Junction City plays Manhattan in the first round of the Class 6A State Baseball Tournament Thursday.

Game time is 4 p.m. at Hoglund Stadium at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

Junction City is the eight seed in the tournament with a record of 9-13, while Manhattan comes in the top seed with a record of 20-2.

These teams have not played a game for nine days since winning their respective regional tournaments to qualify for state. Blue Jay coach Heath Gerstner noted it seems like it’s been a month since the Junction City played a game. “With school getting out and all those types of things it’s been a little bit of a challenge on us as coaches part, but our kids are amped up to play, and what a better matchup than with Manhattan.”

Manhattan coach Don Hess noted people have asked him if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that the two teams are playing one another. “And I say well it’s probably a good thing in that we each know each other. At least there’s not a lot of unknown.  We might know each other’s tendencies, but it’s been long enough ago that some guys were hitting back then that aren’t now and vice versa.”

Hess called the meeting great, and noted there are three Centennial League teams in the state tournament. In addition to Junction City and Manhattan, Washburn Rural also qualified for the eight team field.

Manhattan defeated Junction City 6-3 and 12-2 in a doubleheader at Rathert Field in Junction City back on April 22.

The game between Junction City and Manhattan Thursday can be heard on KJCK AM, The Talk of JC. The broadcast begins at 3:50 p.m.

The rest of the 6a State Tournament field finds Shawnee Mission East playing Maize on the same side of the bracket as Junction City. The other side has Washburn Rural against Wichita Northwest, and Blue Valley West against Blue Valley High School.

The tournament semifinals and finals are Friday.

 

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Chris Carter hit two home runs, George Springer set a rookie club record for homers in a month and the Houston Astros beat the Kansas City Royals 9-3 Wednesday for their fifth straight win.

The Astros, with the worst record in the AL, won three times in Kansas City for their first sweep of the season. Houston’s winning streak is its longest since a six-game string that ended last June 3.

The Royals have lost four in a row.

The 2014 Fan Appreciation Night for the Junction City Brigade summer collegiate baseball team is Tuesday June 3 at Rathert Stadium.

Fans can watch the Brigade practice, meet and greet the players and get autographs, and there will be raffle items ranging from a guided fishing day / fish fry from Grandpa Boone’s Cabins and outfitters to an 835 Camo Turkey Shotgun from Jack and Dick’s Pawn Shop. The beer garden will be open and there will be free hamburgers and hotdogs.

A $10 raffle ticket purchase is required to enter the event. Kids get in free. Tickets are available at Coach’s and KJCK.

Other raffle items for the event will include a one-season membership to Rolling Meadows Golf Course, $100 cash from Walsh Customs, $500 cash from Security Solutions, one-year membership to Geary Rehab, Blue Ray Player with Wifi from Aaron’s Furniture, $100 in fireworks from Bennett Fireworks,  four season tickets to the Brigade from JC Community Baseball Club, Cooler Caddy from Beacon Marine, a gift package from City Cycle Sales, and many more.

The Brigade will play their first game of the season Friday, June 6, when they host the Topeka Golden Giants.

Three members of the Junction City Blue Jay golf team competed in the Class 6A State Golf Tournament at the Topeka Country Club on Tuesday.

Steve Kim shot a round of 81, Dalton Senesac 90, and Shane Lee 92.

None of the Blue Jays medaled by finishing among the top 20 golfers, but Junction City coach Tim Hickert said overall he was pleased with their performance. “The guys did their best, it’s a very, very tough, course, and it was really, really a neat thing for them to make it as far as they did.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Royals are awaiting MRI exam results on pitching prodigy Yordano Ventura and have learned top prospect Kyle Zimmer will miss additional time with his own injury.

Ventura’s 100 mph fastballs have made him a budding star. He was removed from Monday night’s loss to Houston with discomfort in his right elbow, but the Royals are hopeful that his injury is not to a ligament because it was on the opposite side from where those injuries are typically felt.

Meanwhile, the team said in a statement Tuesday that Zimmer, the fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft, will be kept from even playing catch for at least six weeks because of a strained back muscle.

Zimmer was already getting a slow start to the season because of biceps tendinitis.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State Athletics Director John Currie announced today that women’s basketball student-athlete Leticia Romero has been granted a release as a result of a newly modified institutional policy. The K-State Athletics Board of Directors approved a recommendation by Currie to retroactively apply the amended policy, which will permit Romero to transfer and be eligible for athletics aid at any institution under NCAA Bylaw 13.1.1.3, with the exception of Big 12 institutions.

In a letter to President Kirk Schulz, Currie recommended an addition to the university transfer release appeals procedure to provide more flexibility to the Athletics Director to release a student-athlete if new information or circumstances warrant. The KSA Board of Directors met earlier this morning and adopted this recommendation along with updated language to the athletics department’s transfer release policy to better reflect the practice of the department in recent years (see attached).

“We appreciate the support of K-State fans during this time and wish Leticia all the best in her future pursuits,” said Currie.

Release from Kenny Lannou, Assistant A.D. for Communications

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – George Springer homered in his fourth straight game and went 4 for 4 with three RBIs and scored five runs in the Houston Astros’ 9-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.

The Astros have won three straight, matching their longest winning streak this season, and snapped a six-game losing streak to the Royals.

Springer led off the eighth with a home run off Louis Coleman, his fifth homer in four games. He is the first Houston rookie to homer in four straight games.

Springer also had two doubles and became the first Astro to score five runs in a game since Cody Ransom on Sept. 24, 2007 against St. Louis.

Scott Feldman (3-2) held the Royals to two runs and eight hits over six innings.

Royals rookie right-hander Yordano Ventura (2-5) left in the third inning with discomfort in his elbow.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Kansas City Royals activated second baseman Omar Infante off the disabled list before their Monday night game and started him against the Houston Astros.

Infante, who has been shelved since May 7 with a lower back injury, went 4-for-11, .363, in a three-game rehab stint with Triple-A Omaha. Infante hit .267 with 19 RBIs in 30 games with Kansas City before the injury.

The Royals optioned right-hander Casey Coleman, who did not allow a run in two relief appearances in 2 2-3 innings, to Omaha.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Chiefs coach Andy Reid says outside linebacker Dee Ford showed impressive athleticism during the team’s three-day rookie minicamp.

Kansas City selected Ford with the 23rd overall pick in this year’s draft. Ford played his college ball at Auburn, where he had 20 1/2 sacks and 27 1/2 tackles for loss in 52 games.

Ford is transitioning from defensive end with the Tigers to outside linebacker with the Chiefs. Reid says Ford has done a great job of learning the defense and his new position.

Ford gives Kansas City another pass rusher after the Chiefs had 47 sacks last season, tied for sixth in the NFL. Reid says Ford “brings a lot of energy.”

The rookie minicamp ended on Monday.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Chris Iannetta hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning Sunday, lifting the Los Angeles Angels over the Kansas City Royals 4-3

Reliever Tim Collins (0-3) retired the first batter in the eighth before Iannetta lined a drive into the lower seats in the left-field corner for his fifth homer of the season and second of the series.

Michael Kohn (2-1) pitched a scoreless inning. Ernesto Frieri got three outs for his sixth save, retiring Alcides Escobar on a popup with a runner on third.