Garcia Rolls, Monarchs Bats Lift off in Tense Doubleheader
August 6, 2024 - American Association (AA)
Kansas City Monarchs News Release
Kansas City Monarchs' Isiah Gilliam
(Kansas City Monarchs, Credit: Madison Riebel)
KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The Kansas City Monarchs and Sioux City Explorers split a thrilling doubleheader Tuesday night at Legends Field.
Kansas City completed its fastest game of the season to breeze to a 7-0 win in the opener. The Monarchs poured 13 hits on J.D. Scholten to even the four-game series. The Explorers bounced back in game two with an 8-7 victory.
The Monarchs' (37-38) bats came to play in both games. The Monarchs scored four runs by the second inning in both contests.
Kansas City posted four home runs off Sioux City's (35-40) pitching across the doubleheader. The Monarchs are up to 14 home runs in 13 games after the All-Star Break and 61 on the season.
GAME 1: 7-0, Kansas City
RHP Julian Garcia set the tone for Kansas City in Tuesday's opening game.
The All-Star recorded six strikeouts his first time through the lineup card. Garcia struck out the side in the first inning to get it going for KC.
"That's how the man pitches, he's just pumping fastballs over the plate," outfielder Isiah Gilliam said.
"It makes our job a little simpler."
Garcia retired as many as eight batters in a row. The 29-year-old faced the minimum in three different innings.
Kansas City exploded for an early four-spot in the second inning.
Herbert Iser connected on a Scholten offspeed to deposit a towering home run to right field. The Monarchs catcher is up to five home runs this season.
"It gave us a burst of energy," Gilliam said.
Lorenzo Cedrola added to the 1-0 advantage with a two-run triple to right-center field. The former Triple-A outfielder made it 3-0 Monarchs.
Gilliam took over from there, recording RBI singles in the second and fifth innings.
"I think that [performance] is our max potential," Gilliam said. "I think we could've added a few more runs, but we got the job done."
The Monarchs added one more run in the fifth on a Ross Adolph fielder's choice. The seven runs was the most given up by Scholten all season.
Adolph finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the victory.
GAME 2: 8-7, Sioux City
Gilliam kept it going for KC in game two, but the Monarchs lost out in a thrilling affair.
The Monarchs' right-fielder hammered a two-run home run to left-center field in the first inning.
Gilliam lifted a fastball at 109 mph off the bat to make it 2-0.
Travis Swaggerty connected for a solo home run two pitches later. The Monarchs went back-to-back at Legends Field for the first time all season to make it 3-0 going into the second.
Swaggerty is up to seven home runs this season.
Overland Park, Kansas native Collin Wiles had a strong pitching debut. The former major leaguer gave up just one unearned run in the third inning and recorded two strikeouts in four innings.
The X's bit back in the fifth to take a 6-5 lead. Sioux City scored five runs on five hits and three Monarchs errors. Ozzie Martinez tied the game with an RBI single and Zac Vooletich punched a single to left to give Sioux City the lead.
Hayden Jones came through clutch in the bottom of the fifth. The Monarchs catcher drilled a two-run single down the first-base line to give the Monarchs a 7-6 advantage.
Sioux City took the lead in the top of the sixth inning with two more runs. Martinez recorded a go- ahead RBI groundout to make it 8-7 Explorers.
Martinez finished 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs and a run scored.
UP NEXT
The Monarchs and Explorers finish their four-game set at 6:35 p.m. on Wednesday. LHP Matt Hall gets the ball for Kansas City against LHP Jaren Jackson for Sioux City.
Images from this story
 Kansas City Monarchs' Isiah Gilliam (Madison Riebel) |
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