Chiefs Player Quotes May 5, 2024

Q:&nbsp;What have the first couple of days been like?

SUAMATAIA:&nbsp;“I just take it in day-by-day. It’s crazy, I was sitting back talking with a lot of the guys I met at the Combine like Jared Wiley and Xavier (Worthy), I was talking with them like, ‘It’s crazy that we are actually here now. Everyday we are waking up putting on Chiefs gear.’ I don’t really feel like I’ve settled in like, ‘Okay I’m here now.’ It’s just a blessing being here.”

Q:&nbsp;What have you talked about with the players in this draft class as far as the mark you want to make?

SUAMATAIA:&nbsp;“Just be a team player. Come in, learn from the veterans who are here already and just wherever best fits for us. Obviously go out there and ball out every day, get that spot. Just come in, be a team player and be whatever best fits for (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid.”

Q:&nbsp;Have you connected with Patrick Mahomes yet?

SUAMATAIA:&nbsp;“Yeah, Patrick (Mahomes) was probably the second guy who hit me up. Just getting ready, he said he’s fired up. I’m just trying to get in the playbook as fast as I can to best help our O-line and the team. Patrick has been a great mentor as well, just waking up to a message from him blows my mind.”

Q:&nbsp;What do you think about coming in and competing for a spot on the offensive line?

SUAMATAIA:&nbsp;“Most definitely. Just come in and work every day. I’ve got to put my best foot forward and outwork the guy in front of me. I definitely love all the guys that are here, coming in as a rookie trying to gain all the knowledge I can so I can learn the playbook the best, so I can potentially be out there and play next to them. It’s definitely a great opportunity for me, I’m super excited. I’m happy, (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) can put that on me that I can play, I’m ready.”

HANSON:&nbsp;“Amazing, wonderful. Winning team, winning culture, family bonding, relationship building, everything. It’s been great so far, getting to meet all the guys and learning the playbook. Meeting the coaches, everything, it’s been fantastic.”

Q:&nbsp;What was the point where you thought it was realistic that you could play in the NFL?

HANSON:&nbsp;“This was always my dream, from birth, I’ve always wanted it. I’ve always known, I never thought though. I’ve always known but I’ve never thought. Until agents started reaching out to me after the fourth game this year then I was like, ‘Wow I have a chance.’ Kind of just went from there and helped myself out in the last two months and now I am here. I’ve always dreamed of it, and I’ve always had it in the back of my mind that this is what I want to do and I think this is where I belong. I’ve put my whole life towards it so I’m happy I’m here.”

Q:&nbsp;What was the night like for you when you got drafted?

HANSON:&nbsp;“It was incredible. At the end of the night, I was literally just looking at my phone and crying at the video. It’s so surreal to me. To have all my friends there to have all my family there. To see the progress over the 23 years of my life towards the game actually payoff. For somebody – the first person in Holy Cross history since 1989 to get drafted – I mean, it means the world to me. Not only for my family but also for my school and for my teammates. It’s incredible.”

Q:&nbsp;What do you want to bring to the Chiefs this season?

HANSON:&nbsp;“I want to be the best possible teammate I can be. Improve this team in anyway I can, just give it my all every day. Your best is good enough and I’m going to give it my best every day. As long as I can give it my best, show my teammates that I’m giving my best, show my coaches that I’m working hard and being a progressive learner and doing good every day – then I think that’s all I need to do.”

Q: How has this past week been after getting drafted and starting camp?

HICKS: “It was a lot of weight lifted off the shoulders for being drafted, that was a cool moment me and my family had. Just the process of getting in here, (I’ve) been working out trying to get prepared for this moment. I’m taking every moment like it’s my last. Getting the playbook down, that’s been going good. First practice was really good so I’m excited for the next few practices.”

Q: You’re from Las Vegas. The Raiders moved out there a few years ago. Were you a fan of the Raiders, and if so, how does it feel to be with the Chiefs now?

HICKS: “No, I wasn’t a fan of the Raiders, so you guys don’t have to worry about that. Even my family, they’re all excited for me. We’re all Kansas City Chiefs now, it’s pretty cool.”

Q: What are your expectations for yourself this season?

HICKS: “I’m just going to give the team my all and show up everyday knowing that I can be accountable.”

Q:&nbsp;What about Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, what’s he been like so far?

HICKS:&nbsp;“Yeah, I love his energy. I love what he brings, so I think I’m going to fit right in with this defense.”

Q: What are your first thoughts of being here and playing for the Super Bowl champion?

HADDEN:&nbsp;“I’m very thankful for the opportunity, blessed, I can’t thank God enough for the opportunity. I’m just glad to be here, glad to be a part of this organization and thankful.”

Q: You came off of a shoulder injury, how does it feel to be out there competing again?

HADDEN: “It was a great feeling, I kind of got that in-game experience a little bit at practice yesterday. It’s just a great feeling, a very appreciative feeling. Once you get the game taken away from you for a while, it makes you appreciate it a little more, it makes you want to go a little harder in practice and just give your everything while you are playing because you never know when it can be taken away from you and you just want to make the most of your opportunities. Coming into this organization, it’s a great organization, you’re very thankful and it’s a blessing to be here and be a part of something like this so you just want to do everything you can to help this organization.”

Q: You had a chance to go against Xavier Worthy yesterday in practice, what was that like?

HADDEN: “Xavier (Worthy), he’s a great receiver, the speed is one thing but I feel like he runs great routes, he’s a great route runner and he’s a guy that can get open and I feel like he’s a guy that’s going to make a lot of plays in the league and he’s going to do his thing here. It was just good to go against him and see – just different receivers – I never played against him in college but I saw him a lot so it was a good iron-sharpens-iron rep.&nbsp; I just want to take the whole thing and be appreciative that I can go against somebody like that to get me better and I can also get him better as well.”

Q: The Chiefs, specifically under Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, have had a lot of success with late round cornerback draft picks. Have you thought about that fit and the history that they have?

HADDEN: “I just think it’s another opportunity. Another guy that can come in and show up and show (Defensive Coordinator Steve) Spags (that) he can really recruit and he can see talent, even in the late rounds. He can go get guys, he can develop guys and that was one thing that I met on my (top) 30 visit, it was just a connection there, I knew him, he worked through my DC (defensive coordinator) at Tennessee (Tim Banks) before. It was just a great thing and it’s a great opportunity to go in there and fill those shoes and go out there and be able to play under a coach like Coach Spags.”

Chiefs Player Quotes May 5, 2024T KINGSLEY SUAMATAIAQ:&nbsp;What have the first couple of days been like?SUAMATAIA:&nbsp;“I just take it in day-by-day. It’s crazy, I was sitting back talking with a lot of the guys I met at the Combine like Jared Wiley and Xavier (Worthy), I was talking with them like, ‘It’s crazy that we are actually here now. Everyday we are waking up putting on Chiefs gear.’ I don’t really feel like I’ve settled in like, ‘Okay I’m here now.’ It’s just a blessing being here.”Q:&nbsp;What have you talked about with the players in this draft class as far as the mark you want to make?SUAMATAIA:&nbsp;“Just be a team player. Come in, learn from the veterans who are here already and just wherever best fits for us. Obviously go out there and ball out every day, get that spot. Just come in, be a team player and be whatever best fits for (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid.”Q:&nbsp;Have you connected with Patrick Mahomes yet?SUAMATAIA:&nbsp;“Yeah, Patrick (Mahomes) was probably the second guy who hit me up. Just getting ready, he said he’s fired up. I’m just trying to get in the playbook as fast as I can to best help our O-line and the team. Patrick has been a great mentor as well, just waking up to a message from him blows my mind.”Q:&nbsp;What do you think about coming in and competing for a spot on the offensive line?SUAMATAIA:&nbsp;“Most definitely. Just come in and work every day. I’ve got to put my best foot forward and outwork the guy in front of me. I definitely love all the guys that are here, coming in as a rookie trying to gain all the knowledge I can so I can learn the playbook the best, so I can potentially be out there and play next to them. It’s definitely a great opportunity for me, I’m super excited. I’m happy, (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) can put that on me that I can play, I’m ready.”OL C.J. HANSONQ:&nbsp;How was the first day?HANSON:&nbsp;“Amazing, wonderful. Winning team, winning culture, family bonding, relationship building, everything. It’s been great so far, getting to meet all the guys and learning the playbook. Meeting the coaches, everything, it’s been fantastic.”Q:&nbsp;What was the point where you thought it was realistic that you could play in the NFL?HANSON:&nbsp;“This was always my dream, from birth, I’ve always wanted it. I’ve always known, I never thought though. I’ve always known but I’ve never thought. Until agents started reaching out to me after the fourth game this year then I was like, ‘Wow I have a chance.’ Kind of just went from there and helped myself out in the last two months and now I am here. I’ve always dreamed of it, and I’ve always had it in the back of my mind that this is what I want to do and I think this is where I belong. I’ve put my whole life towards it so I’m happy I’m here.”Q:&nbsp;What was the night like for you when you got drafted?HANSON:&nbsp;“It was incredible. At the end of the night, I was literally just looking at my phone and crying at the video. It’s so surreal to me. To have all my friends there to have all my family there. To see the progress over the 23 years of my life towards the game actually payoff. For somebody – the first person in Holy Cross history since 1989 to get drafted – I mean, it means the world to me. Not only for my family but also for my school and for my teammates. It’s incredible.”Q:&nbsp;What do you want to bring to the Chiefs this season?HANSON:&nbsp;“I want to be the best possible teammate I can be. Improve this team in anyway I can, just give it my all every day. Your best is good enough and I’m going to give it my best every day. As long as I can give it my best, show my teammates that I’m giving my best, show my coaches that I’m working hard and being a progressive learner and doing good every day – then I think that’s all I need to do.”S JADEN HICKSQ: How has this past week been after getting drafted and starting camp?HICKS: “It was a lot of weight lifted off the shoulders for being drafted, that was a cool moment me and my family had. Just the process of getting in here, (I’ve) been working out trying to get prepared for this moment. I’m taking every moment like it’s my last. Getting the playbook down, that’s been going good. First practice was really good so I’m excited for the next few practices.”Q: You’re from Las Vegas. The Raiders moved out there a few years ago. Were you a fan of the Raiders, and if so, how does it feel to be with the Chiefs now?HICKS: “No, I wasn’t a fan of the Raiders, so you guys don’t have to worry about that. Even my family, they’re all excited for me. We’re all Kansas City Chiefs now, it’s pretty cool.”Q: What are your expectations for yourself this season?HICKS: “I’m just going to give the team my all and show up everyday knowing that I can be accountable.”Q:&nbsp;What about Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, what’s he been like so far?HICKS:&nbsp;“Yeah, I love his energy. I love what he brings, so I think I’m going to fit right in with this defense.”CB KAMAL HADDENQ: What are your first thoughts of being here and playing for the Super Bowl champion?HADDEN:&nbsp;“I’m very thankful for the opportunity, blessed, I can’t thank God enough for the opportunity. I’m just glad to be here, glad to be a part of this organization and thankful.”Q: You came off of a shoulder injury, how does it feel to be out there competing again?HADDEN: “It was a great feeling, I kind of got that in-game experience a little bit at practice yesterday. It’s just a great feeling, a very appreciative feeling. Once you get the game taken away from you for a while, it makes you appreciate it a little more, it makes you want to go a little harder in practice and just give your everything while you are playing because you never know when it can be taken away from you and you just want to make the most of your opportunities. Coming into this organization, it’s a great organization, you’re very thankful and it’s a blessing to be here and be a part of something like this so you just want to do everything you can to help this organization.”Q: You had a chance to go against Xavier Worthy yesterday in practice, what was that like?HADDEN: “Xavier (Worthy), he’s a great receiver, the speed is one thing but I feel like he runs great routes, he’s a great route runner and he’s a guy that can get open and I feel like he’s a guy that’s going to make a lot of plays in the league and he’s going to do his thing here. It was just good to go against him and see – just different receivers – I never played against him in college but I saw him a lot so it was a good iron-sharpens-iron rep.&nbsp; I just want to take the whole thing and be appreciative that I can go against somebody like that to get me better and I can also get him better as well.”Q: The Chiefs, specifically under Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, have had a lot of success with late round cornerback draft picks. Have you thought about that fit and the history that they have?HADDEN: “I just think it’s another opportunity. Another guy that can come in and show up and show (Defensive Coordinator Steve) Spags (that) he can really recruit and he can see talent, even in the late rounds. He can go get guys, he can develop guys and that was one thing that I met on my (top) 30 visit, it was just a connection there, I knew him, he worked through my DC (defensive coordinator) at Tennessee (Tim Banks) before. It was just a great thing and it’s a great opportunity to go in there and fill those shoes and go out there and be able to play under a coach like Coach Spags.”

Fwd: Chiefs Quotes: 5-5-24

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jonah Heim hit a tying solo home run in the ninth inning and Nathaniel Lowe had a go-ahead RBI single in the 10th, leading the Texas Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

With one out in the 10th, Corey Seager singled off James McArthur (1-1) to put runners on first and third. Lowe followed with his third RBI of the series to score Leody Tavares.

David Robertson pitched a scoreless 10th that included an intentional walk to Bobby Witt Jr. with two outs to seal the win for the Rangers with his first save of the season.

Kirby Yates (3-0) earned the win by tossing two scoreless innings of relief.

Heim tied it at 2 in the ninth off McArthur when his shot struck the right-field foul pole for a home run. The homer snapped a season-high four-game drought for the Rangers.

It was the third straight series win for the Rangers overall and the sixth in a row against the Royals since 2021.

Texas moved to 3-3 in rubber games this season, while Kansas City dropped to 1-5.

Rangers starter Jon Gray allowed two runs and seven hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in seven innings.

Kansas City's Daniel Lynch tossed five innings of shutout ball in his season debut with just two hits, two walks and six strikeouts. Lynch retired 10 straight after getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the first.

Vinnie Pasquantino gave the Royals an early 2-0 lead with a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the first and an RBI double in the third. But Kansas City went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Kansas City recalled Lynch for the start and optioned RHP Colin Selby to Triple-A Omaha to make room.

Rangers rookie OF Wyatt Langford left Saturday night with right hamstring tightness and was scheduled to have an MRI on Sunday. The team expected to know more by Monday.

Rangers: Texas will head to Oakland for a four-game series. Andrew Heaney (0-4, 5.10 ERA) will start against the A's.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714960890850.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Royals' Daniel Lynch IV pitches the ball during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Nick Tre. Smith)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals' Daniel Lynch IV pitches the ball during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Nick Tre. Smith)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jonah Heim hit a tying solo home run in the ninth inning and Nathaniel Lowe had a go-ahead RBI single in the 10th, leading the Texas Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.With one out in the 10th, Corey Seager singled off James McArthur (1-1) to put runners on first and third. Lowe followed with his third RBI of the series to score Leody Tavares.David Robertson pitched a scoreless 10th that included an intentional walk to Bobby Witt Jr. with two outs to seal the win for the Rangers with his first save of the season.Kirby Yates (3-0) earned the win by tossing two scoreless innings of relief.Heim tied it at 2 in the ninth off McArthur when his shot struck the right-field foul pole for a home run. The homer snapped a season-high four-game drought for the Rangers.It was the third straight series win for the Rangers overall and the sixth in a row against the Royals since 2021.Texas moved to 3-3 in rubber games this season, while Kansas City dropped to 1-5.Rangers starter Jon Gray allowed two runs and seven hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in seven innings.Kansas City's Daniel Lynch tossed five innings of shutout ball in his season debut with just two hits, two walks and six strikeouts. Lynch retired 10 straight after getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the first.Vinnie Pasquantino gave the Royals an early 2-0 lead with a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the first and an RBI double in the third. But Kansas City went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.ROSTER MOVESKansas City recalled Lynch for the start and optioned RHP Colin Selby to Triple-A Omaha to make room.TRAINER’S ROOMRangers rookie OF Wyatt Langford left Saturday night with right hamstring tightness and was scheduled to have an MRI on Sunday. The team expected to know more by Monday.UP NEXTRangers: Texas will head to Oakland for a four-game series. Andrew Heaney (0-4, 5.10 ERA) will start against the A's.

⚾ Lowe's RBI single in the 10th leads Rangers past Royals

GREAT BEND - The Kansas Wesleyan Baseball team opened the KCAC tournament with a 5-1 win over the Evangel Valor on Thursday at the Great Bend Sports Complex.

Thursday's games were delayed by two hours on Thursday morning due to a line of storms that developed in the area and continued to plague the area during the early morning.

The Coyotes had to wait their turn as the top seed, playing the last game of the evening.

It was a scoreless game until the bottom of the fourth when the Coyotes broke through. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/d937f34e-247e-40a1-b2c5-4ba927229bd9?elinkdata=9844">Cruz Oxford</a> started the rally with a single to short, followed by a hit by <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/2f2dab27-140d-4c46-a14f-ad681a32678a?elinkdata=9844">Tyler Favretto</a>. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/0ba8a288-c59d-4e37-934d-c20a68709e3a?elinkdata=9844">Reece Bishop</a> advanced the base runners with a fly out and the <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/6574890f-0af4-4a1b-9bd4-96956a50ec7c?elinkdata=9844">Zack Beatty</a> broke the scoreless tie with a single through the left side to score Oxford and put the Coyotes up 1-0.

Evangel tied it in the top of the sixth and it was 1-1 until the bottom of the second when the Coyote offense finally came alive.

<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/df00991f-49ed-4607-a848-1b2ac16ac885?elinkdata=9844">Adrian Villalobos</a> led off the inning with a single and moved to second on <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/975b9302-c6a0-4969-b9b4-54406abdcd77?elinkdata=9844">Alex Garcia's</a> sacrifice. Two batters later, the Coyotes got it going as <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/d6c3fc84-95cf-4e75-a953-dcd144c2e84f?elinkdata=9844">Kendall Foster</a> snuck one down the line in left for a RBI double, and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/37cbf06d-5637-46d1-b174-ab6096d9c337?elinkdata=9844">Jarrett Gable</a> followed with a RBI triple. Oxford then added a RBI double in the inning to make it 4-1.

Evangel threatened in the eighth, but <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/6230f2b2-ab12-4476-b5d2-c656998dcb5b?elinkdata=9844">Ritter Steinmann</a> forced a line out to first to end the inning with a runner on third for the Valor.

The Coyotes added one more run in the eighth. Villalobos walked and then scored when Garcia reached on an error in the outfield.

Oxford had three of KWU's 10 hits in the game. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/ebb6774f-b796-4cee-8320-56069c8cf515?elinkdata=9844">Zach Westbrook</a> went seven innings for the Coyotes, allowing a run on seven hits, while striking out eight in the win. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/27947433-40b9-4aeb-8837-aa71f22b2932?elinkdata=9844">Ritter Steinmann</a> pitched the eighth and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/eeb875c5-1d31-44f0-b16d-11cecd95e09e?elinkdata=9844">Ryan Sandoval</a> pitched the ninth with two strikeouts.

Wesleyan is back in action on Friday taking on McPherson at 6:45 p.m. A victory over the Bulldogs pushes the Coyotes into the top bracket final at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday. The loser plays again at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday in an elimination game.

GREAT BEND - The Kansas Wesleyan Baseball team opened the KCAC tournament with a 5-1 win over the Evangel Valor on Thursday at the Great Bend Sports Complex.Thursday's games were delayed by two hours on Thursday morning due to a line of storms that developed in the area and continued to plague the area during the early morning.The Coyotes had to wait their turn as the top seed, playing the last game of the evening.It was a scoreless game until the bottom of the fourth when the Coyotes broke through. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/d937f34e-247e-40a1-b2c5-4ba927229bd9?elinkdata=9844">Cruz Oxford</a> started the rally with a single to short, followed by a hit by <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/2f2dab27-140d-4c46-a14f-ad681a32678a?elinkdata=9844">Tyler Favretto</a>. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/0ba8a288-c59d-4e37-934d-c20a68709e3a?elinkdata=9844">Reece Bishop</a> advanced the base runners with a fly out and the <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/6574890f-0af4-4a1b-9bd4-96956a50ec7c?elinkdata=9844">Zack Beatty</a> broke the scoreless tie with a single through the left side to score Oxford and put the Coyotes up 1-0.Evangel tied it in the top of the sixth and it was 1-1 until the bottom of the second when the Coyote offense finally came alive.<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/df00991f-49ed-4607-a848-1b2ac16ac885?elinkdata=9844">Adrian Villalobos</a> led off the inning with a single and moved to second on <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/975b9302-c6a0-4969-b9b4-54406abdcd77?elinkdata=9844">Alex Garcia's</a> sacrifice. Two batters later, the Coyotes got it going as <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/d6c3fc84-95cf-4e75-a953-dcd144c2e84f?elinkdata=9844">Kendall Foster</a> snuck one down the line in left for a RBI double, and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/37cbf06d-5637-46d1-b174-ab6096d9c337?elinkdata=9844">Jarrett Gable</a> followed with a RBI triple. Oxford then added a RBI double in the inning to make it 4-1.Evangel threatened in the eighth, but <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/6230f2b2-ab12-4476-b5d2-c656998dcb5b?elinkdata=9844">Ritter Steinmann</a> forced a line out to first to end the inning with a runner on third for the Valor.The Coyotes added one more run in the eighth. Villalobos walked and then scored when Garcia reached on an error in the outfield.Oxford had three of KWU's 10 hits in the game. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/ebb6774f-b796-4cee-8320-56069c8cf515?elinkdata=9844">Zach Westbrook</a> went seven innings for the Coyotes, allowing a run on seven hits, while striking out eight in the win. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/27947433-40b9-4aeb-8837-aa71f22b2932?elinkdata=9844">Ritter Steinmann</a> pitched the eighth and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/eeb875c5-1d31-44f0-b16d-11cecd95e09e?elinkdata=9844">Ryan Sandoval</a> pitched the ninth with two strikeouts.Wesleyan is back in action on Friday taking on McPherson at 6:45 p.m. A victory over the Bulldogs pushes the Coyotes into the top bracket final at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday. The loser plays again at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday in an elimination game.

Kan. Wesleyan gets two wins to stay alive in KCAC Tournament

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nathaniel Lowe had four hits and two RBIs, and the Texas Rangers beat the Kansas City Royals 15-4 on Saturday night.

Lowe went 4 for 6 one night after going hitless in four at bats in Texas' 7-1 loss. It was his first four-hit game since last July 14.

“I guess it was just my turn in the grand pendulum of the swing of baseball," Lowe said. “It was great to have so many guys contribute. We got smoked last night, so it was good to come back tonight.”

Adolis García, Evan Carter and Travis Jankowski also drove in two runs each. Carter scored on a wild pitch after a two-run triple in the third inning. Garcia extended his hitting streak to six games, and Carter had two hits to extend his hit streak to five games.

The Rangers totaled a season-high 17 hits and set a season-high in runs against the team entering the game with the highest run differential in the majors.

Texas had three three-run innings and a five-run ninth to hand Kansas City its worst loss of the season. Two-runs scored on a wild pitch by Colin Selby and a throwing error to third base on the same play to cap a three-run seventh. Joe Smith, Jankowski, Marcus Semien, Leody Taveras and Ezequiel Duran had RBIs in the ninth.

“It was good to see everyone do something to help in the cause," Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. ”We got shut down the night before the guys came out and put together great at-bats it is good for their confidence. ... Everyone did something tonight."

Dane Dunning pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up two runs and four hits. Dunning had limited the Royals to just one hit through the first four innings.

Josh Sborz (1-0) pitched one inning of relief to get the win.

Michael Wacha (1-4) pitched a season-low 3 2/3 innings, allowing a season-high seven runs and nine hits with one walk and three strikeouts.

“Obviously looked like some missed locations tonight," Royals Manager Matt Quatraro said. "You have to tip your cap to them as well.”

Hunter Renfroe put the Royals on the board with a two-run single to left field with two outs in the fifth. Bobby Witt Jr. recorded his 11th stolen base of the season, which leads the American League.

Vinnie Pasquantino and Garrett Hampson each drove in a run, and Michael Massey had three hits to extend his hitting streak to seven games.

Rangers: Wyatt Langford exited the game in the fifth inning with right hamstring tightness. Langford was 0 for 3.

Royals: RHP Alec Marsh (right elbow contusion) is scheduled to make a rehab start with Triple-A Omaha on May 5. The Royals put Marsh on the 15-day injured list on April 25, making him eligible to return on May 10.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nathaniel Lowe had four hits and two RBIs, and the Texas Rangers beat the Kansas City Royals 15-4 on Saturday night.Lowe went 4 for 6 one night after going hitless in four at bats in Texas' 7-1 loss. It was his first four-hit game since last July 14.“I guess it was just my turn in the grand pendulum of the swing of baseball," Lowe said. “It was great to have so many guys contribute. We got smoked last night, so it was good to come back tonight.”Adolis García, Evan Carter and Travis Jankowski also drove in two runs each. Carter scored on a wild pitch after a two-run triple in the third inning. Garcia extended his hitting streak to six games, and Carter had two hits to extend his hit streak to five games.The Rangers totaled a season-high 17 hits and set a season-high in runs against the team entering the game with the highest run differential in the majors.Texas had three three-run innings and a five-run ninth to hand Kansas City its worst loss of the season. Two-runs scored on a wild pitch by Colin Selby and a throwing error to third base on the same play to cap a three-run seventh. Joe Smith, Jankowski, Marcus Semien, Leody Taveras and Ezequiel Duran had RBIs in the ninth.“It was good to see everyone do something to help in the cause," Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. ”We got shut down the night before the guys came out and put together great at-bats it is good for their confidence. ... Everyone did something tonight."Dane Dunning pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up two runs and four hits. Dunning had limited the Royals to just one hit through the first four innings.Josh Sborz (1-0) pitched one inning of relief to get the win.Michael Wacha (1-4) pitched a season-low 3 2/3 innings, allowing a season-high seven runs and nine hits with one walk and three strikeouts.“Obviously looked like some missed locations tonight," Royals Manager Matt Quatraro said. "You have to tip your cap to them as well.”Hunter Renfroe put the Royals on the board with a two-run single to left field with two outs in the fifth. Bobby Witt Jr. recorded his 11th stolen base of the season, which leads the American League.Vinnie Pasquantino and Garrett Hampson each drove in a run, and Michael Massey had three hits to extend his hitting streak to seven games.TRAINER’S ROOMRangers: Wyatt Langford exited the game in the fifth inning with right hamstring tightness. Langford was 0 for 3.Royals: RHP Alec Marsh (right elbow contusion) is scheduled to make a rehab start with Triple-A Omaha on May 5. The Royals put Marsh on the 15-day injured list on April 25, making him eligible to return on May 10.UP NEXT

⚾ Lowe has 4 hits as Rangers beat Royals 

Chiefs Player Quotes May 4, 2024

Q:&nbsp;What’s the past week been like for you? And what has stood out about what you’ve seen in the playbook so far?

WORTHY:&nbsp;“It’s been fun, learning the new offense and seeing how they run stuff, and just getting the flow of things. It reminds me a lot of Sark’s (Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian) playbook, a lot of similarities, just a lot of different names to it. It’s going to be fun to play in this offense.”

Q:&nbsp;What do you think the Chiefs expect of you and what are your expectations of yourself?

WORTHY:&nbsp;“The expectation of me was to come in willing to work. Whatever they need me to do – whatever I have to do – I’m going to do it to get on the field. For me, always to play and be the best me, that’s my expectation.”

Q:&nbsp;Did you scout the Chiefs at all before you were drafted here?

WORTHY:&nbsp;“Yeah. Anywhere with a quarterback, I feel like that was my main spot. Pat (Mahomes) – I feel like everybody would want to play for Pat with how amazing of a quarterback he is and how versatile he is.”

Q:&nbsp;What do you want to accomplish in the camp this weekend?

WORTHY:&nbsp;“Just establishing the playbook. Getting a firm understanding of the playbook so I know where to line up come training camp, so I’m already affiliated, know what I’m doing, know where I’m lining up and know the plays I’m running.”

Q:&nbsp;What have you heard about Head Coach Andy Reid’s practices?

NOURZAD:&nbsp;“I haven’t really been told anything about it. I was told to be ready to come work. That’s the main thing, be ready to come work hard, make sure I was in shape, make sure I was running and stuff. That’s really the only thing.”

Q:&nbsp;What has the whole process of getting drafted and getting here been like for you?

NOURZAD:&nbsp;“It’s pretty surreal. You try to prepare yourself as best as possible during the process, but you really have no idea where you’re going to go. Once the bus rolled up the road and we saw the stadium and the facility – it’s really breathtaking, it’s really an incredible experience that I feel truly blessed to be able to experience. It’s unbelievable.”

Q:&nbsp;When was it that you realized the dream of playing in the NFL was realistic?

NOURZAD:&nbsp;“It was my junior year at Cornell when scouts started showing up to practice. Like I said in a couple of interviews, I wasn’t highly recruited out of high school, no one really said this was a possibility for me. That was kind of the first moment where I thought, ‘If I put enough work into this, I could make it come true.’”

Q:&nbsp;Is there a sense of freedom after the draft process doing workouts and interviews to be back to doing more football-focused activities?

NOURZAD:&nbsp;“I think it’s more a sense of excitement rather than freedom because football is the only thing I really love. Being able to just go back to that, being completely focused on, like you said, learning my playbook, getting to meet my teammates, getting out and doing drills and getting better. It’s really relieving.”

Q: What were the expectations for yourself and from the Chiefs coaching staff when you got drafted?

WILEY:&nbsp;“As far as the coaches, just get in here and learn the offense as fast as possible and be a key contributor on the team however that looks, whether it’s special teams, offense, whatever they ask me to do, I’ll do it. My expectations of myself are basically that, I want to come in here, I want to get comfortable, I want to learn the brand and style of football that they play here in Kansas City. I want to be able to do that to the best of my ability.”

Q: You moved from quarterback to tight end, can you explain what that process was like and what do you love most about playing the tight end position?

WILEY:&nbsp;“First off, that transition was a little bit tougher. I played quarterback in high school so I never really never experienced college football and then they were like, ‘Hey you’re going to go play tight end.’ So that was a little different. A lot of run blocking drills, a lot of practicing went into it. My favorite thing about tight end is I feel like it’s – aside from the quarterback – I feel like it’s the most essential part of your offense, we’re asked to do everything whether it’s in the pass game or in the run game or pass protection. I kind of like having that pressure or weight on my shoulders a little bit, and I like being able to prove to myself and to everybody else that I’m completely capable of doing it.”

Q: You mentioned that you’ve been under a few different offensive coordinators, head coaches and schools, do you think that will help you adapt and learn as you get into the NFL?

WILEY:&nbsp;“Yeah. I’ve had to learn five different offenses while I was in college so this is my sixth one in six years. It’s part of my normal routine now I guess so I don’t think I’ll have much trouble with it.”

Q: When did you guys get the playbook and what are your study habits to learn offenses?

WILEY:&nbsp;“I got to talk to some of the coaches a little bit yesterday about it. As far as my study habits and stuff go, just draw whatever the play is. Normally teams will give you drawings or whatever, you draw those on a sheet of paper and then if I can, I try to get a script or whatever for practice and then I go in and write whatever I have on it; stuff like walk throughs and everything like that, that helps a ton too.”

Chiefs Player Quotes May 4, 2024WR XAVIER WORTHYQ:&nbsp;What’s the past week been like for you? And what has stood out about what you’ve seen in the playbook so far?WORTHY:&nbsp;“It’s been fun, learning the new offense and seeing how they run stuff, and just getting the flow of things. It reminds me a lot of Sark’s (Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian) playbook, a lot of similarities, just a lot of different names to it. It’s going to be fun to play in this offense.”Q:&nbsp;What do you think the Chiefs expect of you and what are your expectations of yourself?WORTHY:&nbsp;“The expectation of me was to come in willing to work. Whatever they need me to do – whatever I have to do – I’m going to do it to get on the field. For me, always to play and be the best me, that’s my expectation.”Q:&nbsp;Did you scout the Chiefs at all before you were drafted here?WORTHY:&nbsp;“Yeah. Anywhere with a quarterback, I feel like that was my main spot. Pat (Mahomes) – I feel like everybody would want to play for Pat with how amazing of a quarterback he is and how versatile he is.”Q:&nbsp;What do you want to accomplish in the camp this weekend?WORTHY:&nbsp;“Just establishing the playbook. Getting a firm understanding of the playbook so I know where to line up come training camp, so I’m already affiliated, know what I’m doing, know where I’m lining up and know the plays I’m running.”OL HUNTER NOURZADQ:&nbsp;What have you heard about Head Coach Andy Reid’s practices?NOURZAD:&nbsp;“I haven’t really been told anything about it. I was told to be ready to come work. That’s the main thing, be ready to come work hard, make sure I was in shape, make sure I was running and stuff. That’s really the only thing.”Q:&nbsp;What has the whole process of getting drafted and getting here been like for you?NOURZAD:&nbsp;“It’s pretty surreal. You try to prepare yourself as best as possible during the process, but you really have no idea where you’re going to go. Once the bus rolled up the road and we saw the stadium and the facility – it’s really breathtaking, it’s really an incredible experience that I feel truly blessed to be able to experience. It’s unbelievable.”Q:&nbsp;When was it that you realized the dream of playing in the NFL was realistic?NOURZAD:&nbsp;“It was my junior year at Cornell when scouts started showing up to practice. Like I said in a couple of interviews, I wasn’t highly recruited out of high school, no one really said this was a possibility for me. That was kind of the first moment where I thought, ‘If I put enough work into this, I could make it come true.’”Q:&nbsp;Is there a sense of freedom after the draft process doing workouts and interviews to be back to doing more football-focused activities?NOURZAD:&nbsp;“I think it’s more a sense of excitement rather than freedom because football is the only thing I really love. Being able to just go back to that, being completely focused on, like you said, learning my playbook, getting to meet my teammates, getting out and doing drills and getting better. It’s really relieving.”TE JARED WILEYQ: What were the expectations for yourself and from the Chiefs coaching staff when you got drafted?WILEY:&nbsp;“As far as the coaches, just get in here and learn the offense as fast as possible and be a key contributor on the team however that looks, whether it’s special teams, offense, whatever they ask me to do, I’ll do it. My expectations of myself are basically that, I want to come in here, I want to get comfortable, I want to learn the brand and style of football that they play here in Kansas City. I want to be able to do that to the best of my ability.”Q: You moved from quarterback to tight end, can you explain what that process was like and what do you love most about playing the tight end position?WILEY:&nbsp;“First off, that transition was a little bit tougher. I played quarterback in high school so I never really never experienced college football and then they were like, ‘Hey you’re going to go play tight end.’ So that was a little different. A lot of run blocking drills, a lot of practicing went into it. My favorite thing about tight end is I feel like it’s – aside from the quarterback – I feel like it’s the most essential part of your offense, we’re asked to do everything whether it’s in the pass game or in the run game or pass protection. I kind of like having that pressure or weight on my shoulders a little bit, and I like being able to prove to myself and to everybody else that I’m completely capable of doing it.”Q: You mentioned that you’ve been under a few different offensive coordinators, head coaches and schools, do you think that will help you adapt and learn as you get into the NFL?WILEY:&nbsp;“Yeah. I’ve had to learn five different offenses while I was in college so this is my sixth one in six years. It’s part of my normal routine now I guess so I don’t think I’ll have much trouble with it.”Q: When did you guys get the playbook and what are your study habits to learn offenses?WILEY:&nbsp;“I got to talk to some of the coaches a little bit yesterday about it. As far as my study habits and stuff go, just draw whatever the play is. Normally teams will give you drawings or whatever, you draw those on a sheet of paper and then if I can, I try to get a script or whatever for practice and then I go in and write whatever I have on it; stuff like walk throughs and everything like that, that helps a ton too.”

Chiefs Quotes: 5-4-24

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez hit a three-run homer, Brady Singer pitched six dominant innings and the Kansas City Royals beat the Texas Rangers 7-1 on Friday night.

Perez hit his eighth home run of the season in Kansas City's six-run seventh inning to break open what was a pitcher's duel. Kyle Isbel, Vinnie Pasquantino and Bobby Witt Jr. had RBI singles before Perez gave the Royals a 7-1 lead.

Prior to that, Michael Lorenzen had his best start of the season for Texas, giving up three hits and one run — on a homer by Hunter Renfroe — in six innings. He walked two and struck out three while throwing 86 pitches.

Cole Winn (0-1) then gave up four runs in one-third of an inning and Jose Urena gave up two more before closing out the inning.

The Royals have won three straight and seven of their last 10. The Rangers had won three of their previous four.

Singer allowed just one run and four hits while striking out eight with no walks. He hasn’t given up more than one run in five of his seven starts this season.

The lone blemish against Singer came on an RBI single by Corey Seager that drove in Marcus Semien in the third inning.

John Schreiber (3-0) worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, striking out Semien to keep the score at 1-1 before the Royals' big inning in the bottom half.

The Rangers placed RHP Nathan Eovaldi on the 15-day IL (right groin strain) and recalled RHP Yerry Rodriguez from Triple-A Round Rock.

Texas RHP Dane Dunning (3-2, 4.13 ERA) goes against Royals RHP Michael Wacha (1-3, 4.24) on Saturday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714790541234.png" alt="Photo courtesy KC Royals" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KC Royals</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez hit a three-run homer, Brady Singer pitched six dominant innings and the Kansas City Royals beat the Texas Rangers 7-1 on Friday night.Perez hit his eighth home run of the season in Kansas City's six-run seventh inning to break open what was a pitcher's duel. Kyle Isbel, Vinnie Pasquantino and Bobby Witt Jr. had RBI singles before Perez gave the Royals a 7-1 lead.Prior to that, Michael Lorenzen had his best start of the season for Texas, giving up three hits and one run — on a homer by Hunter Renfroe — in six innings. He walked two and struck out three while throwing 86 pitches.Cole Winn (0-1) then gave up four runs in one-third of an inning and Jose Urena gave up two more before closing out the inning.The Royals have won three straight and seven of their last 10. The Rangers had won three of their previous four.Singer allowed just one run and four hits while striking out eight with no walks. He hasn’t given up more than one run in five of his seven starts this season.The lone blemish against Singer came on an RBI single by Corey Seager that drove in Marcus Semien in the third inning.John Schreiber (3-0) worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, striking out Semien to keep the score at 1-1 before the Royals' big inning in the bottom half.ROSTER MOVESThe Rangers placed RHP Nathan Eovaldi on the 15-day IL (right groin strain) and recalled RHP Yerry Rodriguez from Triple-A Round Rock.UP NEXTTexas RHP Dane Dunning (3-2, 4.13 ERA) goes against Royals RHP Michael Wacha (1-3, 4.24) on Saturday.

⚾ Salvador Perez hits 3-run HR as Royals beat Rangers 

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced this afternoon that catcher&nbsp;Salvador Perez&nbsp;and right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Seth Lugo&nbsp;have been named Royals Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for March/April. The awards are determined by a local media vote.

Perez ranked among American League leaders in several offensive categories through the first month of the season, including 1st in RBI (26) and batting average (.355), 2nd in OPS (1.013) and slugging percentage (.598), 3rd in on-base percentage (.415), tied for 4th in hits (38) and 5th in total bases (64). His 26 RBI were the 3rd most by a Royal in March/April in franchise history, behind only&nbsp;Jermaine Dye&nbsp;(28 RBI in 2000) and&nbsp;Dean Palmer&nbsp;(27 in 1998). On April 27, he recorded his 838th career RBI, breaking a tie with&nbsp;Mike Sweeney&nbsp;for the 5th-most RBI in Royals history. Through the end of the month, Perez led the team with 7 home runs, which tied for the 6th most in the AL, just 3 behind the leaders. He closed out the month with an active 20-game on-base streak—passing his previous career high of 17 games—and extended that to 21 straight games on Wednesday in Toronto. Over his 21-game run, he’s batting .366 (26-for-71) with 18 RBI and more walks (8) than strikeouts (4). In fact, he also carried another streak into the month of May, as he did not strike out in his final 32 straight plate appearances through the end of April. In Wednesday’s series finale in Toronto, he extended this streak to 36 plate appearances without a strikeout, which is the 2nd longest active streak in the Majors. Perez struck out just 13 times in 30 games through the end of April for an 11.0 K%, which was the 5th-best rate in the American League and less than half the 24.1 K% he posted over the last three seasons from 2021-23. This marks Perez’s eighth career monthly honor, which matches&nbsp;Billy Butler&nbsp;for the 4th most among Royals since the award was established in 1995, and he trails only&nbsp;Alex Gordon&nbsp;(13), Sweeney (13) and&nbsp;Eric Hosmer&nbsp;(11).

Lugo has been dominant to start the season, landing among American League leaders in wins (tied for 1st, 4), groundball double plays (tied for 3rd, 5) and innings (6th, 38.0) through the end of April. He added to these totals in his most recent start in Wednesday’s series-clinching win in Toronto, where he spun 7.0 innings of 1-run ball and earned his 5th win in 7 starts this season. Additionally, he pitched to a 1.66 ERA (7 ER in 38.0 IP) over 6 starts last month, which was the 5th-best mark among qualified AL pitchers, behind only&nbsp;Kutter Crawford&nbsp;(1.35),&nbsp;José Berríos&nbsp;(1.44),&nbsp;Tanner Houck&nbsp;(1.60) and&nbsp;Ronel Blanco&nbsp;(1.65). He was one of just eight pitchers who recorded at least 5 quality starts over the first month of the season, and his rate of 0.47 home runs allowed per 9.0 innings (2 HR in 38.0 IP) was the 9th lowest in the Majors (min. 6 GS), trailing leader Crawford (0 HR in 33.1 IP). Lugo’s 1.66 ERA through his 1st 6 outings marked the 5th lowest in a single season by a Royals pitcher in March/April (min. 35.0 IP), trailing only&nbsp;Zack Greinke&nbsp;in 2009 (0.50 ERA) and 2008 (1.25),&nbsp;Kevin Appier&nbsp;in 1992 (1.27) and&nbsp;Runelvys Hernández&nbsp;in 2003 (1.36). Three of his 6 starts were scoreless, including 6.0 shutout innings in his Royals debut on March 30 vs. Minnesota, his 3rd straight win with 7.0 scoreless innings on April 15 in Chicago vs. the White Sox and 7.0 scoreless frames with a career-high-tying 9 strikeouts in his final outing of the month on April 26 in Detroit. The nine-year Major League veteran signed a two-year free agent contract with Kansas City last Dec. 14 after spending the 2023 season with San Diego.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced this afternoon that catcher&nbsp;Salvador Perez&nbsp;and right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Seth Lugo&nbsp;have been named Royals Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for March/April. The awards are determined by a local media vote.Perez ranked among American League leaders in several offensive categories through the first month of the season, including 1st in RBI (26) and batting average (.355), 2nd in OPS (1.013) and slugging percentage (.598), 3rd in on-base percentage (.415), tied for 4th in hits (38) and 5th in total bases (64). His 26 RBI were the 3rd most by a Royal in March/April in franchise history, behind only&nbsp;Jermaine Dye&nbsp;(28 RBI in 2000) and&nbsp;Dean Palmer&nbsp;(27 in 1998). On April 27, he recorded his 838th career RBI, breaking a tie with&nbsp;Mike Sweeney&nbsp;for the 5th-most RBI in Royals history. Through the end of the month, Perez led the team with 7 home runs, which tied for the 6th most in the AL, just 3 behind the leaders. He closed out the month with an active 20-game on-base streak—passing his previous career high of 17 games—and extended that to 21 straight games on Wednesday in Toronto. Over his 21-game run, he’s batting .366 (26-for-71) with 18 RBI and more walks (8) than strikeouts (4). In fact, he also carried another streak into the month of May, as he did not strike out in his final 32 straight plate appearances through the end of April. In Wednesday’s series finale in Toronto, he extended this streak to 36 plate appearances without a strikeout, which is the 2nd longest active streak in the Majors. Perez struck out just 13 times in 30 games through the end of April for an 11.0 K%, which was the 5th-best rate in the American League and less than half the 24.1 K% he posted over the last three seasons from 2021-23. This marks Perez’s eighth career monthly honor, which matches&nbsp;Billy Butler&nbsp;for the 4th most among Royals since the award was established in 1995, and he trails only&nbsp;Alex Gordon&nbsp;(13), Sweeney (13) and&nbsp;Eric Hosmer&nbsp;(11).Lugo has been dominant to start the season, landing among American League leaders in wins (tied for 1st, 4), groundball double plays (tied for 3rd, 5) and innings (6th, 38.0) through the end of April. He added to these totals in his most recent start in Wednesday’s series-clinching win in Toronto, where he spun 7.0 innings of 1-run ball and earned his 5th win in 7 starts this season. Additionally, he pitched to a 1.66 ERA (7 ER in 38.0 IP) over 6 starts last month, which was the 5th-best mark among qualified AL pitchers, behind only&nbsp;Kutter Crawford&nbsp;(1.35),&nbsp;José Berríos&nbsp;(1.44),&nbsp;Tanner Houck&nbsp;(1.60) and&nbsp;Ronel Blanco&nbsp;(1.65). He was one of just eight pitchers who recorded at least 5 quality starts over the first month of the season, and his rate of 0.47 home runs allowed per 9.0 innings (2 HR in 38.0 IP) was the 9th lowest in the Majors (min. 6 GS), trailing leader Crawford (0 HR in 33.1 IP). Lugo’s 1.66 ERA through his 1st 6 outings marked the 5th lowest in a single season by a Royals pitcher in March/April (min. 35.0 IP), trailing only&nbsp;Zack Greinke&nbsp;in 2009 (0.50 ERA) and 2008 (1.25),&nbsp;Kevin Appier&nbsp;in 1992 (1.27) and&nbsp;Runelvys Hernández&nbsp;in 2003 (1.36). Three of his 6 starts were scoreless, including 6.0 shutout innings in his Royals debut on March 30 vs. Minnesota, his 3rd straight win with 7.0 scoreless innings on April 15 in Chicago vs. the White Sox and 7.0 scoreless frames with a career-high-tying 9 strikeouts in his final outing of the month on April 26 in Detroit. The nine-year Major League veteran signed a two-year free agent contract with Kansas City last Dec. 14 after spending the 2023 season with San Diego.

Salvador Perez and Seth Lugo named Royals Player/Pitcher of the Month

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post

The Southeast of Saline baseball team capped off their regular season on a high note, sweeping a former league foe in the Russell Broncos on Thursday night.

With victories of 7-1 and 6-5, SES closes out the regular season with an overall record of 13-9, and a league record of 6-4, finishing in a tie for second with Beloit.

Game one was a low-scoring affair early, but Southeast struck for two runs in the third, another in the fifth, three in the sixth and one more in the seventh to roll to a 7-1 victory.

Noah Rupert looked excellent on the mound, allowing just one run on six hits without recording a single walk in a complete game effort.

At the plate, SES got multi-hit performances out of Grady Gebhardt, Drew Weller, and Tiernen Ptacek, with Treytan Olson driving in three runs on one big hit.

Game two was even more of a pitcher's duel, with the Broncos holding a 3-1 lead going into the final inning.

Down to their final three outs, Southeast rallied, putting up a 5-spot in the seventh to take a 6-3 advantage.

Russell would find two runs of their own but Ian Nickelson slammed the door shut, recording a massive strikeout to put the final nail in the Bronco coffin.

This time around, it was Sam Knopf who played the hero, going 3-3 and driving in half of the Trojan’s six runs.

The next stop for SES will be the 3A regional tournament, where the Trojans will travel to Marysville from May 9-14.

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina PostThe Southeast of Saline baseball team capped off their regular season on a high note, sweeping a former league foe in the Russell Broncos on Thursday night.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697215856555.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>With victories of 7-1 and 6-5, SES closes out the regular season with an overall record of 13-9, and a league record of 6-4, finishing in a tie for second with Beloit.Game one was a low-scoring affair early, but Southeast struck for two runs in the third, another in the fifth, three in the sixth and one more in the seventh to roll to a 7-1 victory.Noah Rupert looked excellent on the mound, allowing just one run on six hits without recording a single walk in a complete game effort.At the plate, SES got multi-hit performances out of Grady Gebhardt, Drew Weller, and Tiernen Ptacek, with Treytan Olson driving in three runs on one big hit.Game two was even more of a pitcher's duel, with the Broncos holding a 3-1 lead going into the final inning.Down to their final three outs, Southeast rallied, putting up a 5-spot in the seventh to take a 6-3 advantage.Russell would find two runs of their own but Ian Nickelson slammed the door shut, recording a massive strikeout to put the final nail in the Bronco coffin.This time around, it was Sam Knopf who played the hero, going 3-3 and driving in half of the Trojan’s six runs.The next stop for SES will be the 3A regional tournament, where the Trojans will travel to Marysville from May 9-14.

⚾️ Trojans sweep Russell to close out regular season

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter

Hello and happy Friday everybody, it’s Tyler Henry, back with another KINA Sports Update presented by Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine.

Following a stellar 2023-24 season, Kansas State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie has been named the recipient of the 2024 KBCA Women’s Basketball Four-Year College Coach of the Year Award. This is the second time Mittie has earned the honor, collecting the distinction in 2017.

His Cats concluded the 2023-24 season with 26 wins, the most since the 02-03 season, and an 18th NCAA Tournament appearance advancing a round in the tournament for the 13th time. The NCAA Tournament appearance for Mittie was the 23rd postseason trip for one of his programs, including 8 in 10 seasons at K-State.

Thursday also saw the start of this year’s KCAC baseball tournament, and it was a good start for the regular season champs, as Kansas Wesleyan rattled off four unanswered runs to defeat Evangel 5-1.

The Valor kept things close, evening the score at 1-1 in the sixth, but a Kendall Foster double, a Jarrett Gable Triple and a Cruz Oxford double allowed the Yotes to pull ahead and ultimately take the win after a busy seventh.

And finally speaking of baseball the Southeast of Saline Trojans were back in action last night, and completed a two-game sweep of Russell, winning 7-1 and 6-5.

The Trojans conclude their regular season 13-9 overall and 6-4 in league play, finishing in a tie with Beloit for second in the NCAA

That’s your sports update for today, but for even more great area sports content like this, check out <a href="https://twitter.com/SPostSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Salina Post </a>and stay tuned to <a href="http://910kina.com">910 KINA</a>.

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</div>By TYLER HENRY Lead SportswriterHello and happy Friday everybody, it’s Tyler Henry, back with another KINA Sports Update presented by Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697215856555.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>_________Following a stellar 2023-24 season, Kansas State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie has been named the recipient of the 2024 KBCA Women’s Basketball Four-Year College Coach of the Year Award. This is the second time Mittie has earned the honor, collecting the distinction in 2017.His Cats concluded the 2023-24 season with 26 wins, the most since the 02-03 season, and an 18th NCAA Tournament appearance advancing a round in the tournament for the 13th time. The NCAA Tournament appearance for Mittie was the 23rd postseason trip for one of his programs, including 8 in 10 seasons at K-State._________Thursday also saw the start of this year’s KCAC baseball tournament, and it was a good start for the regular season champs, as Kansas Wesleyan rattled off four unanswered runs to defeat Evangel 5-1.The Valor kept things close, evening the score at 1-1 in the sixth, but a Kendall Foster double, a Jarrett Gable Triple and a Cruz Oxford double allowed the Yotes to pull ahead and ultimately take the win after a busy seventh._________And finally speaking of baseball the Southeast of Saline Trojans were back in action last night, and completed a two-game sweep of Russell, winning 7-1 and 6-5.The Trojans conclude their regular season 13-9 overall and 6-4 in league play, finishing in a tie with Beloit for second in the NCAA_________That’s your sports update for today, but for even more great area sports content like this, check out <a href="https://twitter.com/SPostSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Salina Post </a>and stay tuned to <a href="http://910kina.com">910 KINA</a>.

910 KINA Sports Headlines — May 3

Coyotes open KCAC Tournament with 5-1 win over Evangel

MANHATTAN, Kansas –&nbsp;Following its stellar 2023-24 season, Kansas State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie has been named the recipient of the 2024 Kansas Basketball Coaches Association (KBCA) Women’s Basketball Four-Year College Coach of the Year Award. This is the second time Mittie has earned the honor, collecting the distinction in 2017.

Kansas State concluded the 2023-24 season with 26 wins, the most since the 2002-03 season. The Wildcats made the 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and advanced a round in the tournament for the 13th time. The NCAA Tournament appearance for Mittie was the 23rd postseason trip for one of his programs, including his eighth in 10 seasons at K-State.

The Wildcats were ranked among the Associated Press (AP) top-25 for 19 consecutive weeks, including a high of number two in the nation on January 29. According to StatsPerform, K-State was the first NCAA Division I women’s basketball program to go from unranked in the preseason poll to ranked either 1st or 2nd in the same season. K-State ended the season ranked 19th&nbsp;in the AP poll and 18th&nbsp;in the WBCA/USA Today Coaches poll.

The Wildcats registered a 5-4 record against AP top-25 opponents, the eighth season in program history with a .500 or better record against AP foes and the first since 2007-08. The five wins were tied for the second-most in a season in program history and the most since 2003-04.

Two of K-State's ranked wins came against AP top-10 opponents: at second-ranked Iowa and home against 10th-ranked Texas, the first time since 2011-12 in which the Wildcats picked up at least two wins against AP top-10 teams. As part of its 65-58 win at then second-ranked Iowa, K-State was the only team to defeat the Hawkeyes in Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season and held Iowa to its lowest point total in the Caitlin Clark era.

According to ESPN Stats &amp; Info, K-State became the first NCAA Division I women’s basketball program in the last 25 years to be unranked and defeat the same AP top-5 team in consecutive seasons. K-State and Indiana were the only teams to defeat Iowa twice in the last two seasons.

This was the 18th 20-win season for Mittie in his 32 seasons as a head coach. The 26 victories by the 2024 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List member were the most by a Mittie coached team at K-State. He has tallied 30 winning seasons in his 32 years as a head coach, including nine in his 10 seasons in Manhattan.

The Wildcats registered a 13-5 mark in the Big 12 and a third-place finish in the league. The 13 wins were the most for the program since the Big 12 switched to an 18-game in 2011-12 and the most since K-State won the Big 12 in 2007-08 with a 13-3 mark.

Among its statistical achievements in the 2023-24 season, Mittie’s squad set the school records for assists (631) and blocked shots (178). The Wildcats led the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense (.362), which was the fifth-lowest allowed in program history and the third-lowest since the 1981-82 season.

Mittie mentored several players to postseason honors in the 2023-24 season. Heading the list were 2024 All-Big 12 First Team honorees, Ayoka Lee and Serena Sundell, and honorable mention All-Big 12 selection, Gabby Gregory.

In addition to her All-Big 12 First Team honor, Lee was a Second Team All-America selection by The Athletic, a Third Team All-America honoree by The Sporting News, an AP and WBCA All-America Honorable Mention recipient, a 2024 John R. Wooden Award National Ballot top-15 candidate, a Big 12 All-Defensive Team member and Big 12 All-Tournament Team.

In the 2023-24 season, Lee averaged 19.7 points on a .619 field goal percentage, 8.6 rebounds and 2.78 blocked shots. She is the first player in program history with two or more seasons of 500 or more points, 200 or more rebounds and 75 or more blocks. Her 75 blocks were the sixth-most in program history and was her third career season with 75 or more blocked shots.

She ranked sixth in the nation and leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage. Lee is third in the Big 12 in scoring average, second in the league and ninth in the nation for blocks per game and third in the Big 12 for rebounding average.

In her seven games this season against Associated Press top-25 opponents, Lee averaged 20.6 points on a .637 field goal percentage, 10.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

Lee has recorded 14 games this season with 20 or more points including her second career 20-20 double-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds and five blocked shots against Oral Roberts.

This season, Lee led the Big 12’s top defense with 21 games of two or more blocked shots including a season-high seven at UCF on Jan. 6 and at Iowa State on Feb. 14.

Sundell was second on the team in scoring with 12.1 points per game on a career-best .536 field goal percentage. She led the Big 12 for total assists (189) and assists per game (5.6 apg). The product of Maryville, Missouri, was second for Big 12-only games with 5.7 assists per game, she ranks fourth in league-only games for field goal percentage (.539) and is 12th in conference play for scoring (13.82 ppg).

With her points (411) and assists (189) totals this season, Sundell was the first player in program history and the third Big 12 player since at least 2009-10 to record three seasons with 350 or more points and 150 or more assists. She is also the first player in program history to average 10 or more points and five or more assists in three or more seasons. She was the second player in program history to shoot 50.0 percent or better from the field and hand out five or more assists per game.

In her career, Sundell is fourth in school history for career assists with 549 and is second in program history for career assists per game (5.33 apg). She ranks 22nd on the K-State career scoring list with 1,263 points. She is the only player in school history with 1,000 or more career points, 500 or more career assists and 50 or more career blocked shots.

Gregory completed her two seasons with the Wildcats as&nbsp;the first player to transfer to K-State and then reach the 1,000- and 1,500-point marks in her collegiate career as she finished with 1,753 (12.4 ppg). Gregory scored in double figures in 44 games at K-State and 85 games in her career. She ranks fifth in program history for career free throw percentage (.803).

The product of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was named a 2024 All-Big 12 honorable mention recipient as she averaged just under 10 points per game this season (9.4) and established a career-high for assists with 114 (3.4 apg). When combined with Serena Sundell’s 189 assists, the tandem ranked second in school history for combined assists in a season (303). Gregory ranked 12th&nbsp;in the Big 12 in assists per game and was sixth in the league in assist-turnover ratio (1.78).

Gregory led the Wildcats in their two NCAA Tournament games with 17.0 points on a .458 field goal percentage. She tallied a season-high 22 points against Portland in K-State’s first round win.

In early April, Gregory represented Kansas State at the Women’s College All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio.

Deposits for K-State women’s basketball season tickets for the 2024-25 season are being accepted now. For more information contact the K-State Athletics Ticket Office by calling 1-800-221-CATS or visit

<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/tickets" target="_blank">www.kstatesports.com/tickets</a>.

MANHATTAN, Kansas –&nbsp;Following its stellar 2023-24 season, Kansas State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie has been named the recipient of the 2024 Kansas Basketball Coaches Association (KBCA) Women’s Basketball Four-Year College Coach of the Year Award. This is the second time Mittie has earned the honor, collecting the distinction in 2017.Kansas State concluded the 2023-24 season with 26 wins, the most since the 2002-03 season. The Wildcats made the 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and advanced a round in the tournament for the 13th time. The NCAA Tournament appearance for Mittie was the 23rd postseason trip for one of his programs, including his eighth in 10 seasons at K-State.The Wildcats were ranked among the Associated Press (AP) top-25 for 19 consecutive weeks, including a high of number two in the nation on January 29. According to StatsPerform, K-State was the first NCAA Division I women’s basketball program to go from unranked in the preseason poll to ranked either 1st or 2nd in the same season. K-State ended the season ranked 19th&nbsp;in the AP poll and 18th&nbsp;in the WBCA/USA Today Coaches poll.The Wildcats registered a 5-4 record against AP top-25 opponents, the eighth season in program history with a .500 or better record against AP foes and the first since 2007-08. The five wins were tied for the second-most in a season in program history and the most since 2003-04.Two of K-State's ranked wins came against AP top-10 opponents: at second-ranked Iowa and home against 10th-ranked Texas, the first time since 2011-12 in which the Wildcats picked up at least two wins against AP top-10 teams. As part of its 65-58 win at then second-ranked Iowa, K-State was the only team to defeat the Hawkeyes in Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season and held Iowa to its lowest point total in the Caitlin Clark era.According to ESPN Stats &amp; Info, K-State became the first NCAA Division I women’s basketball program in the last 25 years to be unranked and defeat the same AP top-5 team in consecutive seasons. K-State and Indiana were the only teams to defeat Iowa twice in the last two seasons.This was the 18th 20-win season for Mittie in his 32 seasons as a head coach. The 26 victories by the 2024 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List member were the most by a Mittie coached team at K-State. He has tallied 30 winning seasons in his 32 years as a head coach, including nine in his 10 seasons in Manhattan.The Wildcats registered a 13-5 mark in the Big 12 and a third-place finish in the league. The 13 wins were the most for the program since the Big 12 switched to an 18-game in 2011-12 and the most since K-State won the Big 12 in 2007-08 with a 13-3 mark.Among its statistical achievements in the 2023-24 season, Mittie’s squad set the school records for assists (631) and blocked shots (178). The Wildcats led the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense (.362), which was the fifth-lowest allowed in program history and the third-lowest since the 1981-82 season.Mittie mentored several players to postseason honors in the 2023-24 season. Heading the list were 2024 All-Big 12 First Team honorees, Ayoka Lee and Serena Sundell, and honorable mention All-Big 12 selection, Gabby Gregory.In addition to her All-Big 12 First Team honor, Lee was a Second Team All-America selection by The Athletic, a Third Team All-America honoree by The Sporting News, an AP and WBCA All-America Honorable Mention recipient, a 2024 John R. Wooden Award National Ballot top-15 candidate, a Big 12 All-Defensive Team member and Big 12 All-Tournament Team.In the 2023-24 season, Lee averaged 19.7 points on a .619 field goal percentage, 8.6 rebounds and 2.78 blocked shots. She is the first player in program history with two or more seasons of 500 or more points, 200 or more rebounds and 75 or more blocks. Her 75 blocks were the sixth-most in program history and was her third career season with 75 or more blocked shots.She ranked sixth in the nation and leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage. Lee is third in the Big 12 in scoring average, second in the league and ninth in the nation for blocks per game and third in the Big 12 for rebounding average.In her seven games this season against Associated Press top-25 opponents, Lee averaged 20.6 points on a .637 field goal percentage, 10.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.Lee has recorded 14 games this season with 20 or more points including her second career 20-20 double-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds and five blocked shots against Oral Roberts.This season, Lee led the Big 12’s top defense with 21 games of two or more blocked shots including a season-high seven at UCF on Jan. 6 and at Iowa State on Feb. 14.Sundell was second on the team in scoring with 12.1 points per game on a career-best .536 field goal percentage. She led the Big 12 for total assists (189) and assists per game (5.6 apg). The product of Maryville, Missouri, was second for Big 12-only games with 5.7 assists per game, she ranks fourth in league-only games for field goal percentage (.539) and is 12th in conference play for scoring (13.82 ppg).With her points (411) and assists (189) totals this season, Sundell was the first player in program history and the third Big 12 player since at least 2009-10 to record three seasons with 350 or more points and 150 or more assists. She is also the first player in program history to average 10 or more points and five or more assists in three or more seasons. She was the second player in program history to shoot 50.0 percent or better from the field and hand out five or more assists per game.In her career, Sundell is fourth in school history for career assists with 549 and is second in program history for career assists per game (5.33 apg). She ranks 22nd on the K-State career scoring list with 1,263 points. She is the only player in school history with 1,000 or more career points, 500 or more career assists and 50 or more career blocked shots.Gregory completed her two seasons with the Wildcats as&nbsp;the first player to transfer to K-State and then reach the 1,000- and 1,500-point marks in her collegiate career as she finished with 1,753 (12.4 ppg). Gregory scored in double figures in 44 games at K-State and 85 games in her career. She ranks fifth in program history for career free throw percentage (.803).The product of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was named a 2024 All-Big 12 honorable mention recipient as she averaged just under 10 points per game this season (9.4) and established a career-high for assists with 114 (3.4 apg). When combined with Serena Sundell’s 189 assists, the tandem ranked second in school history for combined assists in a season (303). Gregory ranked 12th&nbsp;in the Big 12 in assists per game and was sixth in the league in assist-turnover ratio (1.78).Gregory led the Wildcats in their two NCAA Tournament games with 17.0 points on a .458 field goal percentage. She tallied a season-high 22 points against Portland in K-State’s first round win.In early April, Gregory represented Kansas State at the Women’s College All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio.Deposits for K-State women’s basketball season tickets for the 2024-25 season are being accepted now. For more information contact the K-State Athletics Ticket Office by calling 1-800-221-CATS or visit<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/tickets" target="_blank">www.kstatesports.com/tickets</a>.

K-State’s Mittie Named KBCA Women’s Coach of the Year

Hello and happy Thursday everybody, it’s Tyler Henry, back with another KINA Sports Update presented by Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine.

On Wednesday, Abilene High School officially announced that former assistant Kyle Taylor would be elevated to head boys basketball coach for the 2024-25 season.

Taylor has served as assistant boys varsity coach for the last five years, after joining Abilene as head middle school&nbsp;boys coach in 2018, and takes the reigns from Erik Graefe, who stepped down this offseason after leading the Cowboys along with Taylor, to three state tournament appearances in four years

Wednesday also saw an exciting announcement as Wildcat fans will soon get the opportunity to see their favorite student-athletes and coaches as dates have been announced for the 2024 Catbacker Tour.

The tour will kick off May 14 with stops in Salina, Great Bend and Liberal, and Head football coach&nbsp;Chris Klieman, as well as coaches and student-athletes from various sports will be in attendance during the swing through western Kansas.

And finally the Kansas Wesleyan Softball fought valiantly, but saw its season come to an end as the Coyotes dropped a pair of games at the 2024 KCAC Softball Tournament on Wednesday

The Coyotes fell 4-1 at the hands of Ottawa before being eliminated in a 7-1 loss at the hands of Tabor, finishing their season 24-20

That’s your sports update for today, but for even more great area sports content like this, check out Salina Post and stay tuned to KINA.

____________________________________________

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yHVnG_Hca5g?si=vIsreF8qgyh9e7ZJ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>By TYLER HENRY Lead SportswriterHello and happy Thursday everybody, it’s Tyler Henry, back with another KINA Sports Update presented by Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine. _________<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697215856555.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>On Wednesday, Abilene High School officially announced that former assistant Kyle Taylor would be elevated to head boys basketball coach for the 2024-25 season.Taylor has served as assistant boys varsity coach for the last five years, after joining Abilene as head middle school&nbsp;boys coach in 2018, and takes the reigns from Erik Graefe, who stepped down this offseason after leading the Cowboys along with Taylor, to three state tournament appearances in four years_________Wednesday also saw an exciting announcement as Wildcat fans will soon get the opportunity to see their favorite student-athletes and coaches as dates have been announced for the 2024 Catbacker Tour.The tour will kick off May 14 with stops in Salina, Great Bend and Liberal, and Head football coach&nbsp;Chris Klieman, as well as coaches and student-athletes from various sports will be in attendance during the swing through western Kansas._________And finally the Kansas Wesleyan Softball fought valiantly, but saw its season come to an end as the Coyotes dropped a pair of games at the 2024 KCAC Softball Tournament on WednesdayThe Coyotes fell 4-1 at the hands of Ottawa before being eliminated in a 7-1 loss at the hands of Tabor, finishing their season 24-20_________That’s your sports update for today, but for even more great area sports content like this, check out Salina Post and stay tuned to KINA.____________________________________________

910 KINA sports headlines — May 2

TORONTO (AP) — Seth Lugo pitched seven strong innings to win for the fifth time in seven starts, Michael Massey hit a three-run home run and the Kansas City Royals beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 on Wednesday.

Bobby Witt Jr. had two hits, scored once and also drove in a run as the Royals won for the fifth time in seven meetings with Toronto.

Witt also turned in a highlight defensive play,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportsKC/status/1785772790953447504">making a sliding stop and throwing from one knee</a>&nbsp;to retire Bo Bichette for the final out of the sixth inning.

Salvador Perez had an RBI single and extended his career-best streak of reaching base safely to 21 games. His 27 RBIs lead the American League.

Massey homered off right-hander Nate Pearson in the eighth, his second in two games. He finished with four RBIs.

Lugo (5-1) allowed just one hit, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s single in the first, until Toronto catcher Danny Jansen homered with two outs in the seventh. The solo blast was Jansen’s third of the season.

Lugo walked two and struck out eight. He lowered his ERA to 1.60.

Chris Stratton worked the eighth and Nick Anderson finished.

Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt (2-5) didn’t allow a hit through five innings, but had his outing unravel after Royals center fielder Kyle Isbel doubled to begin the sixth.

Maikel Garcia sacrificed Isbel to third and Witt followed with a tiebreaking single through the drawn-in infield.

Vinnie Pasquantino doubled, advancing Witt to third, and Perez made it 2-0 with another base hit through the infield. Massey’s RBI groundout capped the inning.

Bassitt lost his third straight start, allowing three runs and four hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out four.

The Royals used replay review to confirm that Perez was hit by a two-out pitch in the fourth inning. Massey struck out to end the frame.

Perez started at catcher for Kansas City. He was scratched from Monday’s start behind the plate but came on as a pinch hitter. Perez started at first base Tuesday.

Royals: RHP Brady Singer (2-1, 2.62) is scheduled to start Friday as Kansas City hosts Texas. RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-1, 4.24) goes for the Rangers.

Blue Jays: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (2-2, 294 ERA) is expected to start Friday as Toronto visits Washington for a three-game series.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714645881187.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Royals pitcher Seth Lugo (67) works against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning of a baseball game in Toronto, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals pitcher Seth Lugo (67) works against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning of a baseball game in Toronto, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>TORONTO (AP) — Seth Lugo pitched seven strong innings to win for the fifth time in seven starts, Michael Massey hit a three-run home run and the Kansas City Royals beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 on Wednesday.Bobby Witt Jr. had two hits, scored once and also drove in a run as the Royals won for the fifth time in seven meetings with Toronto.Witt also turned in a highlight defensive play,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportsKC/status/1785772790953447504">making a sliding stop and throwing from one knee</a>&nbsp;to retire Bo Bichette for the final out of the sixth inning.Salvador Perez had an RBI single and extended his career-best streak of reaching base safely to 21 games. His 27 RBIs lead the American League.Massey homered off right-hander Nate Pearson in the eighth, his second in two games. He finished with four RBIs.Lugo (5-1) allowed just one hit, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s single in the first, until Toronto catcher Danny Jansen homered with two outs in the seventh. The solo blast was Jansen’s third of the season.Lugo walked two and struck out eight. He lowered his ERA to 1.60.Chris Stratton worked the eighth and Nick Anderson finished.Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt (2-5) didn’t allow a hit through five innings, but had his outing unravel after Royals center fielder Kyle Isbel doubled to begin the sixth.Maikel Garcia sacrificed Isbel to third and Witt followed with a tiebreaking single through the drawn-in infield.Vinnie Pasquantino doubled, advancing Witt to third, and Perez made it 2-0 with another base hit through the infield. Massey’s RBI groundout capped the inning.Bassitt lost his third straight start, allowing three runs and four hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out four.The Royals used replay review to confirm that Perez was hit by a two-out pitch in the fourth inning. Massey struck out to end the frame.Perez started at catcher for Kansas City. He was scratched from Monday’s start behind the plate but came on as a pinch hitter. Perez started at first base Tuesday.UP NEXTRoyals: RHP Brady Singer (2-1, 2.62) is scheduled to start Friday as Kansas City hosts Texas. RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-1, 4.24) goes for the Rangers.Blue Jays: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (2-2, 294 ERA) is expected to start Friday as Toronto visits Washington for a three-game series.