévez retired the first two batters he faced before giving up a single, again to Keith, but then forced Riley Greene to groundout to end the game, earning his 16th save.&nbsp; &nbsp;With his 16th save of the season, Estévez tied Royals Hall of Famer Jeff Montgomery's franchise record for saves by the end of May.John Schreiber earned the win in relief, improving to 2-2 on the season, striking out two and walking one in the eighth inning.&nbsp; Wacha struck out six batters through his seven innings of work, walking one and giving up one hit.&nbsp;&nbsp;The last time Wacha threw seven innings of one-hit ball was May 15, 2023 with the Padres, when he took a no-hitter into the 8th inning, against the Royals, before Michael Massey led off the inning with a single to prompt a pitching change.On a day where both teams combined for just six hits, it was Loftin who led at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.&nbsp; Loftin also made an impressive diving catch in the outfield, after Wacha had given up the single to Keith, to prevent another hit.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Nick outta nowhere! <a href="https://t.co/x1eoQRQFHQ">pic.twitter.com/x1eoQRQFHQ</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1928933072050815192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Kansas City and Detroit wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Kris Bubic (5-2, 1.45 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals in the finale against&nbsp;Keider Montero (2-1, 4.54 ERA) for the Tigers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:10pm, with pregame coverage beginning at 12:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Wacha's no hit bid broken up in seventh as Royals win pitchers duel 1-0

The St. Joseph Mustangs, or as they were known on Friday night the St. Joseph Tenderloins, remained undefeated to open the season with a 6-5 win over the KC Monarchs on Noah Cameron night at Phil Welch Stadium.

Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith gave the Mustangs the lead in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart.&nbsp; Griffith was 1-for-3 with two RBI's in the win.&nbsp;

There was no box score available for this game.&nbsp;

The Mustangs are back in action tomorrow, beginning MINK league play as they take on the Nevada Griffons at Phil Welch Stadium.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7pm, gates at the stadium open at 5:30.

By MATT PIKEThe St. Joseph Mustangs, or as they were known on Friday night the St. Joseph Tenderloins, remained undefeated to open the season with a 6-5 win over the KC Monarchs on Noah Cameron night at Phil Welch Stadium.Northwest Missouri State's Parker Griffith gave the Mustangs the lead in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart.&nbsp; Griffith was 1-for-3 with two RBI's in the win.&nbsp;There was no box score available for this game.&nbsp;The Mustangs are back in action tomorrow, beginning MINK league play as they take on the Nevada Griffons at Phil Welch Stadium.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7pm, gates at the stadium open at 5:30.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Mustangs stay undefeated to open season with 6-5 win over Monarchs

The Rangers offense exploded for 15 hits against the St. Louis Cardinals, finally providing run support for Texas’ electric rotation in an 11-1 victory at Globe Life Field on Friday night. 

They scored more runs in the second inning against Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore (4) than in the entire three-game series loss against the Blue Jays (3) earlier this week.&nbsp;&nbsp;The most notable Rangers hits likely belonged to Marcus Semien, who provided quite the spark from the bottom of the lineup.

Josh Jung opened the scoring in the first for the Rangers with a single, driving in&nbsp;Sam Haggerty, before the big four run second inning.&nbsp; Haggerty's triple in the second drove in two runs, scoring&nbsp;Kyle Higashioka and Semien, before he scored on a two run home run by Wyatt Langford, giving Texas a 5-0 lead in just two innings off Liberatore.&nbsp;

Liberatore did get through the next three innings scoreless, before being replaced in the sixth inning by&nbsp;Gordon Graceffo, where the Rangers added four more runs.&nbsp; Semien singled driving in Jake Burger for the first run of the frame, then with one out Haggerty drove in his third run of the game scoring&nbsp;Higashioka.&nbsp; With two outs, Jung singled, driving in his second and third runs of the game, bringing home Semien and Haggerty for a 9-0 Rangers lead.&nbsp;

Semien's two run home run in the bottom of the seventh were the final runs for Texas, scoring himself and&nbsp;Higashioka.&nbsp; St. Louis finally found their way onto the scoreboard in the eighth inning, Lars Nootbaar doubling home Victor Scott.

With the loss, Liberatore fell to 3-4 on the season, pitching five innings and giving up five runs, four earned, on seven hits while striking out five and walking one.&nbsp; The Cardinals managed just five hits in the loss, with five different players getting one hit each.&nbsp;

St. Louis and Texas continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Sonny Gray (5-1, 4.06 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Patrick Corbin (3-3, 3.75 ERA) for the Rangers. First pitch is at 3:05pm, with pregame being joined at 2:55 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).

By MATT PIKEThe Rangers offense exploded for 15 hits against the St. Louis Cardinals, finally providing run support for Texas’ electric rotation in an 11-1 victory at Globe Life Field on Friday night. They scored more runs in the second inning against Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore (4) than in the entire three-game series loss against the Blue Jays (3) earlier this week.&nbsp;&nbsp;The most notable Rangers hits likely belonged to Marcus Semien, who provided quite the spark from the bottom of the lineup.Josh Jung opened the scoring in the first for the Rangers with a single, driving in&nbsp;Sam Haggerty, before the big four run second inning.&nbsp; Haggerty's triple in the second drove in two runs, scoring&nbsp;Kyle Higashioka and Semien, before he scored on a two run home run by Wyatt Langford, giving Texas a 5-0 lead in just two innings off Liberatore.&nbsp;Liberatore did get through the next three innings scoreless, before being replaced in the sixth inning by&nbsp;Gordon Graceffo, where the Rangers added four more runs.&nbsp; Semien singled driving in Jake Burger for the first run of the frame, then with one out Haggerty drove in his third run of the game scoring&nbsp;Higashioka.&nbsp; With two outs, Jung singled, driving in his second and third runs of the game, bringing home Semien and Haggerty for a 9-0 Rangers lead.&nbsp;Semien's two run home run in the bottom of the seventh were the final runs for Texas, scoring himself and&nbsp;Higashioka.&nbsp; St. Louis finally found their way onto the scoreboard in the eighth inning, Lars Nootbaar doubling home Victor Scott.With the loss, Liberatore fell to 3-4 on the season, pitching five innings and giving up five runs, four earned, on seven hits while striking out five and walking one.&nbsp; The Cardinals managed just five hits in the loss, with five different players getting one hit each.&nbsp;St. Louis and Texas continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Sonny Gray (5-1, 4.06 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Patrick Corbin (3-3, 3.75 ERA) for the Rangers. First pitch is at 3:05pm, with pregame being joined at 2:55 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Rangers offense erupts in 11-1 blowout over Cardinals

Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo returned from the 15 day injured list, but his return was spoiled as Kansas City fell to the Detroit Tigers in a crucial AL Central clash, losing 7-5 on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp;

Detroit took the lead right away in the game, as Riley Green hit a two run homer in the first inning, driving in Colt Keith, for the quick two run lead.&nbsp; Kansas City cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the inning with a home run of their own, Bobby Witt Jr hitting a solo shot into left center field, but the Tigers extended the lead in the second inning on another two run homer, this time from&nbsp;Dillon Dingler scoring Wenceel Pérez.

The Royals continued to battle back, again cutting the lead to one run in the bottom of the third inning as Drew Waters singled home Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez with the bases loaded, but John Rave and Michael Massey both struck out swinging to end the inning, leaving Maikel Garcia stranded at third base.&nbsp;

Spencer Torkelson singled home another run in the top of the fifth inning for Detroit, scoring Kerry Carpenter, but again the Royals scored keeping within striking distance, a sacrifice fly by Mark Canha in the bottom of the seventh inning bringing home Garcia.&nbsp; Again though, Massey struck out to end the inning and the threat from Kansas City, giving the Tigers the opportunity to put the game away in the eighth, where they scored two more runs.&nbsp;

Torkelson hit his 14th home run of the season for the first run of the inning, which was followed by a double by Perez.&nbsp; Perez scored on a single by Dingler for the final run for Detroit.&nbsp; Waters did single home Garcia in the ninth inning with two outs, but Canha grounded out to end the game.&nbsp;

Lugo fell to 3-5 with the loss, pitching 3 1/3 innings and giving up four runs on five hits, striking out three and walking two in his return. Garcia led the way at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one walk in the loss.&nbsp;&nbsp;

 Just when the Royals got a crucial piece to their rotation back with&nbsp; Lugo coming off the injured list on , Kansas City took another hit in its bullpen with Lucas Erceg placed on the 15-day IL with a low back strain, retroactive to May 27.

Erceg hadn’t pitched since Saturday in Minnesota, but there were two reasons for that. First, he got the illness that was going around the clubhouse last weekend, with a fever and general fatigue. Because he wasn’t feeling well, he missed at least one workout and wanted to get back in the weight room on Tuesday.&nbsp; That’s when Erceg “tweaked” his back while lifting, he said.

Kansas City and Detroit continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Wacha (3-4, 3.21 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against last years Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal (5-2, 2.49 ERA) for the Tigers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 3:10pm, pregame coverage will begin at 2:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

By MATT PIKERoyals starting pitcher Seth Lugo returned from the 15 day injured list, but his return was spoiled as Kansas City fell to the Detroit Tigers in a crucial AL Central clash, losing 7-5 on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp;Detroit took the lead right away in the game, as Riley Green hit a two run homer in the first inning, driving in Colt Keith, for the quick two run lead.&nbsp; Kansas City cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the inning with a home run of their own, Bobby Witt Jr hitting a solo shot into left center field, but the Tigers extended the lead in the second inning on another two run homer, this time from&nbsp;Dillon Dingler scoring Wenceel Pérez.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Bobby Baseball’s blasting off. 🚀 <a href="https://t.co/T78G6K6GKD">pic.twitter.com/T78G6K6GKD</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1928608612957446281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Royals continued to battle back, again cutting the lead to one run in the bottom of the third inning as Drew Waters singled home Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez with the bases loaded, but John Rave and Michael Massey both struck out swinging to end the inning, leaving Maikel Garcia stranded at third base.&nbsp;Spencer Torkelson singled home another run in the top of the fifth inning for Detroit, scoring Kerry Carpenter, but again the Royals scored keeping within striking distance, a sacrifice fly by Mark Canha in the bottom of the seventh inning bringing home Garcia.&nbsp; Again though, Massey struck out to end the inning and the threat from Kansas City, giving the Tigers the opportunity to put the game away in the eighth, where they scored two more runs.&nbsp;Torkelson hit his 14th home run of the season for the first run of the inning, which was followed by a double by Perez.&nbsp; Perez scored on a single by Dingler for the final run for Detroit.&nbsp; Waters did single home Garcia in the ninth inning with two outs, but Canha grounded out to end the game.&nbsp;Lugo fell to 3-5 with the loss, pitching 3 1/3 innings and giving up four runs on five hits, striking out three and walking two in his return. Garcia led the way at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one walk in the loss.&nbsp;&nbsp; Just when the Royals got a crucial piece to their rotation back with&nbsp; Lugo coming off the injured list on , Kansas City took another hit in its bullpen with Lucas Erceg placed on the 15-day IL with a low back strain, retroactive to May 27.Erceg hadn’t pitched since Saturday in Minnesota, but there were two reasons for that. First, he got the illness that was going around the clubhouse last weekend, with a fever and general fatigue. Because he wasn’t feeling well, he missed at least one workout and wanted to get back in the weight room on Tuesday.&nbsp; That’s when Erceg “tweaked” his back while lifting, he said.Kansas City and Detroit continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Wacha (3-4, 3.21 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against last years Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal (5-2, 2.49 ERA) for the Tigers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 3:10pm, pregame coverage will begin at 2:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

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