SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 31, 2024
By Dan Vaughan Jr.
CLEBURNE CRUISES TO WIN
EXPLORERS DROP THIRD STRAIGHT
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Sioux City Explorers (47-51) and Cleburne Railroaders (60-38) are both postseason bound in the American Association, but after Saturday night, the two teams have different momentum heading into the race for the league pennant. With two games to go in the regular season, it is the Railroaders who are riding a three-game winning streak and the Explorers a three-game losing streak after an 11-5 Cleburne win Saturday night.
Joey Murray (5-8) got the start for Sioux City and got into trouble in the second inning. Blake Grant-Parks RBI double made it 1-0 early. In the top of the third, Cleburne took command of the game with a solo home run for Carter Aldrete. Then with two outs, Hill Alexander doubled and was followed by Korey Holland who singled to put two on for the Railroaders. Grant-Parks then launched a three-run home run to right to make it 5-0.
Cleburne added to their lead in the top of the fourth when Blaze Brothers hit his first home run of the season to make it 6-0. Murray would get the second out of the inning on a fly to center from Jesus Lujano, but two hits and a walk would load the bases. Alexander would strikeout for the second out of the inning, but a bases-loaded walk to Holland extended the lead to 7-0 and chased Murray from the game. Brendan O’Donnell came into the game and walked the next two batters with the bases loaded to bring in two more runs, and the lead was 9-0. O’Donnell would get the final out of the inning.
The Explorers would come back with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning with a two-run home run from Scott Ota and solo blast from Nick Shumpert off Cleburne starter Brady Puckett (1-2). The X’s picked up two more runs in the sixth inning on fielder’s choice RBI’s from Ota and Daniel Perez to cut the lead to 9-5.
The Railroaders added a single run in the top of the seventh on a sac fly from Brian O’Grady and another fielder’s choice RBI from Lujano to close out the scoring 11-5.
The Explorers will face the Cleburne Railroaders in game three of a four-game regular-season ending series Sunday afternoon, September 1 at 4:05 p.m. Tickets for remaining games as well as any playoff games are available at the Lewis and Clark box office or online. More information is available by calling the Explorers front office at 712-277-WINS. Stay tuned to the Explorers social media channels and the club’s website xsbaseball.com for all our news and updates.
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