SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 5, 2026
CANARIES SWEEP EXPLORERS AFTER WILD 16-15 SLUGFEST
LATE COMEBACK FALLS SHORT FOR THE FOURTH GAME IN A ROW
By: Andrew Della Piana
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Sioux Falls (24-22) completed a sweep of Sioux City (20-26) on Sunday, holding off a furious Explorers comeback for a 16-15 victory at Lewis and Clark Park. The Canaries also claimed the season series, nine games to three.
The sweep couldn’t have come at a worse time for the X’s, who entered Tuesday’s home-and-home series tied for second place in the West Division but now sits in last.
“We had meetings and talked about the stuff we needed to change,” Explorers manager Steve Montgomery said. “It’s the big innings that is frustrating.”
Those big innings defined the afternoon.
Sioux Falls erupted for seven runs in the first inning, sending 12 batters to the plate.
Mike Hart drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and scored on Chase Engelhard’s RBI double to right. Anthony Hall followed with an RBI single before Joe Vos ripped a two-run double to straightaway center for a 4-0 lead. Michael Curialle added an RBI double into the right-center gap, and Hart capped the inning with a two-run double to left-center to make it 7-0, ending the day for Sioux City starter Julio Rosario before the first inning was complete.
The Canaries added another run in the second when Hall doubled to open the inning and scored on Curialle’s second RBI double of the game.
By that point, Sioux Falls had already collected six doubles. The most allowed by the Explorers in a game this season. The Canaries finished with nine.
The X’s answered in the bottom of the second after loading the bases with no outs. D’Shawn Knowles delivered a two-run single to cut the deficit to 8-2.
Elliot Good continued his recent power surge with a solo home run just inside the left-field foul pole in the fourth, his second homer in just a matter of days, trimming the deficit to 8-3.
The Canaries responded in the fifth.
Grady Mee singled to begin the inning, stole both second and third, then scored on a throwing error by Cade Marquardt. Hall followed with a two-run double extending the lead to 11-3.
Alberto Osuna answered with an RBI single in the bottom half, but the Explorers finally found sustained momentum in the sixth.
Sioux City sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs on five hits. Henry George blasted a two-run triple before RBI singles from Zac Vooletich, Knowles and Good suddenly pulled the Explorers within two at 11-9.
The comeback continued in the seventh.
Austin Davis singled, stole both second and third, and later scored during a rundown after an errant throw by Engelhard allowed him to cross the plate while Henry George advanced to second. Braulio Vasquez followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game, 11-11.
But once again, one big inning undid Sioux City.
The Canaries loaded the bases with one out in the eighth before Mee recorded his first professional hit and first two RBIs with a go-ahead two-run single. Hart struck again with his second two-run double of the day, and Josh Rehwaldt added an RBI infield single that ricocheted off the first-base bag into right field, pushing the lead to 16-11.
The Explorers refused to go quietly.
An RBI fielder’s choice by Marquardt, George’s two-run single and Vooletich’s RBI triple brought Sioux City within 16-15 in the eighth, but Charlie Hasty shut the door with a perfect ninth inning, retiring the side in order to earn his eighth save of the season, moving into second in the league.
Sioux City is off Monday before opening a three-game home series against Fargo-Moorhead on Tuesday. First pitch for game one is at 6:35 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 6:05 p.m. on KSCJ 94.9 FM and 1360 AM. Fans can also watch every American Association game this season on the league’s streaming platform at aabaseball.tv. Tickets for all remaining games are available now by calling the Explorers front office at 712-277-WINS or online at xsbaseball.com.
Notes from the Booth with DV:
-Sioux City finished 3-9 against Sioux Falls this season.
-The Explorers have 127 stolen bases.
-The X’s are 3-10 in one run games and 12-5 at this point last year in one run games.
-The Explorers are 0-5 when tied after seven.
-The X’s are a season low six games below .500.
-Sioux City is 10-16 at home this season.
-Of the eight walks issued five scored.
-The X’s have scored 10 or more runs eight times this season and are 5-3.
-The Explorers erased 6-0, 8-0 and 10-0 deficits over the last four games and lost one run, three runs and one run.
–ABOUT THE SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS: The Sioux City Explorers are a proud member of the American Association of Professional Baseball in Sioux City, IA. The Explorers play their home games at Security National Bank Field at Lewis & Clark Park. For more information, please visit xsbaseball.com and follow the team on Twitter at @SiouxCityXs and on Facebook at facebook.com/SiouxCityExplorers.
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