K-HEART SPORTS – FRIDAY – 07/28/23
MINOT, ND – In case you missed it over the weekend the State Class AA Legion Baseball Tournament was won by #1 Fargo Post 2 over #9 Williston Keybirds 16-7 on Saturday. The State Class B Legion Baseball Tournament was won by Thompson over LaMoure, 4-2. The State Class A Legion Baseball Tournament holds semifinals today as Kindred plays the West Fargo Jets, followed by Wahpeton battling Casselton. The championship is set for tomorrow afternoon.
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MINOT HOT TOTS
MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots snapped a 6-game losing streak and earned a split of their two-game home series with Rochester by defeating the Honkers 6-5 yesterday. Brannon Mondragon scored on a Drew Woodcox single to center field in the 7th inning which would prove to be the winning run. Teams are now off for the Northwoods League All-Star activities today and tomorrow in Bismarck.
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TWINS-ROYALS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Freddy Fermin hit a homer, Maikel Garcia had an RBI double, Ryan Yarbrough gave up one run over seven innings and the Kansas City Royals completed a sweep of the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Sunday. It’s the first sweep by the Royals since last September, which was also against Minnesota. Yarbrough (4-5) had his best start of the season going seven innings, allowing one earned run and giving up seven hits while fanning five. Kenta Maeda (2-6) went five innings and gave up two earned runs on four hits and struck out seven. It’s the first time in over a month that the Twins lost a game he started. The win marks the first time this season Kansas City has won three games in a row. This is the fourth time Minnesota has been swept since June 8.
UP NEXT
RHP Pablo Lopez (5-6) will start the first of three games at St. Louis on Tuesday for the Twins.
RHP Pablo Lopez (5-6) will start the first of three games at St. Louis on Tuesday for the Twins.
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VIKINGS-HUNTER
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have given outside linebacker Danielle Hunter a hefty pay raise, paving the way for the team’s best pass rusher to participate in practice after a months-long contract stalemate. The Vikings announced Sunday on their website that they reached a new deal with Hunter, the three-time Pro Bowl pick with 71 sacks who will turn 29 in three months. Hunter reported to training camp last week on schedule after skipping the offseason program and mandatory minicamp, but he has yet to join his teammates on the field. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said Saturday that Hunter has been “in the building” and that they’ve been in “daily dialogue” about his physical and mental preparation. “Danielle Hunter is a very special player, and as soon as we can get him out here, you guys will see him out here,” O’Connell said.
Hunter’s previous contract called for a $4.9 million base salary. According to NFL Network, he’ll make $17 million guaranteed this year with an opportunity to earn an additional $3 million in incentives. Hunter will still hit the free agent market after the season, unless he and the team strike a deal on an extension in the meantime. Hunter’s presence will be vital for a Vikings defense that has been one of the NFL’s worst over the past three years. They allowed the second-most yards and the fourth-most points in the league in 2022, despite decent production by their primary edge rushers. Hunter had 10 1/2 sacks, Za’Darius Smith had 10 sacks and backups D.J. Wonnum and Patrick Jones had four sacks apiece. Smith was since traded to Cleveland in a cost-cutting move, leaving Hunter as the only proven pass rusher on the roster. Marcus Davenport was signed as a free agent to push for a starting spot, but this remains one of the biggest questions surrounding the team this season. “I think Danielle’s a phenomenal player,” said defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who was hired to replace the fired Ed Donatell. “I look forward to working with him.”
Under Donatell, Hunter often found himself as a standup rusher in a three-point stance. The Vikings with Flores are aiming to get back to turning Hunter loose with his hand in the ground more often. “Veteran players, they’ve seen a lot of defense, coverages, fronts, stunts. I think terminology will probably be the one thing that’s a little bit different, maybe, but some of it, there’s some crossover from some things he’s heard in the past so I don’t think it’ll take long for him to get up to speed,” Flores said. “At the end of the day, we’re telling him to go get the quarterback. There’s really not much to that. So I think he’ll be just fine.”