Kansas City Monarchs treat fans to victory in home opener at Legends Field in KCK

The Kansas City Monarchs cruised to a 6-1 victory in their Thursday evening home opener against the Winnipeg Goldeyes at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kan.

The Monarchs (4-2) trailed 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth, but three straight doubles flipped the script in a hurry. Ross Adolph, Josh Bissonette and Travis Swaggerty did the honors, much to the delight of a crowd numbering around 3,000.

Bissonette finished 2-for-4 and scored what proved to be the winning run. He also drove in his first run of the year.

“It was a blast — just cool to look out and see all the fans,” the former Pittsburgh Pirates prospect said. “It was loud. I’m hoping that it can continue the rest of the season.”

It definitely continued in the eighth inning Thursday, when KC left fielder Blake Rutherford sent a three-run homer into the night sky in right. The 414-foot blast all but iced the game.

Ashton Goudeau started and pitched five innings, allowing the Goldeyes four hits — their only four hits of the game — while striking out four and walking one.

J.C. Keys relieved him in the sixth, going 1 2/3 innings and earning the win. The Monarchs’ bullpen trio of Keys, Zack Leban — who struck out all four batters he faced — and Jackson McClelland was airtight.

Zac Reininger took the loss for the Goldeyes (2-5).

The Monarchs continue their 10-game homestand on Friday at 6:35 p.m. Tickets are available at monarchsbaseball.com.

Cal Friedman contributed to this report.