SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 6, 2023
By: Austin Thomas
BIRDS ESCAPE WITH WIN
CLOSE LOSSES CONTINUE
SIOUX CITY, IOWA – The Sioux City Explorers (11-12) lost yet another close game Tuesday night, falling 5-4 to the Sioux Falls Canaries (11-13). It was their ninth two-run loss of the season, bringing the X’s below .500 for the first time this season following an 8-1 start. The Canaries move closer to .500 as they fight for third place in the West Division standings.
The game started with a pitchers’ duel, as Sioux City starter Austin Drury and Sioux Falls starter Akeem Bostick had perfect first innings. Despite walks by Jake Sanford and Kyle Kasser In the third inning, the Canaries held the X’s scoreless, leaving Sanford and Kasser stranded after a Matt Lloyd flyout.
The X’s caged the Canaries in the fourth. Vince Fernandez led off the inning with an opposite field home run to give Sioux City the 1-0 lead before loading the bases after. The Explorers saw both Jake Sanford and Delvin Zinn fall victim to Sioux Falls’ Bostick. The Canaries dropped two runs on the X’s in the fifth, following a controversial call with the pitch clock that led to Sioux City’s pitching coach Bobby Post being ejected for the first time this season. Christian Johnson relieved Bostick in the fifth for the Canaries and allowed Fernandez to get to third after a walk, but he didn’t allow a run. Drury had a perfect sixth inning before the X’s put up two runs in the bottom of the frame as Explorers’ Chase Harris found an RBI by singling home Jake Ortega before Jake Sanford followed that up sending Harris home.
The Canaries soared into the lead with a home run from Darnell Sweeney off Carlos Diaz (0-2) in the seventh inning. X’s head coach Steve Montgomery was also booted in the inning following a balk call on Sioux City reliever Nate Gercken, who came in for Drury to start the inning. The X’s couldn’t get the offense going against Sioux Falls reliever Brady Stover (1-0) in the seventh. Kent Hasler relieved Diaz to start the eighth for the X’s and struck out six, only allowing one run pitching through the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, Daniel Perez looked like he might clip the wings of the Canaries, knocking an RBI single off Sioux Falls closer Charlie Hasty, but the X’s came up short, losing 5-4 at the final out.
The X’s and the Canaries will play game two of the three-game series Wednesday night June 7 at Mercy Field at Lewis and Clark Park. Tickets for the season can be purchased online at XSBaseball.com, in person at the Lewis and Clark Park Box Office or by calling 712-277-WINS. You can catch all the X’s action on aabaseball.tv and on radio at KSCJ 94.9 FM and 1360 AM.