SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22, 2026
EXPLORERS’ EARLY LEAD ERASED IN 12–7 SETBACK
SEVEN RUN FIFTH SINKS SIOUX CITY
By: Andrew Della Piana
SIOUX CITY, IOWA –Sioux City (40–45) couldn’t withstand a seven‑run fifth inning on Saturday night, falling 12–7 to Winnipeg (46–38) after the Explorers briefly grabbed the lead.
Manager Steve Montgomery said, “We didn’t get a hold after we scored in the 5th. Boom, they got the momentum and never looked back.”
The game opened as a pitchers’ duel as the first 13 combined hitters were retired before Max Murphy broke through with a double in the third. That set up Ray‑Patrick Didder’s three‑run homer to left, giving Winnipeg a 3–0 lead.
Sioux City’s first baserunner didn’t come until Dillon Tatum’s two‑out single in the third, but the Explorers answered loudly in the fourth.
Zac Vooletich and Henry George singled to start the inning, Braulio Vásquez drove in the first run, Alberto Osuna tied the game with a two‑run double, and Jackson Van De Brake snapped an 0‑for‑16 stretch with an RBI single to give Sioux City a 4–3 lead.
Winnipeg responded with the decisive blow in the fifth with seven runs on seven hits. Noah Marcelo delivered the biggest swing with a three‑run homer, while RBIs from Didder and Ramon Bramasco helped push the Goldeyes ahead 10–4.
Sioux City showed life in the sixth when Van De Brake launched a three‑run homer, his first in about a month, trimming the deficit to 10–7.
But Winnipeg kept adding on.
In the seventh, Bramasco singled home Didder on a perfectly executed hit‑and‑run to make it 11–7. Nate Gercken entered with the bases loaded and two outs and induced a ground ball to escape further damage.
Murphy capped Winnipeg’s night with a solo homer in the eighth for the 140th of his American Association career to extend the lead to 12–7.
Sioux City finishes the series with Winnipeg on Sunday 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. Tickets for all remaining games are available now by calling the Explorers front office at 712-277-WINS or online at xsbaseball.com.
Notes from the Booth with DV:
-Henry George reached base for the 25th straight game.
-Sioux City is 10-10 in August.
-Sioux City dropped is 21-24 at home this season.
-Alberto Osuna is 19-for-41 in his last 10 games. (.463)
-The Explores trail Sioux Falls by two and a half games and do not own the tie breaker for the final playoff spot.
-Zach Willeman struck out six and became the 12th player to strike out 106 in a season. He now has 110.
-Jackson Van De Brake had his 10th multi RBI game of the season.
–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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