[rink23]

Record: 16-11, 3rd, 4.5 GB Springfield
Kansas City roughed up St. Louis starting pitcher Kevin Hrdlicka for five runs in the bottom of the first inning and the Monarchs went on for a 7-5 win at Kauffman Stadium.
Beginning with a lead-off single by Nick Kline, KC saw six of its first seven batters reach base against Hrdlicka.
Alejandro Crespo followed Kline's single with a double.
Josh Shuler then connected on another double making it 2-0.
Amari Simpson plated two more runs with a bases-loaded single.
Kline drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs to make it 5-0.
The River Walkers climbed back into it with three runs off Monarchs starting pitcher Alexis Yanez in the top of the fifth.
Pinch-hitter Jordan Quinto and Mark Herman both drove in runs with doubles.
A RBI single by Manuel Coke made it 5-3.
KC got two of those runs back in the fifth against the St. Louis bullpen.
Jesse Gathier hit Jordan Grullon with a pitch to start the inning.
However, he retired the next two before giving up a single to pinch-hitter Eric Marion to put runners at first and third.
Jose Tapia replaced Gaither.
He wasn't good.
Kline greeted him with a single.
Crespo then scored Marion with a double.
St. Louis did make it interesting.
Mark Waterson led off the eighth with his eighth homer of the season, it came off Jeremy Bangs, to slice the deficit to 7-4.
Alex Nunez led off the ninth with a double off Omar Moreno.
He later scored on a two-out single by Coke.
A single by Nick Shaw put runners at first and second.
Mario Salmeron came into the game and struck out Waterson to end it.
Yanez (4-2), who earned the win, worked five innings, allowing three runs on six hits He struck out five and walked one.
Nate Wilson, Willie Mendoza and Bangs all pitched an inning.
Wilson's and Mendoza's were scoreless.
Moreno (0.2) and Salmeron (0.1) handled the ninth.
Salmeron posted his second save.