Due to the weather, there will be no Montgomery County baseball this Tuesday on Sonshine 98.9, KQQF.

The Cardinals were due to take on the Bartlesville Braves, the JV roster of the Bartlesville Indians. With the weather uncertain for the rest of the week, make sure to stay tuned to both the web and on the air for further updates regarding the schedule.

Montgomery County will potentially next take the field this Thursday, playing Nowata for the third time in three weeks. The Cardinals have won the season series, taking the first four of the planned six meetings between the two teams.

Montgomery County was simply overwhelmed at the plate, dropping both its contests to Bartlesville 20-1 and 4-1 on Thursday.

The first inning of the first game previewed what was yet to come. Bartlesville's Braden Winters sent a massive, first pitch homerun over the center field fence, giving the Indians a lead they would never lose. Montgomery County would gather a run in the very next half inning, an RBI single for Hunter Watson, but that was all they could muster for the game. Bartlesville would be held scoreless in the second, but picked up three more in the third. Finally, the bottom of the fourth inning saw the Indians rack up a 14-run inning, ending the contest at 20-1.

The second game saw several changes to the Bartlesville lineup, and the Cardinals had a much better chance at keeping it close. Starting pitcher Ryan Leiker went the distance, throwing 98 pitches and for the most part letting his defense take care of him. The Cardinals gave up the first run, but matched that in the top of the third by trading a double play for one of their own. The tie wouldn't last long, though, as two throwing errors sent two Indians home, a lead that would become only bigger the very next inning. Both teams would go cold again after that, with Montgomery County going 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh to close things out at 4-1.

The Cardinals are now 8-10 on the season, and will get a crack at the Bartlesville Braves next Tuesday. That game will be played in Coffeyville, but can be heard on Sonshine 98.9, KQQF. First pitch will be thrown at 6 pm.

Montgomery County extended its winning streak to 4 games, defeating Nowata 8-0 and 11-3 on Tuesday.

Game 1 got off to a slow start, with neither team able to gather more than a couple of baserunners. That pattern would continue until the top of the third, but center fielder Ryan Leiker sent a moonshot out toward left field that broke open the scoring and gave the Cardinals a 3-0 advantage. That was all the scoring that Montgomery County was able to pick up at that moment, but the team's biggest inning came in the fifth. Five runners crossed home plate, pushing the Cardinal lead out to 8 and sealing the deal. On the mound, Mason Seigel went the distance, pitching all five innings and striking out seven Nowata batters. 

Game 2 again saw Montgomery County break things open in the top of the third, but instead of a home run, the team used a couple of Nowata errors to start a one-out, four-hit rally that brought four runners home. That'd be all the scoring until the fifth, when the Cardinals once again used Nowata mistakes. This time, however, they'd push things even further with an 11-batter parade that scored 7 runs and brought the score to 11-0. Nowata would score its first runs of the evening in the bottom half of the fifth, but it was too little, too late. The game was called after five innings at 11-3. Matthew Whitson, Davis Merrick and Easton O'Kane combined for the winning effort on the mound, giving up just four hits.

Montgomery County has brought their record back to .500 on the season, now sitting at 8-8. The team will be back in action next Thursday, heading into a rematch with Bartlesville. The action will start at 6 pm and can be heard on Sonshine 98.9, KQQF.

The runs came across in bunches for the Montgomery County Cardinals, as they picked up a two-game sweep of Moran, 15-2 and 17-9, on Thursday.

The first game saw Moran jump out to a quick 2-0 lead, but that was about it for the Wildcats. Wild pitches, errors, and just good old-fashioned hitting would see the Cardinals take a quick 4-2 lead after the 1st inning, a 10-2 lead after the 2nd, and finally a 15-2 lead after the 3rd. Easton O'Kane would get the start, but Davis Merrick would pitch 3 out of 4 innings, striking out 8 of the 10 batters he faced. The game was called after the top of the 4th, with Moran failing to pick up enough offense to avoid the run rule.

The second game would be a bit more interesting, as despite the final scoreline, it wasn't clear that Montgomery County would walk away the winners. With pitching at a premium in its sixth game of the week, Tucker Roberts would make his debut on the mound. Moran would take advantage of this and several defensive mistakes committed by the Cardinals, pushing across 5 runs in the top of the 1st. The Cardinals would cut the lead to 2 after plating 3 in the bottom half, but Moran continued to hold steady by getting back 2 of those in the next half inning. It wouldn't be until the bottom of the 3rd that the winner became clear. Montgomery County ripped off a 15-batter, 12-run inning that saw every player in the Cardinals lineup at least score 1 run. Ian Oliver, who relieved Roberts midway through the 2nd, pitched most of the second contest, striking out 6 in his 2021 debut. Moran scored 2 more runs in the 4th, but Merrick would once again take to the mound to close the door on the Wildcats, the game being called after a scoreless 5th inning at 17-9.

That'll be it for this week of Montgomery County baseball. The team is now 6-8 and will return to action next Tuesday, heading to Oklahoma for a rematch with Nowata. First pitch will be at 6:00 pm, and can be heard on Sonshine 98.9, KQQF.

Montgomery County came close, but couldn't overcome Fredonia on Wednesday, dropping both contests 8-7 and 3-2.

The first contest saw Fredonia strike early and often. The Wilson County squad picked up 3 runs in each of the first 2 innings, off of two different Cardinals pitchers. Hunter Watson would enter the game and briefly stabilze the defense, but gave up 2 runs more before being swapped out for Easton O'Kane. He would finish the contest out with 2 scoreless innings. Meanwhile, the Montgomery County offense slowly trailed behind Fredonia for the entire game, save for a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Trailing 6-3 in the 4th inning, the Cardinals would have their biggest inning of the game, plating 3 while taking advantage of an at-times shaky Fredonia defense. The two teams combined for 13 errors in the first game, with 6 being committed by Montgomery County and the rest going to Fredonia. Despite tying things back up, Fredonia would get one last boost in the bottom half of the 4th, and although the Cardinals plated 1 more in the 5th, they were blanked the rest of the way by pitching standout Joel Dutton for the 8-7 defeat.

A pitcher's duel erupted in the second game of the evening, as starting pitchers Mason Siegel and John Dutton both had their way with the opposing offense. The Cardinals would score first, picking up a run on an Ian Oliver sacrifice fly that gave the team a 1-0 advantage. After the offense picked up another in the top of the deciding 5th inning, Siegel would take to the mound for a shot at a perfect game. However, it simply wasn't to be, as two hits, a walk, and a wild pitch was all it took for Fredonia to take the 3-2 victory. Although Siegel took the loss, he had a monster game, striking out 8 and only walking the 1 batter in the final inning.

Montgomery County is now 4-8 on the season. They'll be back in action one more time this week, coming back to Coffeyville to play host to Moran. First pitch is scheduled for 6 pm, and can be heard on Sonshine 98.9, KQQF.

Montgomery County picked up its first sweep of the 2021 campaign, defeating Nowata 13-6 and 2-1 on Tuesday.

The Cardinals would need some heroics in the first contest of the night. Falling behind 6-1 through the first 3 innings, it seemed as if the bats just weren't there again. As it turned out, contact was all they needed. Nowata committed 10 errors over the course of the first game, including several across a 10-batter, 6 run inning that gave Montgomery County the lead in the 5th inning. Entering the bottom of the 6th, the Cardinals gave themselves much more breathing room by first loading the bases, and then clearing them on a Mason Seigel grand slam. Two more runs would come across, with Seigel shutting down Nowata in the top of the 7th for the 13-6 victory.

The second game of the night, by comparison, would be a lot more subdued. Both teams played much better defense, however, neither team could gather much of anything offensively as a result. Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 3rd, Seigel would be caught trying to steal 2nd base. However, on the same play, Ryan Leiker would hustle home to give the Cardinals the decisive run. Due to time, the game was called after 5 innings. Leiker also finished a complete game on the mound, striking out 7 and allowing no walks.

The Cardinals are now 4-6 in its 2021 season. Montgomery County will be in action twice more this week, with tomorrow's trip to Fredonia coming up first. First pitch will be at 6:00 pm, and can be heard on Sonshine 98.9, KQQF.

Montgomery County split its doubleheader with the Iola Indians on Thursday, dropping the first contest 7-1 but recovering well to take the second game at 5-4.

The first game would be decided by the first inning, as starting pitcher Matthew Whitson ran into some early trouble. Nine Iola batters came to the plate in the top of the first, scoring 5 runs. Whitson would improve over the course of the game, and only allowed 2 more runs to score in 4.2 innings of work. He'd also throw over 100 pitches on the day, a first for the Cardinals this season. However, the Montgomery County offense wasn't up to par early in the day, scoring just 1 run on an error by the Iola third baseman. Four hits wouldn't be enough to push the team to victory, as they dropped the first game 7-1.

Although Iola once again kicked off the scoring in the second game, scoring 2 runs, it was Montgomery County that would do the most damage in the early going. The Cardinals gathered four consecutive hits to start the game, scoring 4 runs that would prove to be vital. After a few more scoreless innings, guided by starting pitcher Mason Seigel, Montgomery County would run into some trouble in the fifth, final inning. Seigel walked the bases loaded and allowed 2 runs that pushed the game to just 5-4. However, Ryan Leiker would come on in relief and record the final 2 outs, including a strikeout to conclude the game at 5-4.

Montgomery County is now 2-6 on the season. They'll be back in action next Tuesday, staying at home to play host to Nowata. First pitch will be at 6:00 pm, and can be heard on Sonshine 98.9, KQQF.

Montgomery County couldn't avoid giving up the big inning, dropping both games in Tuesday's doubleheader 12-1 and 6-1. 

For the first two innings of the first game, both teams struggled to get much of anything. Pittsburg would come alive in the third, however, racking up a 6-run inning ousing 3 hits and 3 walks. With the score at 6-0, the Cardinals found a consolation run on an RBI single to left field. However, the Patriots stayed hot, adding 3 in the fourth inning, and finally 3 in the fifth to reach the run rule at 12-1. Matthew Whitson got the start for Montgomery County, and pitched fairly well, going 2 innings and giving up just 1 earned run.

The second game played much like the first, although Pittsburg did strike first after a couple of Cardinal errors allowed a run to score without a hit. After a few more scoreless halves, Pittsburg would find a 6-hit, two-out rally to increase their lead to 5-0. After the Patriots put another run across in the bottom of the fourth, Montgomery County would at least find 1 run, an RBI single for Hunter Watson. However, with pitching at a premium, the game was called after the end of the inning at 6-1.

The Cardinals are now 1-5 on the season, and will be back in action on Thursday against Iola. For the first time this season, Montgomery County will play at Walter Johnson Park in Coffeyville, but you can still listen in on Sonshine 98.9, KQQF. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 pm.

Several area baseball stars have been named as SEK League All-League selections.

Players from Independence, Labette County and Parsons made the list. Several players, in addition, play their summer ball for the Montgomery County Cardinals, currently being broadcast on 98.9, KQQF. Those players are listed in italics.

You can see the full list of selections below.

First Team:

Kam Koester - Jr. - Chanute

Luke Bradbury - Jr. - Fort Scott

Ryan Leiker - Jr. - Independence

Cooper Hayden - Jr. - Pittsburg

Dryden Cosens - Jr. - Fort Scott

Jackson Turnbull - So. - Pittsburg

Blake Atwood - Sr. - Chanute

Paxson Swanson - Jr. - Parsons

Cooper Peak - Sr. - Labette County

Cody Wilson - So. - Fort Scott

Larsen Koester - Fr. - Chanute

Second Team:

Ian Oliver - Sr. - Independence

AJ Robertson - Sr. - Chanute

Ethan Houk - Sr. - Parsons

Griffin Eaton - So. - Labette County

Brandon Figura - Jr. - Labette County

Blaine Dunstan - Jr. - Pittsburg

Cole Jameson - Sr. - Pittsburg

Davis Merrick - Jr. - Independence

Cal Cosens - Fr. - Fort Scott

Cooper Smith - Jr. - Independence

Spencer Goldston - Fr. - Fort Scott

Registration for the 32^nd Annual Sunflower State Games is now open. The 2021 Sunflower State Games will take place July 9-21 in Topeka and will feature over 40 different competitions for all ages and skill levels. Some of the sports include cornhole, disc golf, slow-pitch softball and team paintball.

Executive Director Cassie Criger says they are looking forward to returning to a full lineup of sports in 2021 after an abbreviated schedule in 2020. Organizers are hoping to host over 6,500 athletes for the games as the state is reopening. Complete event details and registration procedures can be found here.

Independence Community College lands 19 players on the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference All-Conference teams. The Pirates went 5-2 under first-year Head Coach Jason Martin and finished third in the conference. DreamU had six players named to the first team, seven to the second team and six named honorable mention. The full list of All-Conference players can be found below:

First Team Offense

Nate Damron - TE

Deyavie Hammond - G

Brock Domann - QB

Second Team Offense

Denzal Allenye - WR

Anthony Garcia - C

Honorable Mention Offense

Pat Bowlen - RB

Tavion Thomas - RB

First Team Defense

Prince Boyd - DT

Joko Willis - LB

Second Team Defense

Kuma Scanlan - LB

Carlin Vigors - CB

Wallace Melton - S

Demarcus Griffin - S

Honorable Mention Defense

Sadame Tucker - DE

Christopher Welch - DE

Tra Wilkins - LB

Tyree Carlisle - CB

First Team Special Teams

Wilson Yee - K

Second Team Special Teams

Stefaan Forbes - P

Montgomery County split its doubleheader with Winfield on Thursday, dropping the first contest 12-6 but taking the second at 13-2.

The Cardinals jumped out quickly in both games, but only in the second game did the offense persist. Davis Merrick got the start for Game 1, but the control issues that plagued the team against Bartlesville showed up once again. Merrick, Ryan Powell, and JoJo Walker would allow 10 free passes combined, many coming in the bottom of the second. This allowed Winfield to rack up the runs without having to make contact, something that they did struggle with most of the night. Montgomery County would outhit the Vikings 7 to 6, but the runs told a different story at 12-6.

For the second game, Merrick would get the start once again, and with the first game behind him, he shined. Merrick recorded 10 strikeouts, and no walks in what became a four-inning complete game. The Cardinals would score five runs in each of the first two innings, putting the game out of reach early. Winfield would push ahead one more run in the bottom of the fourth, but the game would be decided by the run rule.

Offensively, Merrick also put in work, going 3-3 in the first game and 2-3 in the second. He also stole 5 total bases between the two games. Meanwhile, Ian Oliver, Matthew Whitson, Hunter Watson, and Seth Martinez all recorded multi-RBI games. Montgomery County is now 1-3 on the season. They'll be back in action on Tuesday, hitting the road to take on Pittsburg.

KJCCC All-Conference teams have been announced, with several Red Ravens being named to those teams. In total, 18 players were either named to the first team, second team, or as an honorable mention. You can see those selections below.

The Red Ravens finished their season at 3-3 under returning head coach Jeff Leiker.

Offense Second Team:

Cortarius Wilson - WR

Terrance McClain - Tackle

Offense Honorable Mention:

Will Dennis - TE

Cale Harbour - TE

Bryce Childers - WR

John Bolding - Guard

Ethan Ellis - Guard

Defense First Team:

Nnanna Anyanwu - DE

Defense Second Team:

Reise Collier - LB

Jayquan Frazier - CB

Jacob Proche - CB

Defense Honorable Mention:

Allen Henry - DT

Jhayln Shuler - LB

Tavyn Jackson - CB

Brenyen Scott - S

Devin Lee - DT

Special Teams First Team:

Skylar Seagraves - Kicker

Special Teams Honorable Mention:

Skylar Seagraves - Punter

Jacob Proche - Return Specialist

The Montgomery County Cardinals just couldn't find much of anything Tuesday night, dropping both games to Bartlesville 13-1 and 18-0.

The first game saw the Indians produce a steady stream of runs, despite the Cardinals putting ace pitcher Ryan Leiker on the mound to start their season. Leiker pitched well, finding the strike zone with just under 70 percent of his pitches, but Bartlesville let nothing by and made solid contact on most everything he offered. Montgomery County's lone run came in the top of the first, when Leiker hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Davis Merrick from third. From there, Bartlesville would score 13 consecutive runs, aided by several Montgomery County errors. The game ended via run rule following a scoreless top of the fith.

The second game was actually fairly close for three innings, as both Bartlesville starter Brenden Asher and Montgomery County starter Matthew Whitson competed in a pitcher's duel. However, the wheels would come off for the Cardinals in the bottom of the fourth. With the bases loaded and no one out, reliever Davis Merrick would catch a comebacker off the ankle. Although Merrick would stay in the game, his control was affected, and neither Ryan Powell nor Hunter Watson could stop the bleeding. Bartlesville batted around twice, with the game being called at 18-0 and still no one out. The Indians scored 17 runs in the fourth.

Montgomery County starts its season at 0-2. They'll look to get into the win column at Winfield on Thursday. You can listen to all Cardinals broadcasts on Sonshine 98.9, KQQF.