SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 2026
DENTON’S BLAST AND DE LA CRUZ DEBUT LIFT SIOUX CITY
X’S RULE MONARCHS 3-2
By: Andrew Della Piana
SIOUX CITY, IOWA – In a fast‑moving pitchers’ duel that wrapped in just over two hours, Sioux City (18-21) edged Kansas City (22-15) by a final of 3–2 behind newcomer Jasseel De La Cruz.
After the win, Steve Montgomery praised his club’s patience with roster challenges, saying, “…phenomenal pitched baseball game. We were patient with the Visa Reserve List and it paid off tonight.”
The Monarchs struck first in the third when Brady Lindsly and Peyton Holt reached to open the inning, advanced on a wild pitch, and both scored on a Nick Martini sacrifice fly paired with a throwing error from right fielder D’Shawn Knowles.
Sioux City answered immediately in the bottom half as Zac Vooletich launched a two‑run homer for his fourth of the season and league‑leading 51st hit to tie the game 2–2.
The X’s took the lead for good in the fifth when Zane Denton crushed a solo shot to dead center, and that proved to be the final run of the night.
Making his Explorers debut, former Braves No. 12 prospect Jasseel De La Cruz delivered six strong innings, allowing just two hits and two earned runs, while Kelvin Cáceres followed with two dominant frames, giving up only one baserunner.
Trey Morrill closed it out for his second save of the year and just the fifth save for Sioux City all season, which entered the night last in the league in that category.
Sioux City finishes the three‑game set against Kansas City on Sunday. First pitch for game three is at 4:05 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 3:35 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.
Notes from the Booth with DV:
-The X’s are 5-3 on Saturday.
-Trey Morrill has saves in two straight games.
-Sioux City is 16-1 when leading after six.
-The X’s hit two home runs to raise their season total to 36.
-Sioux City is all-time 85-76 against Kansas City.
–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.
TUNE INTO ALL THE EXPLORERS ACTION ON KSCJ AND AABASEBALL.TV