SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE

Phone: 817.739.3693

Website: xsbaseball.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 25, 2026

 

EARLY DOMINANCE UNRAVELS IN LOSS TO MILKMEN

SIOUX CITY DROPS SECOND STRAIGHT

By: Andrew Della Piana

SIOUX CITY, IA – Sioux City (5-6) watched an early pitching gem unravel into an 11–3 loss to Milwaukee (6-4) on Memorial Day.

What began with dominance from Zach Willeman quickly turned into a night of missed chances and too many big innings allowed.

Willeman was untouchable early, retiring the first six Milkmen hitters, five of them on strikeouts.

But the third inning flipped the game.

(Credit Tim Tushla)

Yordys Valdés opened the frame with a double, and the inning snowballed from there. Alec Olund punched an 0–2 RBI single to make it 1–0, Andy Blake followed with a two‑run triple, and Wendell Marrero added another two‑out RBI to cap a four‑run inning after Willeman had looked completely in control.

Sioux City tried to spark a response in the fourth when Alberto Osuna launched a solo homer to center. That was his second in as many days to cut the deficit to 4–1.

(Tim Tushla)

The Explorers climbed even closer in the fifth.

Zac Vooletich hammered a two‑run double off the top of the left‑field fence, just inches from a game‑tying homer, to make it 4–3.

Sioux City couldn’t get the shutdown inning it needed in the sixth, and Milwaukee answered with four more runs. Blake led off the inning with a solo homer, Valdés added an RBI triple, and two more scored with two outs as the Milkmen stretched the lead to 8–3.

(Credit Tim Tushla)

The X’s had chances to claw back, putting two runners on in both the sixth and seventh innings, but each rally ended with a strikeout. Milwaukee kept piling on, adding two more in the eighth on an RBI double from Chase Waddell and a sacrifice fly from Michael Hallquist to make it 10–3.

Blake capped his monster night in the ninth with a towering moonshot to left for his second homer and fourth RBI to push the lead to 11–3 and seal the Milkmen’s win.

Sioux City continues its four‑game series against Milwaukee on Tuesday. First pitch for game two is scheduled for 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.

(Tim Tushl)

Box Score

Notes from the Booth with DV:

-The X’s dropped to a game below .500 for the third time on the season.

-Sioux City has dropped two in a row.

-Elliot Good had a two-hit night.

-Alberto Osuna hit a home run for his second straight game.

(Tim Tushla)

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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