CANARIES TAKE SERIES OPENER FROM SIOUX CITY
Explorers Drop Fifth In a Row
Sioux City, IA (July 12, 2021) – The Sioux City Explorers could not hold on to multiple leads throughout the game as they fell to the Sioux Falls Canaries 7-6, losing their fifth in a row.
The night began on a promising note for the Explorers as with the bases loaded, Sebastian Zawada hit the first grand slam of the year for the X’s to put Sioux City on top 4-0.
The Canaries chipped away at the X’s lead scoring three times in the fourth all on two outs. A Shamoy Christopher solo home run got the Canaries on the board. And after two baserunners reached, a Wyatt Ulrich triple plated both of them to cut the Sioux City lead down to just one.
A Trey Michalczewski sacrifice fly in the fifth, after a Nick Gotta lead off triple tied the game at four.
However Sioux City retook the lead immediately in the bottom half of the fifth inning. They got the first two baserunners to reach on singles. And a wild pitch scored Lane Milligan from third to give Sioux City a 5-4 lead. A single from Joseph Monge to right field upped the Explorers lead to 6-4.
But the lead did not last long as the Birds battled back for three runs in the sixth. With the bases loaded and no outs a Cade Gotta single cut the X’s lead back to one, and a Nick Gotta fielder’s choice tied the game at six. Troy Alexander gave Sioux Falls the lead with a sacrifice fly to right field making it 7-6.
Zach Hedges (5-3) was charged with the loss as he surrendered the seven runs on ten hits, while striking out five and walking two.
Grady Wood (2-0) earned the win for the Canaries in relief as he tossed three innings, giving up two runs on six hits while striking out five and walking just one.
Sioux City in the sixth inning had a golden chance to at the very least tie the game with the bases loaded and only one out but Wood escaped the jam with a pair of strikeouts.
For the Explorers it was a night filled with base runners but frustrating results in trying to get them home as they went 3-14 with runners in scoring position with five strikeouts. Sioux City was also 1-5 with the bases loaded. In total with eleven hits, six walks and four hit batters the X’s had twenty-one total base runners but stranded thirteen of them.
Caleb Farer notched his third save of the season as he set down the X’s in order in the bottom of the ninth.
The Explorers and Canaries continue the series on Tuesday with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm. Lefty Patrick Ledet (4-2, 6.96) will be on the mound for Sioux City, and for Sioux Falls it will be righty Tyler Garkow (2-4, 6.13).