EXPLORERS CHURN OUT A SWEEP OVER MILKMEN
SIOUX CITY CONTINUES TO FLEX AS LEAGUE’S MOST COMPLETE TEAM
SIOUX CITY, Iowa—The Sioux City Explorers (51-27) held off a late push from the Milwaukee Milkmen (30-47) to earn a 5-3 victory and complete the series sweep at Lewis & Clark Park. Backed by steady pitching and timely offense, the Explorers continued their league-best run with another all-around performance.
The Explorers plated their 12th consecutive run in the series in the first inning of game three. Austin Davis led off with an infield single and sped to third when Henry George blooped the first pitch he saw into shallow center field. Zac Vooletich hopped in the box next and cashed in, sending a fly ball to deep center as Davis jogged home.
Milwaukee retaliated in the top of the third as the eight and nine hitters, Parker Lester and Joe Gray, doubled and singled to start the frame. Lester tied the game later in the inning, coming around to score on an error by Josh Day. X’s starter Kyle Marman (7-3) battled with no outs in that inning as the ace struck out the next three batters, keeping the score tied 1-1.
After striking out the leadoff batter in the fourth, Chase Gearing (3-4) allowed the next four Explorers aboard, culminating in Davis’s reaching on an error by shortstop Delvin Perez and forcing in a run. Still with the bases loaded, George sent a fly ball deep enough out to center field as Abdiel Layer scored on the sacrifice fly.
Both right-handers worked through a scoreless fifth, but the Milkmen inched within one in the top of the sixth on Andrew Sundean’s first professional hit, an RBI single to left. The Explorers provided some much-needed insurance runs in the bottom half of the frame.
Michael Quiñones opened the inning with an opposite-field double that hugged the left-field line. Abdiel Layer doubled him in four pitches later.
With two outs in the same inning, Layer had moved to third with the dangerous George at the dish. The all-star delivered, lifting a 1-0 offering from Gearing into left-center field.
George knew it was well-hit off the bat, but Gray, the center fielder, stopped in his tracks well shy of the wall and acted like he had an easy catch, but he lost the baseball in the lights as it landed on the warning track. Layer crossed the plate, and the Explorers jumped back up by three.
Marman, once again pitching with a solid lead, hopped out of the dugout for the seventh inning, but rookie outfielder Mitchell Sanford crushed the first pitch of the frame over the left-field wall for his first professional home run. The right-hander retired one more batter, notching his 12th quality start of the season before manager Steve Montgomery turned to his pen, putting Chase Jessee on the mound.
The lefty setup man finished off the seventh and engineered a scoreless eighth, handing the ball off to closer Felix Cepeda in the ninth. The Dominican flamethrower overpowered Milwaukee, securing his league-leading 19th save and his club’s fourth sweep of the season.
This six-game homestand continues as the Explorers start a new three-game weekend series against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. First pitch on Friday is set for 7:05 pm. Ticket packages for the 2025 season are on sale now, including Full and Half-Season Tickets as well as 10-, 15-, and 25-game Flex Packs. For more information, please call 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.
Notes from the Booth with DV:
-The X’s have a league best 51-27 record and hold a six game lead over Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks and Kansas City.
-The sweep gives the X’s the lead All-time 20-17 against Milwaukee.
-The Explorers issued just one walk in their last 18 innings against Milwaukee.
-It was the fourth sweep for Sioux City this season.
– X’s are 25-12 at home this season.
-D’Shawn Knowles went 9-for-11 with six RBI in the series.
-Knowles has at least two hits in seven of his last 11 games and stole a base for the 10th straight game.
-Michael Quiñones went 4-for-5 in his first series with Sioux City.
-Sioux City now has 209 stolen bases and need just 5 more to break the league single season record.
